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BRECHT฀I N฀OSAKA-KOB E฀ AT฀TH E฀BEGINNIN G฀O F฀TH E฀EIGHTIE S฀ Hiroshi฀Yag i฀ We฀no w฀kno w฀a ฀lo t฀abou t฀Brecht .฀On e฀migh t฀thin k฀ that฀everythin g฀ha s฀bee n฀translated .฀Ha s฀h e฀becom e฀fo r฀u s฀ the฀kin d฀o f฀classi c฀tha t฀onl y฀academic s฀wan t฀t o฀discuss ?฀ Around฀193 6฀Brech t฀wrote :฀'Th e฀moder n฀Epi c฀Theatr e฀als o฀ is฀inseparabl y฀linke d฀t o฀certai n฀tendencies .฀I t฀certainl y฀ cannot฀b e฀performe d฀everywhere .฀Circumstance s฀favour able ฀t o฀a n฀epi c฀an d฀didacti c฀theatr e฀wer e฀t o฀b e฀foun d฀i n฀ only฀a ฀fe w฀place s฀an d฀the n฀no t฀fo r฀long '฀(15.272) .฀Fift y฀ years฀later ,฀however ,฀ther e฀seem s฀t o฀b e฀certai n฀ opportunities฀fo r฀developin g฀thi s฀Epi c฀Theatr e฀i n฀Eas t฀ Asian฀countries ,฀eve n฀i f฀man y฀play s฀nowadays ,฀whethe r฀o r฀ not฀the y฀hav e฀a n฀epi c฀o r฀non-epi c฀qualit y฀i n฀th e฀Brechtia n฀ sense,฀ar e฀performe d฀i n฀a ฀ver y฀unepi c฀manner .฀Thoug h฀th e฀ situation฀i n฀th e฀Japanes e฀theatr e฀o f฀th e฀Sixtie s฀an d฀ Seventies฀wa s฀complex ,฀th e฀genera l฀tren d฀wa s฀no t฀i n฀favou r฀ of฀realis t฀theatre ,฀a s฀w e฀ca n฀se e฀fro m฀th e฀man y฀ Underground฀theatre s฀an d฀fro m฀th e฀Shik i฀Group ,฀th e฀Toky o฀ Theatre,฀th e฀Wased a฀Theatr e฀an d฀Tenjosajiki .฀Give n฀th e฀ 'extent฀an d฀diversity '฀o f฀th e฀Aristotelia n฀theatre ,฀i t฀i s฀ something฀o f฀a ฀challeng e฀t o฀develo p฀a n฀Epi c฀Theatr e฀toda y฀ in฀Japa n฀fo r฀whic h฀Brech t฀himsel f฀onc e฀foun d฀suggestion s฀ in฀traditiona l฀Asia n฀an d฀specificall y฀i n฀Japanes e฀theatre .฀ In฀orde r฀t o฀realis e฀a n฀Epi c฀Theatr e฀durin g฀thi s฀perio d฀ of฀chang e฀i n฀Eas t฀Asia ,฀w e฀mus t฀develo p฀th e฀alienatio n฀ effect,฀whic h฀Brech t฀admire d฀i n฀th e฀traditiona l฀Japanes e฀ theatre,฀i n฀a ฀specificall y฀Brechtia n฀sense ,฀a s฀a ฀mean s฀o f฀ strengthening฀a ฀critica l฀consciousness .฀Fo r฀a n฀'alienatio n฀ effect1 ฀i s฀use d฀i n฀Japa n฀i n฀a n฀eve r฀mor e฀irrationa l฀an d฀ absurd฀manner ,฀i n฀orde r฀t o฀prov e฀tha t฀th e฀worl d฀canno t฀b e฀ changed฀an d฀tha t฀ol d฀tradition s฀ar e฀mor e฀powerful .฀Thi s฀ conservative฀o r฀reactionar y฀'alienatio n฀effect '฀i s฀frequentl y฀ to฀b e฀foun d฀i n฀moder n฀plays .฀ Brecht฀i n฀Osaka-Kob e฀ 131 We฀ca n฀se e฀ho w฀Brech t฀develope d฀hi s฀Epi c฀Theatr e฀i n฀ conjunction฀wit h฀th e฀theor y฀o f฀a ฀ne w฀for m฀o f฀opera .฀Note s฀ for฀Mahagonn y฀an d฀Th e฀Threepenn y฀Oper a฀bea r฀thi s฀out .฀ The฀musi c฀an d฀othe r฀element s฀i n฀th e฀production s฀separat e฀ themselves฀fro m฀th e฀plot ,฀achievin g฀a ฀degre e฀o f฀ independence.฀However ,฀th e฀moder n฀Western-influence d฀ theatre฀i n฀Japa n฀wishe d฀t o฀brea k฀wit h฀th e฀traditiona l฀form s฀ of฀Noh ,฀Kabuk i฀an d฀Bunraku ,฀t o฀distanc e฀itsel f฀fro m฀ 'opera',฀t o฀d o฀awa y฀wit h฀danc e฀an d฀song .฀I t฀i s฀wel l฀know n฀ that฀thi s฀Ne w฀Theatr e฀(Shingeki )฀insiste d฀tha t฀th e฀pat h฀ forward฀di d฀no t฀li e฀throug h฀a ฀renewa l฀o f฀Kabuk i฀bu t฀i n฀a฀ complete฀brea k฀wit h฀it .฀Perhap s฀th e฀tim e฀ha s฀com e...

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