China, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand Theater Arts and Festival

PEKING OPERA

-China’s known traditional theater art form, which combines music, vocal performance, pantomime, dance, and acrobatics.

–It started in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century

-it became extremely popular and came to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China (Qing Dynasty)

Peking Opera Training:Pupils were often handpicked at a young age by a

teacher and trained for seven years on contract from the child's parents. After 1911, training took place in more formally organized schools. Students at these schools rose as early as five o'clock in the morning for exercises. Daytime was spent learning the skills of acting and combat, and senior students performed in outside theaters in the evening.

Roles and Characters:

1. Sheng- is the main male role in Peking opera

a. Xiaosheng actors are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image they project.

B. WUSHENG - is a martial character for roles involving combat. They are highly trained in acrobatics, and have a natural voice when singing.

c. LAOSHENG - is a dignified older role, these characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition, and wear sensible costumes.

2. Dan - refers to any female role in Peking opera

a. LAODAN- old woman respectively representing a middle-aged woman who always acts as a Mrs.

b. WUDAN- martial woman

c. DAOMADAN - are young female warriors

d. QINGYI - are virtuous and elite women

e. HUADAN - are vivacious and unmarried women

• 3. JING -is a painted face male role who plays either primary or secondary roles, entails a forceful character,

-must have a strong voice and be able to exaggerate gestures.

• The red color denotes loyalty and goodness, white denotes evil, and black denotes integrity.

4. CHOU -is a male clown role.

-usually plays secondary roles whose name also means "ugly”

-it reflects the traditional belief that the clown's combination of ugliness and laughter could drive away evil spirits.

• Visual Performance Elements: Peking-opera performers utilize

four main skills1. Song 2. Speech 3. Dance-acting - This includes

pure dance, pantomime, and all other types of dance.

4. Combat - includes both acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry.

The meaning of colors in Peking Opera Masks/Make-ups

Red - devotion, courage, bravery, uprightness and loyalty.

Black - roughness and fierceness

Yellow - fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness

Purple - uprightness, sophistication and cool-headedness

Reddish purple - just and noble character

Blue - loyalty, fierceness and sharpness

• White - dangerousness, suspiciousness and craftiness. Commonly seen on the stage is the white face for the powerful villain

• Green - impulsive and violent and stubbornness

Xiaohualian (the petty painted face) is a small patch of chalk on and around the nose. Clowns of traditional drama who wears this special make-up show a mean and secretive character.

Aesthetic Aims and Principles of Movement:

• The highest aim of performers in Peking Opera is to put beauty into every motion.

• The art form, gestures, settings, music, and character types are determined by long held conventions

• Conventions of movement -Walking in a large circle always symbolizes traveling a long distance - Character straightening his or her costume and headdress symbolizes that an important character is about to speak -Pantomimic opening and closing of doors and mounting and descending of stairs

Stages: • square platforms, the action on stage

is usually visible from at least three sides

• were built above the line of sight of the viewers, but some modern stages have been constructed with higher audience seating

• divided into two parts by an embroidered curtain called a shoujiu.

• Costume: Xingtou - popularly known as Xifu in Chinese - origins of Peking Opera costumes can be

traced back to the mid-14th century -enable the audience to distinguish a

character's sex and status at first glance if noble or humble, civilian or military, officials or private citizens

• Props: • utilizes very few props • will almost always have a table

and at least one chair, which can be turned through convention into such diverse objects as a city wall, a mountain, or a bed

•Musicians: - are visible to the

audience on the front part of the stage

• Viewers: - always seated south of

the stage, therefore, north is the most important direction

• Performers: -immediately move to center

north upon entering the stage. All characters enter from the east and exit from the west