Try to read a thing called Noh, separating it from the form performed now, considering it is a performance script written by Zeami. Then, it surprises me that this is theater too. I think many works which audience regard as interesting is living in everywhere of Noh. From such a viewpoint, I am exploring the way of Noh.

The first thing, JO-HA-KYU (foreword-burst-suddenness). This is the completely general form of telling stories, and it would just be invention of Zeami. It starts calmly and slowly, and after the materials of drama are necessity-enough-gathered and arranged, it bursts into climax and finishes quickly. This process of drama is Japanese beauty. And also it is a quite comprehensive style as theatre form in the world.
By the way, as for KI-SYO-TEN-KETSU (introduction-development-turn-conclusion), if Ki and Syo are made into the one aspect, it becomes JO (foreword) and it is same as JO-HA-KYU. If I dare to say, the KYU (suddenness) portion like "finishing quickly" may be a style peculiar to Japan. In the case of the Occidental tale, the reason and the conclusion are finally entered. But the sensitivity of Japan had thought that "it finishes quickly" was beautiful. No, this sensitivity are still valid.
If we read Japanese short novels, I sometimes think that oh, this is Noh. Because they have JO-HA-KYU and give the sense of "finishing quickly".

The literature of Japan in general has the tendency not to say a thing definitely. It makes the boundary of dream and actuality ambiguous, and does not distinguish an opinion of himself and others, for example the Japanese music has sensitivities that feel the beauty at the boundary of slowness and quickness. I can say that such sensitivities have breathed through the fringe theatres in Japan also now. That is, it is a Japanese poet's sensitivities. Kara Juro is a dramatist and a poet, his play structure which surges is completely Noh. As for the foreign drama, this sensitivity has also affected Yeats etc.

In the talk of small problem, most Noh has "NANORI" (introducing himself) . The actor called WAKI explains to audience that he is XXX and facing the situation of YYY now, and then ZZZ will happens. It seems to be old fashion, but I think that it is a still effective dramatic technique. Betsuyaku Minoru, who is a modern Japanese playwright, uses this technique occasionally. And in cabaret play, this is a stock-in-trade. In the foreign country, this is made into the Alienation-effect in Brecht. A player in Brecht suddenly leaves away a role and speaks to audience directly. In Japan, Black Tent Theater has often done this. Although the purpose is different, it can use.

The second thing. I think that the greatest feature of Noh is existence of chorus called JIUTA. This differs from one of the Greece tragedy. Although the chorus of the Greece tragedy is the medium between heroes and gods and expresses the intention of demos, JIUTA of Noh is the existence which merely represents the passion of SHITE, who is the main actor. If SHITE presented himself by himself, this presentation would sound false-hearted to Japanese audience. His real passion is mediated by something neutral. Through JIUTA, the tale of SHITE can be advanced smoothly. Such deindividualism is just Japanese philosophy. I think that this is very effective for contemporary theatre. It may be the ideal in my mind. Shortly, I am just going to wish to confirm surely.
And if I consider from the viewpoint of ethics, that existence of chorus not only can be used as a dramatic means, but also could take small effect on the egoism of today. I regard it as a wisdom. the wisdom is that the existence of ego is not completed only in its desire. I expect that JIUTA tells that the ego is buried into the whole others. It is the reverse phenomenon of hearing the others' voice from the inside of self exactly. when projecting the truth of self into the others, a man can be strongly healed. the structure where one actor's responsibility / ability does not express one character will become the power of counteracting the poison for hard-set performance. Even if the feelings of one character are the theme of the work, it is richer that the feelings are wrapped in the whole play structure than left to the one actor. Getting the telling story structure back to the way of Noh, the point can be surely visible.

I think that it is one of real feelings that the mainstream of a drama of the contemporary theater in Japan is standing on a place with daily sensitivity. It is naturalism. However, as long as the tale structure itself belongs with every day, it cannot catch the rupture of human relations in everyday. A fantasy in the daytime, A absurdity in a dream, a selfish belief in the head, all is actual in mind. If that mind actualities are the powers which reverse common sense greatly, thay are also real. And the powers carry out scientific large discovery and cause a cruel incident. I think that such "tales of inside" can tell the unusualness with the reality of the unusualness only after leaving them to the tale structure like a JIUTA over the individual framework.

I will consider it is the actuality of Noh.

YUGEN (subtle profundity) of Noh, since it is a thematic thing, I will write it next time.