Specialist in Cross-dressed Roles in Modern Japanese Theatre
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | In most countries it has been a matter of course to see men on stage in female roles for a number of centuries. In Japan this practice has been preserved to this day, together with traditional noh and kabuki theatres. The emergence of the modern theatre however brought with it the need for actresses. Together with the appearance of these actresses on the Japanese stage there came a new phenomenon. The Takarazuka Revue was born, in which women appeared in male roles. These specialists in male roles are known as otokoyaku, and in Japan they enjoy the popularity of pop stars. At present it is also possible to encounter men who specialise in female roles beyond the framework of the traditional theatre. These specialists, known as gendai onnagata in Japanese, are individuals who perceived these roles as presenting a challenge to their acting abilities. My analysis focuses primarily on the manner of representing the opposite sex, and attempts to relate this both to the traditional theatre and to compare these representations between themselves. |