Contemporary Theater in Japan: The Group Chelfitsch and the Instability in the Scene

Abstract

The Japanese theater is known around the world for the traditional Kabuki and the classical Noh. However, the contemporary theatrical production in Japan has gained international recognition in the last decades, with the participation in festivals and cultural exchange. These contemporary artists were born in the 1970s and belong to a generation in search of new identity and aesthetic references. They have in common an attempt to understand the meaning of living in a complex and unstable society. The Chelfitsch group is one of the leading exponents of this new artistic environment. The director and playwrighter Toshiki Okada, winner of major awards, presents an audacious scenic conception through the use of a hyper-colloquial language and exaggerated gestures. The destabilizations in the scene seem to reflect the unstability of a society in transition. This paper intends to present connections between performative dimensions of the aesthetic proposal of the Chelfitsch group and the cultural aspects under deep transformation in the Japanese society, where the ancient relations of sociability and power are in crisis.



Author Information
Fernanda Raquel, Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, Brasil

Paper Information
Conference: ACAH2015
Stream: Arts - Performing Arts Practices: Theater

This paper is part of the ACAH2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon