AWAJI PUPPET THEATER is a traditional Japanese puppet theater form with a history of over 500 years. This form is thought to be the cradle of all other Japanese puppet theater traditions, pulling together puppet-manipulation, live shamisen music, and recitation/narration. Intricate and gorgeously costumed puppets perform in front beautiful stage sets. The program will feature traditional dance, music and classic drama. A unique presentation with an on stage puppet demonstration on building and moving the puppet by master artists.
The North American tour of Awaji Puppet Theater Company is organized and produced by the Japan Society, New York, in partnership with the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and is supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan and The Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program.
If you’ve seen this show before or will see it, please leave a comment and let us know what you think! We love hearing what you have to say. Be a critic! Be a fan!
The Awaji Puppet Theater was amazing! We were transported back 500 years to a world of serpents and miraculous events. The puppets were magical. The music and chanting exciting and the combination made the time fly-by. We couldn’t believe how fast the evening went.
Thank you to the wonderful artists, to the Asian Arts Program and the Japan Society for bringing this fantastic theater experience to the Valley. We feel very fortunate to be able to have had this completely memorable evening.
P.S. And, it was wonderful to leave the theater and see two of beautiful puppets and thank the puppet masters.
Wow. The Awaji Puppet Theater was absolutely fantastic. I was happy to be able to greet one of the puppets/puppeteers as I left and he was very friendly. I sat enthralled by the stories and, even though I knew the third one, it once again moved me to tears. Thank you for providing a fantastic evening out and an escape from the pressures of our daily lives. I wish my girlfriend could have shared the experience with me, but maybe another time. Thank you so much for giving us all this experience, I hope it was profitable as I would love to see the Awaji puppeteers come this way again!
Truly a theatrical experience. I found my eyes unable to decide where to rest for any given time. The translations that ran along the top of the stage gave a depth of understanding to what non speakers of japanese could not have hoped to learn through action and music. The puppets, there’s no need to explain the utter fascination found in the very human movement, in how they seemed to effortlessly create emotion in what was once a frozen face. But again and again, my eyes were drawn to the chanter and accompanists. Though their eyes rested down, it was as if they held the play in themselves. The chanters held a special interest as I tried to gleam from their motionless bodies how they were placing so much emotion in single lines. Even the order in which they presented the pieces, drawing the audience in with laughter, holding their attention with technical illusion and then appealing to them in a moral tale. They played us as well as the puppets in their hands. My gratitude to the Awaji Puppet Theater and those that brought them to us. Here’s to their swift return! CHEERS!
I enjoyed the show, but felt the large performance space was not the best venue for enjoying this type of performance, since the puppets and their faces have subtle movements, which were not visible for much of the audience. My understanding is that traditionally in Japan Bunraku was performed in small theatres, which were more intimate a setting. I wish I had brought binoculars to the performance. The overall experience was a delight. I especially enjoyed the live music and chanting of the script -very beautiful and powerful. But best of all, for me, was attending the workshop the day before, where we had a wonderful hands-on personal exchange with the performers and puppets. The translator was phenomenal!
For many years I have wanted to see a performance of Japanese puppet theatre; Saturday’s performance was a dream fulfilled for me. The coordination and choreography of the puppets’ movements was amazing! It is wonderful that the Fine Arts Center can bring such wonderful Asian art and entertainment for American audiences. Thank you so much!
I became interested in Japanese culture many years ago. After taking a course at UMASS in 2007 and learning about the puppet theater in Japan I have wante to see one for many tears. I have been to Japan twice was never able to see a performance, so it was wonderful for me to be able to see a live performance in my own back yard. Thank you for bring the many cultural events that you do to UMASS. I really appreciate being able to experience all that you have to offer.
Thank you again Jay