Kyogen's demise is constantly exaggerated. In the shadow of noh for centuries, kyogen began performing all-kyogen shows at ladies' clubs and festivals with increased frequency before the Pacific War. Then after the war, an upsurge in amateur students at home lessons and culture centers, university clubs and theatre companies, created large fan clubs for the big families like the Nomuras and in Kyoto, the Shigeyamas. NHK child stardom (Ippei Shigeyama) and teen acting (Nomura Mansai) led to more opportunities, new audiences, stretching the limits of the traditional world. Izumi Motohide fell from grace, paarental hubris and lack of respect to the powerful iemoto traditions. Female performers flared and spluttered. The bubble economy burst and people cut back on their theatre practice and viewing. And yet. This past month, not a very active one in the Japanese theatre calendar traditionally, I've seen a rakugo performer pair with a kyogen actor (each did their own genre, then...
an occasional document of theatrical life in Kyoto and the virtual world at the beginning of the 21st century