This summer, Kiyokazu Kanze—the 26th Grand Master of the Kanze School and a descendent of the founder of Noh—brings the profound lyricism and aesthetic elegance of this ancient dramatic art form to Lincoln Center.
On an authentic Noh stage constructed especially for Lincoln Center Festival, Kanze Noh Theatre will present five different Noh dramas selected from the repertoire of approximately 240, as well as two Kyogen, the customary comic interlude in a Noh program.
In the enigmatic Japanese dramas of Noh, ancient stories from classical Japanese literature and oral traditions come to life in a sublime, ritualized blend of poetry, music, drama, and dance. The divide between the natural and supernatural is bridged as spirits and humans interact in a world rife with symbolism. The nearly 700-year-old dramatic form—known to many for its highly stylized masks and elegantly simple set featuring a single pine tree—is one of the world’s oldest continuously performed genres of performance art and was recently designated an “Intangible Cultural Heritage” by UNESCO.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Okina and Hagoromo
July 13 at 7:30
Grand Master Kiyokazu Kanze performs the oldest Noh play, _Okina_, a dance-based sacred rite, followed by the celestial springtime myth
Sumida Gawa, Busshi, Shakkyo
July 14 at 7:30
Grand Master Kiyokazu Kanze is a tragic madwoman searching for her lost child, plus a conman sells a sculpture, and lions dance at the Stone Bridge
Hagoromo, Kaki Yamabushi, Sumida Gawa
July 15 at 7:30
Grand Master Kiyokazu Kanze is a madwoman seeking her lost child, plus a fisherman encounters a celestial maiden, and a priest gets stuck in a tree
Okina and Aoi no Ue
July 16 at 1:30
Grand Master Kiyokazu Kanze performs the oldest Noh play, _Okina_, followed by a 14th-century tale of a vengeful phantom
Hagoromo, Busshi, Aoi no Ue
July 16 at 7:30
A fisherman encounters a celestial maiden, a conman sells a sculpture, and a woman—played by Kiyokazu Kanze—is possessed by a vengeful phantom
Okina and Shakkyo
July 17 at 2:00
Experience a rare U.S. performance of _Okina_, the oldest Noh drama, by Grand Master Kiyokazu Kanze, plus the exquisite lion dance of _Shakkyo_
