2007-04-27 19:30:00 - 2007-04-27 00:00:00
The Art of the Puppet – Bunraku
Fri. Apr. 27, 7:30 p.m.
Enjoy a performance of the third classical theater (Noh, Kabuki) form known as Bunraku, the sophisticated puppet theater. The term Bunraku originally referred specifically to the puppet tradition of Osaka developed before 1600. The Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe, under the direction of Prof. Martin Holman of the Japanese Studies Program at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, present four traditional pieces using puppets created in Japan. The puppets are one-half to full life-size. Each major character is jointly manipulated by three puppeteers, who appear on stage in full view of the audience. The main puppeteer generally appears bare-faced, while the others are "invisible" in black hoods.
Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Mall
Tickets: Resident Members $15; Gen. Admission $20; Children under 10 years $10
Smithsonian InstitutionWashington, D.C., District of Columbia