Intercultural theatre
Intercultural theatre, also referred to as a cross-cultural theatre, is a way of mixing different cultures and subcultures that primarily match. Naomi Iizuka’s “36 Views” is an example of a correctly done intercultural theatre. Based on a story of an art dealer whose antiquities are of Asian origin, the story blends the Western dramatic forms to bring up a beautiful story. The film borrows its name from the artist’s study of Mt. Fuji and the metaphoric nature of the story of having 36 scenes. Kabuki theatre is famous for its style in drama and the Kumadori that is used by actors and performers in this theatre. On the other hand, in the western theatre, different forms are used to describe films. Iizuka’s combination of the Japanese Kabuki and the theatre of the west forms brings a new taste into the play. This paper discusses how well Iizuka creates an intercultural theatre using these two distinct theatres and also analyzes the effects of using this style in art.
In the western theatre, this play is considered to be of the form “Drama and Plays.” The fact that this play is a western produced theatre and its numerous orientalism proves that intercultural theatre can be exciting (Varisco 5). First, throughout the film, episodes of Claire Tsong working with Setsuko Hearn moves around with traditional Japanese clothing are evident. Kimono, a conventional female dressing code, gives this film a taste of the two cultures in the play. One culture is the dominant western culture, and the other is the Asian culture that covers a large part of the setting. Iizuka uses Kabuki’s play structure of short films and episodes; hence, in the end, it comes up with a 36 episode film (Iizuka 6). Contrary to the Western forms of producing a movie of 2-5 hours, the Kabuki theatre specializes in short episodes that form a full film, and Iizuka significantly borrows this aspect.
The element of performance is significantly borrowed from the Kabuki theatre, whereby the traditional Japanese “Sewamono,” the domestic plays of the Western theatre, is used. Iizuka uses the elements of romance by showing the love affair between Elizabeth Newman and Claire Tsong, which according to the Kabuki theatre, is the performance of the Sewamono. Finally, Japanese art, which forms the most considerable part in the Kabuki theatre, is used throughout the film, whereby at one instance, Darius Wheeler buys a fake Japanese art from his servant.
This style works perfectly for me because it helps in bringing new techniques that make a film more interesting. In this era where authentic national identity is no longer of great importance, intercultural theatre is the only technique that can help in the preservation of these cultures and attaining more sales through recognition of different cultures. In the play “36 Views,” Iizuka combines the western and the Japanese, Kabuki, learning to gain an audience from both the Eastern and Western words (Iizuka 10). Intercultural theatres could have a negative impact on the theatre sector. For instance, these theatres do not cover a whole scope of the borrowed culture but instead, show a small piece of the bigger picture. Intercultural theatres present an avenue for orientalism, and through this technique, the Western theatre considers the Eastern as undeveloped (Wren 32). From the “36 Views,” the general view of the Japanese setting, right from the architecture to the mode of dressing, is depicted as undeveloped.
Art is something that brings a new perspective while not architecture defines the type of “art” that has nothing new to present to the audience. The technique involves giving an already existing view with a changed perspective. Original art is that which unseen vision and styles are used to express the views of the artist. The 36 Views is a unique art because even though it uses already existing looks, new techniques and vision are revealed.