Hilarity Unleashed: Japan’s Ever-Popular Stage Comedy – Kyôgen
The PSU Center for Japanese Studies presents
A Talk by Dr. Laurence Kominz
Kyôgen (literally “Crazy Words”) is Japan’s enduring and ever-popular traditional stage comedy. It was also Japan’s only cultural expression of humanism and equality in the medieval era. Kyôgen plays remain popular and relevant today because they overturn social and political hierarchies, and do so by debunking and laughing at the wealthy and powerful. Kominz has studied and performed kyôgen plays on multiple occasions in Japan, and he directs student performers here at PSU. In his presentation Kominz will introduce this remarkable art form, and show video highlights of hilarious moments from great plays. This lecture sets the stage for public stage performances by PSU students later in May.
May 18, 2021, 6 PM
In Japan – May 19th, 10 AM
A FREE Zoom presentation in anticipation of the CJS live performance of “Laughing in the Light at the End of the Tunnel: PSU Students Perform Kyogen Hijinks”
to be live streamed May 29th.
Professor Laurence Kominz received his Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Columbia University under the supervision of Donald Keene. Kominz’ writing and research specialty is Japanese drama, and he has taken performance lessons in noh, kyôgen, kabuki, and gidayû bushi recitation. Kominz teaches courses in Japanese language, literature, drama, and film, and he directs fully realized kabuki and kyôgen plays in English. Recent kabuki plays include The Revenge of the 47 Loyal Samurai and The Castle Tower. In 2018 and 2019 Kominz’ students performed kyôgen plays here at PSU and in St. Louis, Massachusetts, and Victoria, Canada.
Co-sponsored by
PSU Department of World Languages and Literatures
PSU Institute for Asian Studies
with support from the Toshiba International Foundation