One of my classes is "History of Japanese Theatre". My first homework assignment was to go see a performance of traditional music and dance, called gagaku and bugaku, and write a report about my experience. I have also done a report on Zeami-san, who was a very influential man in the history of Noh theatre. I will continue to study Noh for a while, and I'll also study kabuki, and my very, very favorite, the Japanese puppet theatre called bunraku. (Maybe someday I can return to Kumamoto prefecture to do "research" in Seiwa-mura!)
I have four other classes, two of which are for scenic design. I am also designing the props for a BIG musical play called "Oklahoma!", and I'm designing the set for a local theatre's debut performance of a new play. This new play is a story set in a Japanese internment camp in California in 1943. I am learning a lot about the experiences suffered by Japanese-Americans during WWII. I want to do a good job to honor these people.
I also work part-time, because I want to buy groceries and stuff. My job title is "Lab Theatre Coordinator", but basically I just build sets and take care of the school's black box theatre. Today, I was working on a set with a young man. I was working low, and he was high on a ladder. Do you know what "vise-grips" are? They are a tool that really hurts when someone drops them on your head from high on a ladder. My head felt (and still feels) bad, but I think he felt worse.
I have a lot of homework to do tonight. And next Monday is a holiday in America, so we have a three-day weekend. This week, all of my professors said, "It's a three-day weekend, so you have extra time for extra homework." So, my holiday is going to be very busy with a LOT of homework. I don't mind so much, though. I get to read a Noh play, I get to design things and build some models. Also, I don't have to go to my part-time job, so nobody will drop anything on my head.
This is a model I made of an izakaya in Kumamoto.
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