Asian Theatre As Method the Toki Experimental Project and Sino-Japanese Transnationalism in Performance Rossella Ferrari

Asian Theatre as Method The Toki Experimental Project and Sino-Japanese Transnationalism in Performance Rossella Ferrari

The Sino-Japanese collaboration Zhuhuan shiyan jihua: yishu baocun he fazhan (Toki Experimental Project: Preservation and Development of the Traditional Performing Arts),1 is an intercultural and intergeneric performance network that brings together practitioners of kunqu, or kunju (Kun opera) — the oldest extant form of indigenous Chinese theatre (xiqu) — Japanese noh, and contemporary dance and theatre from Japan and the Sinophone region. Formally inau- gurated in 2012, Toki is a joint initiative of Sato\ Makoto, a pioneer of Japanese underground (angura) theatre and artistic director of Tokyo’s Za-Koenji Public Theatre, and Danny Yung Ning-tsun, an avantgarde theatre pioneer and coartistic director of Hong Kong’s leading trans- medial arts collective, Zuni Icosahedron, in partnership with the Jiangsu sheng yanyi jituan kunju yuan ( Jiangsu Performing Arts Group Kun Opera Theatre), based in Nanjing, China.

1. These are, respectively, the official Chinese and English denominations of the project, as chosen by the organizers. The same applies to all bilingual Chinese-English performance titles provided in the remainder of this essay.

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142 Rossella Ferrari 2015. (Courtesy of Zuni 2015. Icosahedron)(Courtesy (Station 2015), directed by Satō Makoto. Toki Arts Week 2015, Nanjing Museum Theatre, 30–31 October Table, Two Chairs) ate adistinctive Asian brandofinterculturaltheatre. theatre. [email protected] networkscompleting amonographoninter-Asian andtransnationalcollaborationsinSinophone Garde: Experimental Theatre China(Seagull Books,2012)andiscurrently inContemporary positions: productions.inter-Asian Her have appeared articles insuchpublicationsasNew Theatre, Quarterly inChinese-language theatres,She onavantgarde, specializes focusingparticularly intercultural, and Rossella Ferrari isSenior Lecturer inChineseandTheatre Studies atSOAS University ofLondon. the development of a relationship through shifting interactions with the stage set pieces in Figure 1. (previous page) Kunqu actor Sun Yijun (left) and noh actor Kitanami Takahiro (right) suggest noh, together onthesamestagewithmodernactorsandchoreographers, aswellpractitionersof ranging betweenfourin2012andsevenlatereditions using astandardxiqustagesetofonetableandtwochairs. Inthe Toki 1T2Cprograms 1990s, invitescontributorstocreate20-minutepiecesfortwoormaximumthreeperformers nature aesthetics. This transmedialcollaborativeformat, whichZunihaschampionedsincethe interacts withaspectrumofgenres traditional hybridperformancethatIdesignateasthe Toki Theatre. Inthe Toki Theatre, kunqu 2001 byUNESCO and noh inars, andperformancecoproductionsdevotedtotheregenerationtransmissionofkunqu Tokyo, HongKong, andNanjingsubsequentlyevolvedintoaregularseriesofworkshops, sem- Shanghai, yishu zhou(Toki Arts Week) in2015 for theyearlyZhuhuanguojiyishujie(Toki International Arts Festival) ties inJapan, mainlandChina, Taiwan, Singapore, andotherregionshavegatheredinNanjing forming artsprofessionals, scholars, andcriticsfromthethreepartnercitiesvariouslocali- method” andprivilegedsiteofdiscoursein Asia (2010:216). hegemonic patternsofknowledgeproductionthat, historically, haveposited “the West as more recentinflection, “Chinaasmethod” ([1989]2016), tocallforareassessmentofthe Takeuchi Yoshimi’s seminallecture, “Asia asMethod” ([1960]2005), andMizoguchi Yu\zo’s forming arts. Taiwanese scholarChenKuan-hsing’sconceptionof “Asia asmethod” inthefieldofper Most significantly, Toki constitutesaparadigmatic, yethithertooverlooked, enactmentof and Friedman2013:1), andaconduitof “dialogical mediations” (StamandShohat2013:120). ductions thatinvolvecomparisonasacognitivedevice, arelational “mode ofthinking” (Felski through thelensofcontemporaryperformance. The collaborationsresultininterculturalpro- hybridization, andcross-fertilizationofnationalIntangibleCulturalHeritage(ICH)traditions 2. The festival’sregularperformanceseries, Zhuhuanjihua:yizhuoer(Toki Project:One Originating fromacommissionedshowpiecefortheJapanPavilionat World Expo2010in which is, however, beyond the scope of this essay to rerehearse. and “Asian” critically; namely, with awareness of the debate concerning their contested and shifting connotations, Chen’s notion of Asia, and also mine in this instance, chiefly refers to Asia. I engage the terms Northeast “Asia” In In general, onecandescribethe Toki Theatre asatransnationalpracticeofdeconstruction, jingju Asia asMethod: Toward Deimperialization(2010), Chenbuildsfromtheintuitionsof — asia critique, Zhuhuan degushi(The Tale oftheCrestedIbis), thetri-citycollaborationbetween both proclaimedMasterpiecesoftheOralandIntangibleHeritageHumanityin (Beijing opera), Japanese — — TDR,andPostcolonial Studies. She istheauthorofPop Goes theAvant- also knownbyitsacronym, 1T2C through themediumofcontemporaryperformance. Since2012, per — string puppetry, andotherindigenous Asian forms. — primarily nohandcontemporaryapproaches to experimentwithadistinctlydeconstructedformof — — epitomizes the Toki Theatre’s sig- kunqu performershaveworked 2 The reengagementof Asia asakey — renamed Zhuhuan Zhan 2015 — to gener —

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- Asian Theatre as Method 143 is — - As such, it ful- As such, 3 as inter-Asian relation. as inter-Asian — rather than as an endless repository of ethnog- as an endless repository rather than as the Toki Project’s core performance event Toki as the — — presents a rare performative articulation of “minjian of presents a rare performative articulation Minjian social spaces have been crucial in assisting Minjian social spaces have been crucial in 4 — requires a deterritorialization of the prevailing “East-West binary “East-West the prevailing deterritorialization of requires a such as the lasting conflicts between China and Japan, or China and or between China and Japan, such as the lasting conflicts — — with its base in Nanjing particularly between China and Japan. particularly between China and Japan. — — through cultural cross-referencing and cross-comparison of historical experience. and cross-comparison of historical through cultural cross-referencing

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For a discussion of “comparison as relation” see Shih (2013). Shih see relation” as “comparison of discussion a For also is “Minjian” (2012). T. Wang see minjian of notion the engages that project kun-noh the of account an For - nongovern denote to invoked often is it China, mainland of context the in and, “people-to-people” as translated party-state.the of remit the beyond fall that initiatives society civil or mental The 2010 collaboration between Zuni, Za-Koenji, and the Jiangsu Theatre in the context of Theatre in the and the Jiangsu Za-Koenji, The 2010 collaboration between Zuni, - which enables a reori reference system, as an inter-Asian Asia as method Chen advocates as an imaginary anchoring “Asia Chen envisions geopolitical entity, In addition to a concrete As a as method is twofold. Asia Toki Project from the perspective of the The significance of In addition to offering a paradigm of an Asia-focused “dialectic of comparison” (252), the (252), “dialectic of comparison” Asia-focused In addition to offering a paradigm of an 3. 4. Expo 2010 provides a meaningful case of minjian negotiation with the political and performa- Expo 2010 provides a meaningful case of minjian negotiation with the political and noninstitutionalized city- tive structures of the nation-state laying the ground for a longer-term, Festival Toki the As such, to-city exchange. unofficial reconciliation gestures and transborder alliances in East Asia in the absence of gen- Asia in the absence alliances in East unofficial reconciliation gestures and transborder as a nongovernmental, Likewise, nation-states. uine and open debate between oft-acrimonious autonomous dialogue among per Project has facilitated Toki the artist-directed platform, the region’s as well as fostering creativity by inter-referencing formance practitioners which, has supported microprocesses of informal diplomacy and transnational theatrical heritages, integration

raphies and case studies raphies and methodological hub and epistemic signifier hub and epistemic methodological structure,” hence a deimperialization of theory (216). (216). of theory hence a deimperialization structure,” within and across axes of connection horizons toward alternate our epistemological entation of “mediating (214) and of sentiment” as a pervasive structure “Asia as method envisages Asia Asia. and de- deimperialization, “decolonization, a tripartite discursive shift towards to assist (x), site” - the potential to inhibit divisive nation Asia as method harbors In other words, (212). cold war” and imperialist assumptions, to disperse the residual colonial mentalities, and alist ideologies, Asian societies since the latter have hindered genuine integration among cold war tensions that half of the 20th century. of deep-seated hostilities can facilitate informal processes of renegotiation which (212), point” between nation-states Asia as an integrated performative hori- it captures a cohesive vision of East critical articulation, it dis- a creative framework, As (254). open-ended imagination” “an as Chen puts it, zon or, binary opposition to of comparison as (East-West) engages obsolescent yet persistent notions reconceive comparison dialectically and dialogically Taiwan fills the purpose of Asia as method to override the Western-centric predispositions of domi- Asia as method to override the fills the purpose of envisioning Asia, (216) toward “shifting [our] points of reference” nant knowledge structures by and an acentered site of rhizomatic intercul- Asian theatre(s) as a dynamic epistemic producer Asia as the object of analysis as method ceases to consider “Asia As Chen maintains, turalism. (216). production” and becomes a means of transforming knowledge Project Toki The term mainland Chinese cultural landscape. in the still largely state-dominated Asia” East in a sphere initiatives unfolding locally and transnationally “people-based” denotes “minjian” unfettered by institutional and corporate mecha- of societal interaction that is comparatively 2013:329). Wang and Hu, nisms (Chen, a notable manifestation of “minor transnationalism” (Lionnet and Shih 2005) in the Asian (Lionnet and Shih 2005) in the “minor transnationalism” a notable manifestation of performing arts. Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

144 Rossella Ferrari number ofspectatorsinExpohistory, with6,619showsseenby4millionpeople(Ke2015:31). 31 October). The productionsetadoublerecordforthehighestnumberofperformancesand day ina500-seatpurpose-builtwoodentheatrefortheentiredurationofExpo(1May– honghua yishutuan(NanjingLittleRedFlower Art Troupe). Ibiswasperformed35timesper of emergentkunquperformersfromtheJiangsu Theatre andchildactorsfromNanjingxiao multimedia crossoverThe Tale oftheCrested Ibis,\ and whichSato Yung codirectedwithacast tal xiqu(shiyan xiqu)withaddedJapaneseelements. that theresultingperformancewouldbuilduponlatter’sestablishedpracticeofexperimen- white plumage. donning toki-themedheadgear, andalogodesignwhosecolorsevokedthebird’srose-edged icon ofSino-Japanesefriendship(Zhongriyouyi ) andpositiveculturalexchange, withattendants in 2008, afteraperiodofcaptivebreeding. At theJapanPavilion, thetokiwasparadedasan gifted Japanapairin1999. Japanesescientistssuccessfullyreintroducedthespeciestowild covering asmallnumberinChina’sShaanxiProvincethe1980s, theChinesegovernment after unregulatedhuntingandenvironmentaldegradationdecimatedthepopulation. Upondis- Designated asanationaltreasureinJapan1952, thetokiwasdeclaredextinctin1970s ing aSino-JapanesecooperationschemetosafeguardtheJapanesecrestedibis that wouldresonatewiththeoverarchingthemeofExpo2010, ecosustainability, whileendors- The JapanPavilioncoordinatorsapproachedSato\aboutcuratingacenterpieceperformance The Transnational intheNational Expo Theatre

cue awoundedfemaletoki. The tokiregainsstrength thanks tothechild’sdiscoveryof has shedawhitefeatherbyriverbank. A boatmanhelps thechildrideacrossriverandres- Asia-focused method. ative consciousness” (xindechuangzuo yishi)(ZuniIcosahedron2009) iment wouldnotonlyenhanceSino-Japaneseculturalintegration, butalsofostera “new cre- and state-of-theartstageproperties. According toitscreators, thekun-nohhybridizationexper ities byblendingclassicalperformancesystemsandpictorialaesthetics withdigitalanimation “future.” The exhibitionareainsidethepavilionwasdividedintothreezones: “past,” “present,” and theatre, theglobe, andthehumanspecies. were theprimaryaudiences ical ecosystems. The prominencegiventoyoungperformersandspectators responsibility inpreservingtheirindigenousperformanceenvironmentsalongsidebiolog- intangible heritage, endangeredearthandthreatenedtheatre, underscoringChinaandJapan’s building asustainableplanetforthefuture. Parallelswerethusinstitutedbetweentangibleand reverberating withconcomitantExpo2010concernssuchasmanaginganagingpopulationand ogy, kunquandnohsuitedthetropesoflossextinctiontokirescuenarrative, while 6. 5. Sato\ agreedtothecommissiononconditionthathewouldcollaboratewith Yung, and Ibis Audiences watchedtheperformanceatendofa60-minutetourJapanPavilion. As dwindlingtraditionsthathavegrappledwithtransformationsinthemodernculturalecol- has collaborated with Zuni on several productions. the General Manager of the Jiangsu Performing Group Arts and a National of Class kunqu. OneHe performer At Expo 2010, Yung also presented Yeben jingju, chuanju (Sichuan opera), and others. tong (Experimenting Traditions) plan to research and innovate Sinophone indigenous genres including kunqu, Yung has experimented with xiqu formats since the 1990s. In 2002, Zuni formally initiated the Shiyan chuan- tells astoryofecologicalprotectionandspiritualconnection. A childseeksabirdthat Ibis’s retrofuturisticstyleoftechno-traditionaltheatresynthesized allthreetemporal- — further highlightedajointpreoccupationwiththefutureof (Flee by Night, 2004), his long-term collaboration with Ke Jun. Ke is 5 The outcomewasthe20-minutekun-noh — or, putdifferently, an — or toki. — children 6 -

Asian Theatre as Method 145 - - - with Hong 7 — in this instance, in this instance, as the song’s lyrics — — further beyond in

— and the equally uncharacteristic — networks, and civil society initiatives. As is and civil society initiatives. networks,

8 along a polluted industrial waterside drawn in a manner that blends elements along a polluted industrial waterside drawn —

In this context, I define the transnational as horizontal interactions that both contain and I define the transnational as horizontal interactions that both contain In this context, This account is based on a video recording of the performance (mimitammy24 2011). Descriptions and analyses analyses and performanceDescriptions the of 2011). (mimitammy24 recording video a on based is account This articlethis in blogs, documentation, photographic and video on draw presented productions 1T2C Toki the of transla- All October. 31 and 30 on performances,2015 the for Nanjing in attended I which except reviews, and otherwiseunless own, my stated. are sources Chinese from tions in transnationalism of discussion insightful an For (2009). Vertovec further and (1996), Hannerz see analysis For (2014). Rogers see US, the and UK, the Singapore, in communities theatre Asian English-language Notwithstanding the positive negotiation of the unusual trilateral arrangement Notwithstanding the positive negotiation In the production, a male and a female kunqu actor (the boatman and the toki) enter the (the boatman and a female kunqu actor a male and In the production, Françoise Lionnet and Shu-mei Shih maintain that minor transnationalism is nonhierar 7. 8. Kong and Nanjing partners alongside the Japanese team Kong and Nanjing partners alongside the aesthetic vehicle for a Japanese national showpiece, selection of a Chinese form as the primary of as the outcome of a complex mediation Yet, Ibis seems to reveal a measure of compromise. it also vision, and artistic corporate interests, diplomatic sensitivities, governmental agendas, of the transnational and/in the national that are effectively elucidates the generative frictions intrinsic to intercultural collaboration. such trans- Project, Toki alliances forged by the As with the trans-Asian transcend the national. cross-border through the scope of the nation-state, versal movements occur below and beyond minjian exchange between noninstitutional actors, in that the transnational differs from both the multinational and the international, widely noted, transactions to privilege informal connec- it circumvents government dealings and corporate scale. “minor” tions on a micro- or

stage riding Toyota i-REAL personal mobility devices amidst an electronic soundscape with an electronic soundscape mobility devices amidst i-REAL personal Toyota stage riding cos- and both wear modern dons a noh mask, The woman instrumentation. hints of traditional of the traditional xiqu water embroidery and a minimalistic version tumes featuring simple As the actors get silky material suggestive of toki feathers. made of rose-pink sleeves (shuixiu), recorded noh per routines, vehicles to execute stylized movement on and off their futuristic and Japanese traditional accompany projected images of Chinese cussion and kunqu cymbals text that details milestones The back wall hosts projections of a digital theatre architecture. a slideshow of color photographs preceded by toki preservation scheme, in the Sino-Japanese of a child in Chinese tradi- A graphic animation urban landscapes. of assorted natural and on the body of a real-life child on a mobile screen and superimposes tional clothing appears The performers’ live interactions joins the kunqu actors on the stage. actor who subsequently the child and the boat- depicting scenes that run in the background, are reprised in animated and idyllic Chinese ink painting–style sceneries man’s journey through time and space The kunqu perform- (woodblock print). of ukiyo-e of Japanese anime illustration with accents tune, whereas the child’s closing surroundings, ers intone a melancholic elegy to their ruined together imparts a message of global harmony, (The Fountain of Life), “Shengming zhi quan” from place to place” “from past to future, which resonates and hope, ness, dance with a noh fan and mask against a back- The female actor performs a formalized express. and toki flocks flying across the auditorium, water, ground with projections of clear dripping contentedly on an unpolluted planet. photographs of children of all races frolicking fountain of life, which only an eye as pure as a child’s can see. Eventually, the boatman turns the boatman Eventually, can see. eye as pure as a child’s which only an life, fountain of for the positive prospects suggesting female, sky with the healed toki and flies to the into a male and for humankind. species, rare avian chical, nonhomogenizing, and nonnormative. It mobilizes participative hybrid spaces “where it It mobilizes participative hybrid spaces and nonnormative. nonhomogenizing, chical, by the is still possible for cultures to be produced and performed without necessary mediation far from removing all pressures by the center Nonetheless, (2005:5). center” Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

146 Rossella Ferrari solely andinvariablymotivatedbyaverticalconfrontationwiththemajor, thecenter, or by nation-stateinstitutions 10. mal, creativityandcorporatism, stateinterestsandintellectualsolidarities. Yeoh, andKhaderFakhri2004:1). relationship ofresistancetoandrelianceonnation-stateinstitutions(Hannerz1996:6; Willis, putes andisconcurrentlypremiseduponthepersistenceofnational, entertainingadialogic the commissionedproductionofIbisatShanghaiExpoelucidates. The transnationaldis- nations of minortransnationalism, itsgenesisintheExpo relations” (2005:7). Accordingly, ifonetakesthe Toki networkasafullyfledgedarticulation major participateinonesharedtransnationalmomentandspacestructuredbyunevenpower mainstream. Rather, theyhingeonrelationaldialectics, for “in realitytheminorand identification andcohesivenesssincetheendofSino-Japanese War (1937–45). 2007:186) shared historyandharmonious “co-viviality” (kyosei performance displayedscenesofpeopletakingpictureswitha Canon Wonder CameraConcept. Toyota mobilityvehicles, andthevideomontagerunninginbackgroundat startofthe cuted byahumanoid Toyota PartnerRobot. As mentionedabove, thekunqu screen showingimagesofJapan’shi-techwondersenjoyedaviolin concertimpeccablyexe- prime sponsorsandorganizers;second, amessageofpeace oblivioustoconflict. atre stagetoshowcaseJapan’sstate-of-the-arttechnologyand, supposedly, satisfythePavilion’s appeasement andnationalindustrialachievement:first, acorporatedeploymentofthe- concept, whichresonatewiththeJapanPavilion’sdualnarrative ofinternationaldiplomatic ization, andde-coldwar. and taboosbetweenJapanChina;theywereusedasconduitsofdecolonization, deimperial- guarded nationalsignifierssuchaskunquandnohwerepurposelymobilizedtounraveltensions to theICHdiscourseinperformingarts. Putdifferently, onemaycontendthatclosely strategic embraceofthelanguageheritagepreservationasanapplication Asia asmethod the sametime, a “minor” transnationalapproachalsoallowsustoreadSato\and Yung’s equally gible naturalheritage(thetoki)asagentsofpublicdiplomacyisthereforehardlysurprising. At mobilization ofhigh-techdesign, intangibleculturalforms(kunquandnoh), andtokensoftan- at Expo2010alongsidetheglorificationoftechnologicaladvancement(83). Japan’sstrategic Winter notesthewidespreadenlistmentof rhetoricofheritagebyseveral Asian nations concerted enactmentofatrans-Asian “family ofnations” (Winter 2013:88). Additionally, Tim Japan Pavilionasalikewisesimulatedmitigationofconflictedpowerrelationsthroughthe simulacrum ofglobalordering, onemightconstruetheexhibitofbilateralfriendshipat identity (Winter 2013:78). tic ideologiesandcoloniallegaciesinterlockwithshowsofcommunitarianismcollective economic interestsentwine. Exposare “theatre[s] ofnations,” inwhichcompetingimperialis- graphed displaysofnationalculturesandnationalisticmagnificence, wherediplomaticand 9. Moreover, asLionnetandShihfurtherremark, trans-actionsintheminormodearenot Japan Pavilion’s sponsors (Kaku 1997). Incidentally, the cooperative spirit of kyoseiof the corporate philosophy of Canon, one of the is at the heart On these topics see also Hubbert (2015), Nordin (2012), and Winter (2015). Upon enteringtheperformancearea, visitorsstrollingpastan imposingPanasonicLife Wall On closescrutiny, twopossibleareasofinstitutional interventionemergefromtheIbis In keepingwith Astrid Nordin’s(2012)appraisaloftheShanghaiExpoasaBaudrillaurdian World expositionshavebeenunderstoodperformativelyasstagesforcarefullychoreo- — — typifies atransitionalsiteofmediationmajorandminor, institutionalandinfor with Chinaisthatthetwonationshaveconsistentlyfailedtobolsterasenseof 9 However, thetruthbehindJapanPavilion’spublicassertionof — the transnationalstandsindialecticaltensiontonational, as ) — — an exhibitionofnationsorchestratedby “living together” indifference(Hanasaki actors traveledon 10 the - Asian Theatre as Method 147 - - struck a fur — chiefly the Nanjing — silently yet suggestively chan- — but also more recent matters of histori- but also more recent —

11 by institutional dynamics, it also hints at a more composite sub- by institutional dynamics, China’s national operatic form par excellence. As Yung explained, explained, Yung As China’s national operatic form par excellence. To this end, the Expo lent an empowering platform for making this end, To — — 13 were “intuitively” favored over other potential partner cities and perfor favored over other “intuitively” were 12 was the sole collaborative performance at Expo 2010 (Zou 2013). was the sole collaborative performance at at least partly —

The embodied evocation of the disputed legacy of Nanjing The embodied evocation of the disputed Analysts have nonetheless observed a relative easing of tension with the end of former observed a relative easing of tension Analysts have nonetheless production concept and aesthetics may have been While the above analysis suggests that the Nanjing, then spelled Nanking, was the capital of the Republic of China in 1927–1937, under Chiang Kai-shek’s Kai-shek’s Chiang under 1927–1937, in China of Republic the of capital was the Nanking, spelled then Nanjing, January and 1937 December in weeks six over unfolded massacre The regime. Party) (Nationalist Kuomintang 300,000. over to 40,000 from ranging victims of number estimated an with 1938, production. kunqu of centers China’s of one is Nanjing contri- lifelong his for 2014 in Prize Fukuoka a awarded being upon Japan in publicly point this reiterated Yung 2014). (Yung exchange cultural to butions - disputes went unmen past grudges and present not surprisingly, albeit More significantly, for their passionate two nations have most often been associated It is no secret that the ther jarring note in the appeasing harmonics of bilateral friendship orchestrated by the Japanese ther jarring note in the appeasing harmonics as its attendant and kunqu, of Japanese brutality, as an erstwhile theatre Nanjing, conductors. theatrical expression, neled by the indicative casting of performers from the former Chinese capital neled by the indicative casting of performers cal revisionism and territorial disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. Islands in the East China Sea. disputes over the Senkaku/Diaoyu cal revisionism and territorial precisely during the Expo after a offshore islands issue reached a crisis point the Incidentally, properly address the question of the failure to this day, To 2010. boat collision in September state and societal levels from prevented bilateral interactions at both historical memory has strife between the two opponents (He 2013). healing the unsettled “ibis diplo- while China’s in 2006, Junichiro\ Koizumi’s term of office Japanese Prime Minister Sino-US (McCarthy 2012) has been compared to normalization gestures such as the macy” with Japan and other “panda diplomacy” ping-pong diplomacy of the 1970s and China’s not- press picked up on this latest political turn, The Hong Kong nations since the 1950s. episode of friendly scientific cooperation to dispel resil- selected an “deftly” ing how Japan had by the and mitigate the numerous controversies spurred ient Japanophobia from the war era, to Chinese sensitivities was Japan’s decision not to A further deference Koizumi administration. wartime milita- in an attempt to dispel the ghost of fly the national flag over the Expo pavilion, 2010). rism (Yan conditioned text that resists the official blueprint. As mentioned, except for a few added Japanese signifiers in except for a few added Japanese As mentioned, text that resists the official blueprint. and movement details; ukiyo-e- and music, fans, noh masks, the costume and media design (i.e., a Hong essentially, Ibis was, and traditional Japan), anime-inspired graphics; images of modern theatrical genre with a cast of actors from Nanjing. Kong director’s reworking of China’s oldest of Chinese artistry and aesthetics seemed unusual for The intercultural format and the display charged with exhibiting Japan’s national culture and an Expo production that was presumably Ibis In fact, talent. 11. 12. 13. tioned in official press releases and Chinese media reports, swept under the carpet of diplomatic the carpet of diplomatic swept under reports, and Chinese media press releases tioned in official case story about a rare issues and a feel-good Environmental and political correctness. efficiency Sino-Japanese relations. the actual state of cooperation obscured of positive China legacy of Japan’s war crimes in animosity over the unresolved the Rape of Nanking) Massacre of 1937 (a.k.a., Additionally, both the digital animation and the lyrics of the child’s song referenced the Japan referenced the Japan of the child’s song animation and the lyrics both the digital Additionally, ). (lianjie “interconnectedness” main slogan of Pavilion’s mance genres such as jingju “help establish a and this was to tackle the affective barriers that still divide the two societies, (in history” meaningful and strategic communication platform to face the scars left behind by Zuni Icosahedron 2011:24). Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

148 Rossella Ferrari and politicalrelations as acypherfortheviolentannihilationfacinghumankind. Ibisseemstoindicatethatsocial the taboosubjectofJapan’sresponsibilityforitswarcrimes, andtheendangeredbirdistaken A criticalundercurrentcomestothesurfacewhenoneshiftsenvironmentalthemeonto tional components, suchasthekunqulyrics, hint nostalgicallyatthelossofnature, thelossof child’s songandthedigitalmontages, exudeoptimism aboutthefuture. Conversely, thetradi- through jointeffort, butthisrequiresasincereadmissionofone’s (wrong)doings. Sato\’s Nanjingpartner ate newversionsofthetokistory. Government-run companiessubsequentlycapitalizedonthetwodirectors’Exposuccesstocre- ule xiquperformancesuponhearingof Yung andSato\’splans(ZuniIcosahedron2011:23–24). Ibis collaboration. Interestingly, however, someChineseprovincialpavilionsdecidedtosched- Kong, ratherthanamainlandChineseculturalinstitution, thattooktheleadinproducing tre” (2013:237). ItisindeedrevealingthatitwasZuni, anonprofitartsorganizationfromHong Kong’s culturalroleismarginal, itcanavoidthepressuresthatcomewithbeingatcen- tus underthe “One Country, Two Systems” governanceagreementwithBeijing: “Because Hong region, becauseoftheformerBritishcolony’suniquegeopoliticalpositionandinterstitialsta- two “major” Asian nationsviathe “minor,” infranationalmediationofHongKong. strategic useofinstitutionalsettingsandresourcestoforgebridge-buildinglinkagesbetween 16. 15. 14. ter andJapanatthemargins ment oftheExpopavilionsasplannedbyChinesehosts deep-seated senseofsuperiorityoverits Asian neighbors. Incidentally, thespatialarrange- position ofsupremacyoverherformerinvader, thetokisalvationnarrativeclasheswith Japan’s unofficial nationalsymbol while settingthefoundationforalong-termindependentcreativeagenda. Toki Projectfrom “the compulsorymediationbythemainstream” (LionnetandShih2005:2) actions: “If thewatersofCanglangriveraremuddy, whatdoesithavetodowithme?” aria sungbytheboatmanandtokipointstoimportanceofbeingaccountableforone’s it’s theartists’responsibilitytotakeitover” (inLiu2010). Additionally, alineinthekunqu ativity whileconcurrentlyquestioningtheirsocialmilieu: “When nooneisdoingthis, Ithink tion toestablishanantiwarculturalcenterinNanjingenableartistsexercisetheircre- well-documented reluctancetoatoneforitspastwrongdoings. Yung publiclystatedhisambi- (Winter 2015:45). the uneasybilateralrelationsoftimeandhowChina ‘placed’ itsprimaryeconomicrivals” Despite theseundertones, overallthemodernelements intheproduction, suchasthe Yung regardsHongKongartistsasoptimallyplacedtoserveintermediariesinthe strings in them; / When the Canglang’s waters are muddy, / I can wash my feet in them” (Qu [1985] 2011:207). and anthologized in the “Yufu”This line alludes to a passage in the poem (The Fisherman), attributed to Qu Yuan (ca. 340–278 BC), Communist regime after 1949. It was privatized as a limited company in 2005. Founded in 1977, the Jiangsu Theatre was one of the seven kunqu statetroupes established under the new Communist Party’snewspaper, official Government 2015). Notably, Chen Feihua, has stated that the concept was inspired by the Expo 2010 Japan Pavilion (Shanghai Municipal Party Shanghai Committee, and Shanghai Gewutuan (Shanghai Dance Theatre). The latter’s deputy director, Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Publicity of the Chinese Department Communist One of these, the dance drama Japan’s uncharacteristichomagetoChina’sdecisiveroleinrescuingitstreasuredbird The productionalsotouchedonthesensitiveissueofhistoricalaccountabilityandJapan’s — — Chuci (Songs the Canglang’s of the South): “When waters are clear, / I can wash my hat- both betweenChinaandJapan, andmoreglobally was nolongerastate-ownedtroupe. — Crested Ibises was one of five 2014 productions singled out for praise in the Chinese — Zhuhuan (Crested Ibises, 2014), was cosponsored by the Chinese People’s was anotherdiscordantnotestruckbyIbis. ByplacingChinaina also reflectedthisrolereversal, asit “symbolicallycaptured 14 EquallysignificantisthattheJiangsu Theatre Renmin ribao (People’s Daily) (Wang Y. 2015). — 15 with Chinastandingatthecen- Suchfactorshelpedliberatethe — can berescued — Yung and — 16

and Asian Theatre as Method 149 coartistic and in — namely, the manner the manner namely, —

including Zhuhuan — is based on the eponymous 1998 play by — (The Spirits Play, 2011 and 2012). This kun-noh 2011 and 2012). (The Spirits Play, (Toki Letter #2, 2013) Letter #2, Zhuhuan xinjian #2 (Toki and including dancers Manop Meejamrat (Bangkok) and Matsushima Makoto — and a regular team from the Jiangsu Theatre’s 1980s-born fifth generation of actors. 1980s-born fifth generation of actors. Theatre’s and a regular team from the Jiangsu Yung and half by half directed by Sato\,

— —

), as reflected in its core ), (kuaguojie hinges on multiple conjugations of the transnational Toki \ki Yu puppeteer string Takao; Kanji and Nishimura Shimizu “living national treasures” Noh - these emerging kunqu art Subsequent to taking shifts in performing in Ibis at Expo 2010, network, Toki The young kunqu actors from Nanjing have since become a vital force in the From Nations to Networks From noh’s inscription in the UNESCO shared 10th anniversary of kunqu and to mark the In 2011, work- a touring program of research forums, Zuni and Za-Koenji coorganized ICH register, and Nanjing, in Hong Kong, and kun-noh experimental performances master classes, shops, \jo no\gaku kenshu Tessenkai Tokyo’s Theatre and the Jiangsu with performers from Tokyo Project and Toki This led to the formalization of the Theatre Laboratory). Noh (Tessenkai serving as chief curator and Yung with Festival in 2012, Toki the inauguration of the The Toki International Arts Festival International Toki The in which transnational cultural production tests, transcends, and retraces the constituents of the transcends, cultural production tests, in which transnational 2003:9). national (Hitchcock Theatre lead performers-cum-managers Ke Jun and along with Sato\ and Jiangsu director, Li Hongliang. ) and cross-border (kuajie) network: (kuawenhua objectives as a self-proclaimed cross-cultural inherent in the ICH preservation discourse through to assess the obstacles and opportunities and Tokyo, dialectical laboratory between Hong Kong, comparison; to institute a inter-Asian through the creation of an innovative repertoire Nanjing; to encourage cross-genre interaction theatre methods and technologies; to initiate cross- that integrates kunqu and noh with modern Asian masters kunqu performers and established generational conversations between emergent challenging the hierarchical ordering of the tradi- thereby in a context of collective creativity, system; to provide a noninstitutional and noncommercial transmission tional master-to-disciple of their free from the constraints innovative work, setting where young artists can undertake cultural industry (Douban 2013; of a consumer-driven received training and from the pressures Zou 2013). Thowok Didik Nini (Denpasar), Dibia Wayan and classical dancers I Magosaburo\ XII (Tokyo); contributed and Kala Krishna (Hyderabad) are among the ICH masters who have (Yogyakarta), performance and educational workshops, training sessions, to the festival’s research forums, codevised 1T2C pieces alongside veteran contem- some of them have In addition, programs. porary performers (Tokyo) and mod- Matsushima, Nishimura, Shimizu, Theatre were cast alongside ists from the Jiangsu ern theatre actors in two versions of Lingxi diptych which dramatizes Japan’s ambivalent role in Singaporean dramatist Kuo Pao Kun (1939–2002), War as both victim and victimizer. the Pacific experimental works Yung’s as cocreators and performers in several of 2012), Letter #1, xinjian #1 (Toki traditional theatre genres, and, possibly, the loss of humanity in China and Japan’s polluted pol- and Japan’s polluted humanity in China the loss of possibly, and, theatre genres, traditional surface, celebratory on the appears utterly its retrofuturistic aesthetic while differently, Put itics. in the same contend, Lionnet and Shih As skepticism. a tinge of melancholic Ibis does impart the celebratory minor key in music counters mood of the the somber and reflective manner as out by which to play provides an instrument transnationalism minor major chords, mode of the the Ibis Similarly, new accords (2005:21). and arrange past, notes of the colonial the traumatic of the Expo’s harmonious dis- equalize the triumphalist rhetoric collaboration did somewhat “transgressive imagiNation” an interstitial space of course by carving out , and others. In 2015, as the In 2015, and others. Sato\, Yung, the regular 1T2C productions variously directed by Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

150 Rossella Ferrari Japan and of Zuni China since 2012. Icosahedron)(Courtesy created in collaboration theatre with noh, kunqu, and modern actors from 2015. This is one of several30–31 October variations of directed by Satō Makoto at Toki Arts Week 2015. Nanjing Museum Theatre, in one of the two versions of (right) perform Figure 3. Noh actor Kitanami Takahiro (left) and kunqu actor Sun Yijun theatres.indigenous Asian of Zuni Icosahedron)(Courtesy 30–31 October 2015. The 2015 program in focused on cross-gender performance directed by Satō Makoto at the Toki Arts Week 2015. Nanjing Museum Theatre, Liu Xiaoyun (left) in one of the two versions of Figure 2. Noh actor Uzawa alongside kunqu actor Hikaru (right) performs 17. also from Tessenkai, and kunqu second version alongside kunqu In 2015, Satō presented two 1T2C contributions, both called Zhan 2015 (Station 2015), Zhan 2015 (Station 2015), dan (female role) Sun in the first Yijun performed version. chou (clown Liu Xiaoyun,role) performer whereas noh actor Kitanami Takahiro, Zhan that Satō has

Zhan 2015 (Station 2015). Uzawa appeared in the

Toki alliance. Tessenkai associatesinthe pal in nohtoperformaprinci- Hisa, oneofthefirstwomen Hikaru (daughterofUzawa ditions, youngnoh performance in Asian ICHtra- investigation ofcross-gender emphasis wasenrichedbythe Festival’s cross-generational Expo 2010. Consistentwiththe zations), asnotedwithregardto (e.g. mainlandChineseorgani- and theintraculturalmainstream the national, theinstitutional, major doesnotonlyresidein the center(2005:5–7). governed bythemajorand/or antagonizing norinescapably which areneithernecessarily minor-to-minor interactions, tive hybridformationsthrough produces andperformsalterna- ery. Butitisalsoaforcethat and minor, centerandperiph- national andtransnational, major tensional intersticesbetween tional spacethatsubsistsinthe minor transnationalismasarela- and Shih’sunderstandingof This observationechoesLionnet (Stam andShohat2013:144). between ‘nation-relations’” between nation-statesbutrather spaces —not transnational fluid dialogisms takingplaceacross ties,’ thatis, the comparisonsand - horizontal “‘transversali with chy ofnations” (Winter 2013:78) verticality oftheExpo’s “hierar tion, inthatitsubstitutesthe antithesis totheIbiscollabora- both acontinuationofandan In thisinstance, thecenter/ The Toki Projectrepresents shite role)joinedhersenior 17 actor Uzawa - Asian Theatre as Method 151 - (Notebook), (Notebook), - - Jishiben Jishiben as Jessica Yeung Yeung as Jessica —

Figure 4. Contemporary dancer Matsushima Makoto (left) from Tokyo, and and Tokyo, from (left) Makoto Matsushima dancer Contemporary 4. Figure perform in Nanjing from (right) Hong Zhu actor kunqu which reflects upon the legacy of Japanese wartime militarism in China. Toki Toki wartimeJapanese China. in militarism of legacy the upon reflects which December 27–29 Theatre, Lanyuan Nanjing, 2013, Festival Arts International (Courtesy2013. Icosahedron) Zuni of - -

convention, the actors’ convention,

The Japanese choreographer chose to turn this work into a tribute to the war martyrs in The Japanese choreographer chose to turn this work into a tribute to the war martyrs The hegemonic model postulates difference as tiered, tree-shaped, and juxtapositional. juxtapositional. and tree-shaped, difference as tiered, model postulates The hegemonic the inauguration signifier, which posited Nanjing as a silent Unlike the Expo production, A case in point is Jishiben mative capacity of the table and chairs to signify multiple character and power relations depend- ing on their arrangement and hence imparting a orientation, Zhu’s movements and style crystal- potent visual index to the performers’ affective articulations. whereas Matsushima’s lized the agony and resentment of those killed in the Nanjing Massacre, but also conveyed uneasiness and actions reflected the brutality of the Japanese aggressor, remorse toward Japan’s history of violence. At the start of the per consequence of a poignant visit to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall. interactions with the traditional stage set maximized the perfor culturalism (Lei 2011b) that perpetrates imperialistic, colonial, and cold war inequalities by pos- war inequalities by and cold colonial, imperialistic, (Lei 2011b) that perpetrates culturalism Asia The task of implied epistemic norm. of knowledge and as the primal source West iting the destabilize this approach. to precisely, is, as method or (self-)exoticism. markers of otherness indigeneity as tokenized engages tradition and it Often, Conversely, ornamental potential. purely for their that is, cosmetically, it deploys them Often, yet does not essential- a transversal view of hybridity that explores Theatre embraces Toki the tool” “the unique function of being a cognitive thus serving ize difference, Zuni’s hybrid xiqu experiments. (2010:126) has characterized “contact zone” a significant the status of the Chinese city to that of Festival shifted Toki of the This choice of a permanent Asia as method in performance. of (Pratt 1992) for the articulation anti-Japanese protests about the sensitive considering the large-scale location was all the more months before the Festival’s dispute that erupted across China just escalating offshore islands potency of Nanjing as a permanent Albeit insisting on the symbolic 2012. launch in December discomfort about the Japanese participants expressed and Festival, Project Toki home for the while also enacting it in per partnership, Toki on the war legacy and its possible repercussions 2013). Tu formance (Pin Matsushima’s 2013), (Notebook, collaboration with kunqu wudan (female martial role) Zhu Hong, which Theatre, from the Jiangsu was selected as the opening per formance of the 2013 1T2C program because of its symbolic resonance in the context of Japan’s unresolved wartime leg- Through their acy in Nanjing. the two perform- collaboration, ers demonstrated their intention to make a symbolic contribution to Sino-Japanese reconciliation Consistent with 2014). X. (Wang the xiqu producing a circle of against a dark background, Matsushima pointed a flashlight formance, sun (Xu light that some audiences perceived as an allusion to Japan as the land of the rising discourse of Asia as method, the center/major is also embedded in the hegemonic type of inter hegemonic type of embedded in the the center/major is also Asia as method, discourse of Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021 Matsushima Makoto (right) in Sunbetween kunqu performer Jing (center) and Japanese contemporary dancer Figure 6. Jingju Gao performer Yun (left) plays arbiter in a choreographed combat Museum Theatre, 30–31of OctoberZuni 2015. (Courtesy Icosahedron) 152 Rossella Ferrari in whichthelatterhasfrequently mediatedbetweenthetwo Asian contenders. Jingju actor formances. Register. And againSino-Japanesehistoricalinteractions weremobilizedinthe Toki 1T2Cper her fury; Matsushimaimpersonatedthevictimizer and expressionsconveyedfearastruggletoescapefromheraggressor, butalsohatred and 2013. (Courtesy of Zuni 2013. Icosahedron)(Courtesy Arts Festival 2013, Nanjing, Lanyuan Theatre, 27–29 December unresolved tensions between Japan and China. Toki International kunqu actor Zhu Hong (right) enact in victim that contemporary dancer Matsushima Makoto (left) and Figure 5. The ambivalent relationship between and victimizer — but alsogesturedregretfulapologiestowardtheaudience, andeventuallystretchedhis Fight MeNow?(2015)reenactedhistoricaldynamics inChina-Japan-USrelations, Fight Me Now? Toki Arts Week 2015, Nanjing Jishiben mirrors the — for example, bysuggestingtheactionofkilling sion. Zhu’sdefensivemovements with touchingactsofcompas- simulations ofphysicalviolence tions, whichalternatedupsetting ing theirchoreographedinterac- Matsushima’s corporealitydur uous significationofZhuand writer alsonotedtheambig- Guernica silhouettes ofPabloPicasso’s reminded herofthedistorted dancer inasubsequentscene trembling bodyoftheJapanese bomb Hiroshima, whilethe aged Nanjingandpost–atom invoke thememoryofwar-rav- the ruinsofabattlefield, andto this effectwithasearchamong prompted onecritictoassociate erated eerieshadows, which floor, therollingflashlightgen- 2014). As hedroppeditonthe in itsMemoryofthe World Massacre suppliedbyBeijing of documentsontheNanjing UNESCO’s inscriptionofaset 2015, when Tokyo protested val’s fourtheditioninOctober weeks aheadofthefesti- object ofcontroversysome practice (inZhou2014). of Nanjing” throughhisartistic for thepsychologicalwounds metaphorically “compensate and this unfinishedhistoricalchapter son toupholdthememoryof bility hefeltasaJapaneseper Sato\, too, voicedtheresponsi- Asian nations(Wang X. 2014). the entangledfatesoftwo as loversorspousesmirrored tor andvictimbut, possibly, also ambivalent standingasperpetra- companion.performers’ The arm outtosustainhisbattered Nanjing againbecamean (1937).same The - - - Asian Theatre as Method

153

- (toki ibis) crested Japanese just plain tracksuit bottoms and bottoms and just plain tracksuit — a gesture of an apparent ceasefire. a gesture of an apparent — (Station 2013), directed by Satō Makoto. Toki International International Toki Makoto. Satō by directed 2013), (Station 2013 Zhan in 2013. December 27–29 Theatre, Lanyuan Nanjing, 2013, Festival Arts (CourtesyIcosahedron) Zuni of Figure 7. Noh actor Shimizu Kanji (bottom) and kunqu actor Xu Sijia (top) (top) Sijia Xu actor kunqu and (bottom) Kanji Shimizu actor Noh 7. Figure a and Motokiyo Zeami founder theatre noh portray (painted face) role, played arbiter in a choreographed combat in a choreographed played arbiter role, (painted face) - organic — 18

19 jieshou) of tradition ) within the xiqu tra-

), and both value ), guigehua

On the distinction between archive and repertoire see Taylor (2003). Taylor see repertoire and archive between distinction the On China in theatres traditional of further commercialization and modernization of examples and analysis For and Anno and opera), (Cantonese yueju and kunqu, jingju, on (2011b) Lei jingju, on (2012) Li see Japan and noh. on (2014) Halebsky As custodians of the embod- Yung’s metaphorical association of the Expo’s environmental protection theme with the of the Expo’s environmental protection metaphorical association Yung’s memorization, repetition, and repetition, memorization, acceptance ( ied archive of a “living fossil” “living fossil” ied archive of a (huo huashi kunqu professionals are dition, often reluctant to alter its con- Comparable consid- ventions. Both erations apply to noh. systems rely on codification ) and standardiza- (chengshihua tion ( over experiment and innovation Both ) (Xu 2013:117). (chuangxin to varying degrees, have grappled with the trials of modernization and commodification and, and attract both have modernized and commodified in an attempt to keep up with the times new audiences. 18. 19. T-shirts. Electronic music and a Madonna pop song provided an unconventional soundtrack to soundtrack to provided an unconventional Madonna pop song music and a Electronic T-shirts. var choreography featured The idioms. three contrasting kinetic interweaving of the fast-paced endangered status of traditional artists in contemporary society constitutes yet another con- traditional artists in contemporary society endangered status of scien- explicitly compares Toki, Project’s chosen name, The nection to the Ibis production. new generations of classically the rare bird with the challenges of rearing tific efforts to breed a reflection on the signifi- while also inducing today’s cultural ecology, trained performers in As is surely the traditional arts. as both a blessing and a curse for cance of the ICH discourse boosted government sub- one hand, on the the UNESCO recognition has, the case for kunqu, of heritage preservation has also the rhetoric On the other hand, sidies and global visibility. imply that the traditional arts Does the ICH proclamation sentence. been perceived as a death “should be cultivated in protec- merely for ornamental pur tion, as static (Douban 2013), poses” relics and antiquarian curiosi- ties that belong in the archive? Or should they rather be viewed as a living repertoire between Matsushima and kunqu actor Sun Jing, also a hualian. Neither wore any of the elab- wore any of the Neither a hualian. also actor Sun Jing, and kunqu between Matsushima roles are standard for their and costumes that orate makeup The negotiations. positions in the diplomatic the shifting actions signifying ious chair-moving using the stage as a large the two chairs along with them downstage, trio eventually carried session beer-drinking table for a conciliatory transmuting species that are capable of self-empowerment through adaptation? Gao Yun, trained in the hualian trained Yun, Gao Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021 Zuni Icosahedron) Festival 2014, Nanjing, Lanyuan Theatre, 9 November of 2014. (Courtesy through intergenerational and intergeneric comparison. Toki International Arts Satō Makoto, illustrates the Toki Theatre’s ambition to traditionrevitalize master Shimizu Kanji (right) in Figure 8. The collaboration between kunqu actor Xu Sijia (left) and noh 154 Rossella Ferrari might bedescribedasanevolutionary practiceofdeterritorializationandreterritorialization to theirnaturalenvironment(Douban 2013). Accordingly, the Toki Theatre’s underlyinglogic the oneswhosurviveinsame mannerasthetokiwerereleasedfromcaptivityandreturned The contrastofjinganddongenhancestherelationalpotencyaestheticcollision, sug- setto vocalizationsandfast-pacedactionarerichinpathosdynamism(dong)(Dai While Shimizu’sdeepchantandmeasuredmovementimpartasenseofstillness( other, andbothconfrontthechallengeofsurvivalinanewpotentiallyhostile environment. kunqu, Zeamiandthetokiareunfamiliarwithoneanother, buttheyhaveempathyforeach poem echoesthecharacters’lonelinessandnostalgiafortheirhomelands. As withnohand poet NalanXingde(1655–1685) of lyricsadaptedfrom “Chang xiangsi” (“To the Tune byQingdynasty of ‘Endless Longing’”) Japan in1999wererehomedandbredthere. The actorscommunicatethroughchantingaset servation area. Significantly, ZeamiwasexiledtoSadoin1434, andthepairoftokiChinagifted and thetokimeetastwohomesickstrangersonatimelessSadoIsland 20. fessional identities(“Iamanohactor”; “I amakunquactor”)and, finally, totheirroles. pre-expressive statusofneutrality(“IamnotShimizuKanji”; “I amnotXuSijia”), totheirpro- actions, astheytransitionfromtheirreal-lifeselves(“IamShimizuKanji”; “I amXuSijia”)toa ers’ tripartitepersonaisannouncedbyasequenceoftextualprojectionsandconcomitantstage ure ZeamiMotokiyo(1363–1443), andasatoki. Intheproduction, eachaspectoftheperform- representatives oftheirtheatricaltraditionsand, respectively, asthespiritofnohfoundingfig- kunqu danperformerXuSijiaappearedinboththe2013and2014versionsasthemselves, as the tokiandtheatre, kunquandnoh, ChinaandJapan. NohmasterShimizuKanjiand number ofyearsandthroughseveralvariations, foregroundstheallegoricalconnectionbetween Sato\’s 1T2Ccontribution, Zhan(Station), whichtheJapanesedirectorhasdevelopedovera I borrow the notion of “pre-expressivity” from Barba and Savarese ([1991] 2006). Zhan 2014 (Station 2014), directed by — each intheirownlanguageandstyleofperformance. The to its collapse. tion doesnotinevitablyamount of traditionthroughhybridiza- gesting thatthereconstitution into theflowingsocialfabricare weave thethreadsoftradition flexible, unbiased, anddareto are who adaptability —those tradition requiresDarwinian tive roleinthetransmissionof Aspiring toplaya(re-)genera- revitalized andreinvented. fied norritualized, butrather tions shouldbeneitherrei- it is Yung’s beliefthattradi- external andself-imposed;yet sures. The cagecanbeboth - trea irrelevant —national ingly increas- also unassailable —but their social(self-)perceptionas tural consumption, aswell upon traditionalartistsbycul- denote theconstraintsforced of the(bird)cage(longzi Yung invokesthetrope — Japan’s maintokicon- jing), Xu’sfal- 2014). ) to 20 Zeami Asian Theatre as Method 155

Qiaoliang As in xiqu, the standard the standard As in xiqu, 21 ). zhezixi is all the more essential because the members is all the more essential because the members — figuratively producing the conditions for an exchange. figuratively producing the conditions for an exchange. ) (Xu 2013:117). Zuni first experimented with this Zuni juzhong) (Xu 2013:117). (Bridge) signify the forging of a relationship between kunqu actor Sun Jing (left) (left) Jing Sun actor kunqu between relationship a of forging the signify (Bridge) Arts International Toki (right). Meejamrat Manop dancer classical Thai and (Courtesy 2013. December of 27–29 Theatre, Lanyuan Nanjing, 2013, Festival Icosahedron) Zuni Figure 9. Two chairs turned toward a table to face one another in another one face to table a turnedchairs toward Two 9. Figure — as the storyline requires. On the other hand, its deceptive simplicity its deceptive On the other hand, as the storyline requires. — and movement of objects —

One example is Qiaoliang Also translated as “highlights,” the term “zhezixi” indicates key scenes excerpted from full-length plays that are are that plays full-length from excerpted scenes key indicates “zhezixi” the term “highlights,” as translated Also performed pieces. stand-alone as separately of each creative team (usually comprising two to four individuals) may not share the same lan- of each creative team (usually comprising guage and theatrical style. in which Manop 2013), (Bridge, Meejamrat and Sun Jing con- Thai classical dance and nected kunqu not only through shifting but also corporeal dispositions, by interacting with the stage set The pair barely made any pieces. as each executed contact at first, over and his individual routine, solemnly and repeatedly. over, They subsequently took turns at replicating each other’s pos- thus signaling the forging tures, while also pro- of a relationship, viding an implied commentary on the conventions of transmission in traditional performance which call for a novice systems, and thereby imitate, to observe, receive the technique from a vet- The chairs were turned eran. toward the table that stood between them to face one another tradi- Meejamrat and Sun eventually erected a symbolic bridge between the two indigenous Meejamrat inherited from his teacher; as the scarf each holding one end of a scarf that tions, unfolded it united the two performers across the table. stage set of one table and two chairs takes on a vital signifying role. On the one hand, its min- On the one hand, role. and two chairs takes on a vital signifying stage set of one table by virtue of its neutrality: the conjures a variety of hypothetical scenarios imalist conformation moun- thrones, bedchambers, tribunals, be used to evoke banquet halls, table and chairs can so forth and boats, tains, so that an expert configurations, of power positions and relational serves to enhance a multitude character relationships from the manner in which xiqu spectator can infer plot elements and communica- Toki 1T2C, In the specific case of the table and chairs are arranged and deployed. tion via movement 21. Toki Theatre Toki Multiple Relations Chairs, Two Table, One flagship performance pro- Festival’s Toki the 1T2C series represents the As mentioned above, ( “genre” gram of its own distinctive ( of their signature series Zhongguo lücheng format in the 1997 edition Journey to the East), and a man- Chinese theatre(s), elsewhere as a model for transnational which I have surveyed short segments have been lik- These interculturalism (Ferrari 2010). ifestation of rhizomatic variations on the classic xiqu extracts ( ened to contemporary of traditional genres by intergeneric meshing and recoding of their essential components into components into of their essential meshing and recoding genres by intergeneric of traditional aesthetics. modern theatrical Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

156 Rossella Ferrari Theatre, 27–29of DecemberZuni 2013. (Courtesy Icosahedron) Qiaoliang (Bridge). Toki International Arts Festival 2013, Nanjing, Lanyuan to establish a symbolic connection between kunqu and Thai classical dance in Figure 10. Sun Jing (left) and Manop Meejamrat on a table (right) unfold a scarf (Courtesy of Zuni Icosahedron)(Courtesy Muslim, a wanderer, and a eunuch. Toki Arts Week 2015, Nanjing Museum Theatre, 30–31 October 2015. identity of Ming explorer suspended table suggests the uncertain A partly Dynasty Zheng He as a Chinese Kuo Pao Kun’s Zheng He de houdai Figure 11. Kunqu actor Zhu Hong (left) and contemporary theatre actor Hung Chit Wah in (right) perform eunuch. Similarly, theshufflingofchairscapturedfeelingrootlessnessandpursuit gestive visualindextoZhengHe’suncertainidentityasaChineseMuslim, awanderer, anda Admiral: Is, 2015) Zheng He de houdai — — a partlysuspendedtablewithtwolegsliftedoffthegroundimpartedsug- guoqushi (Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral: Was), a 1T2C interpretation of (Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral; 1995) directed by Liu Xiaoyi. (Descendants oftheEunuch Zheng Hede houdai (1371–1433), alsocomprising legendary explorerZhengHe 2015) Eunuch Admiral:Was,the of houdai: guoqushi(Descendants training. InLiu’sZhengHede formal initiationintokunqu period of15yearssincetheir stages intheactors’lifeovera ral juncturesandsubsequent denote differentspatiotempo- and-chairs configurationsto long redscarfandvarioustable- Jiangsu Theatre, alsofeatureda three kunquactorsfromthe Liu Xiaoyiandperformedby directed bytheSingaporean Shiwu — half ofadiptychonthe (Fifteen, 2013), jinxingshi — Asian Theatre as Method 157 - Zheng He de houdai: jinxingshi houdai: de He Zheng (Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral; 1995) directed directed 1995) Admiral; Eunuch the of (Descendants or “made strange.” Hence distinctions “made strange.” or — during the performance. Their inventory Their inventory during the performance. — Zheng He de houdai de He Zheng

Figure 12. Kunqu actor Zhu Hong performs in Hong Zhu actor Kunqu 12. Figure (Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral: Is), a 1T2C interpretation of Kuo Pao Pao Kuo of interpretation 1T2C a Is), Admiral: Eunuch the of (Descendants Kun’s by Liu Xiaoyi. Toki Arts Week 2015, Nanjing Museum Theatre, 30–31 October October 30–31 Theatre, Museum Nanjing 2015, Week Arts Toki Xiaoyi. Liu by (Courtesy2015. Icosahedron) Zuni of 22 - hence roles and identities — - the sequen Station, in a sign of empathy and “silent communication between two cultures” (Dai 2014). “silent communication between two cultures” in a sign of empathy and

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Such magnification of effect by subtraction of elements induces a sense of incommensurabil- Such magnification of effect by subtraction See Wang Yating (2013) for an example of such critique. such of example an for (2013) Yating Wang See In Sato\’s In kunqu (and xiqu more generally), the plainness of the stage design magnifies the signify- the plainness of the stage design magnifies In kunqu (and xiqu more generally), of props is restricted to the occasional fan, mask, or scarf. Vocal parts are sparse, and dialogue parts are sparse, Vocal or scarf. mask, of props is restricted to the occasional fan, and elec- digital scenery, projected texts, instances, In some absent. if not entirely, is almost, The withdrawal of key exter traditional components. tronic soundscapes complement the basic and each system to a state of semineutrality, nal markers of difference returns each performance or genre-, that is no longer entirely culture-, performer to a state of corporeal pre-expressivity gender-specific. conventions and hermeneutical coordinates become dis- as time-honored ity and estrangement, while modern performers acquaint actors venture into alien surroundings, Traditional placed. for of traditional audiences are equally defied, Expectations themselves with the classical codes. while modern the- and arias, characters, they can no longer recognize the well-known stories, the lat- In addition, atre spectators are unaccustomed to the formulas of the traditional stage. ter are deconstructed and themselves defamiliarized between what is purportedly “authentic” and what is altered become fairly insignificant, and so and what is altered become fairly insignificant, “authentic” between what is purportedly kunqu, does the oft-debated question of whether experimental kunqu should still be considered experimental noh, Theatre should be categorized as experimental kunqu, Toki or whether the or — simply — experimental theatre. 22. of a stable sense of selfhood of of a stable - as artic Singapore, multicultural Pao Kun’s orig- ulated in Kuo houdai Zheng He de inal play, of the Eunuch (Descendants which Liu 1995), Admiral, adapted for this 1T2C project. the chairs tial rearrangements of of the mirrored the evolution Zeami and relationship between initial encoun- On their the toki. chair was turned toward one ter, outward, the table and the other audito- in the direction of the absence hence implying rium, the char of dialogue between acters. In the final scene, the In the final scene, acters. actors repositioned the chairs on opposite sides of the stage to while Zeami and the toki gazed at each other from a face and palpably connect to one another, distance movement/action recitation (nian), ), singing (chang ing potency of the performer’s body through like kunqu, Noh, Costume and makeup symbolism is also paramount. and combat (da). (zuo), in that it amplifies the communicative qualities of is a deceivingly minimalist holistic system maxi- “mise-en-scène stage properties to achieve and the sparse the costumes, the bare stage, purposely divests these traditional forms however, Theatre, Toki The (Salz 2016:56). malism” Elaborate ornaments are omitted: actors beauty. of their sophisticated elegance and evocative cos- sometimes removing or switching garments, are outfitted in plain and often monochrome tumes and makeup Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

158 Rossella Ferrari 26. On 25. 24. versus appearance. for echoingitscentraltropesofdreaming, transcendence, illusionversusreality, andsubstance all appearances, however, MakingDreams barelyhasanythingtodowith Tang’s tetralogy, except conventions andexploitingtraditionalactorsas “tool[s]” forhisexperiments(Ke2015:27). To kunqu, giventhat Yung has, attimes, facedaccusationsofoversimplifyingcomplextheatrical actor ismerely “a puppet” (Wang X. 2015)onthetraditionalstageand tional artsare “a sourceofnourishmentoraconstraint” fortheactor, and whetherornotthe intention wastouse Tang’s textstoinvestigatepersonaldilemmasaboutwhetherthetradi- 23. which themaleleadsareconfrontedwithquestionstoanswer, andproblemstosolve. sic masterpieces, collectivelyknownasLinchuan simeng(TheFourDreamsofLinchuan), in stated thattheperformanceresultedfromhisreflectionsonxiaoshengrolesin Tang’s clas- title fromalineof Tang Xianzu(1550–1616)’sMudanting(PeonyPavilion, 1598). of program, aptlyillustratessuchaprocedure. StarringZhangJun, aShanghai-basedperformer art” (2010:136). Yeung, itisworkthatbeginswithxiqu(ornoh), butoften “finishes asapieceofperformance ten” (xinbian), or “alternative” xiqu(Lei2011a), norisit “new noh” (shinsakuno non-kunqu segments. Inbrief, the Toki Theatre neitheris “reformed” (gailiang ),writ- “newly contrapuntal dynamicsbetweenkunquandnoh, andbetweenthenoh/kunqunon-noh/ components relativelyintactwithinthemoderndirectorialstructure, therebyhighlightingthe he tendsnottointerferewiththechantingandmovementpatterns, keepingthetraditional with regardtomise-en-scèneandsetcostumedesign. Intermsofperformance, however, (xiqu experiment, orexperimentwithxiqu). this perspective, Yung’s shiyanxiqu(experimentalxiqu)mightaswellbeclassified there;” “You areenteringintoyourroles” / “He isenteringintohisrole,” andsoforth. Zhang mystifying: “I sithere” / “I sitthere;” “Things happeningaboveme” / “Things happeningout chains ofaffirmations, negations, andparallelstatements empty, brightlylit. A digitaltextrunsonthe backscreen, relayingcharacteristicZuni-style in alongwhitesheet, whichalsocoversalargesection ofthestagefloor. Thespaceisstark, asleep. Hewearsplainwhitegarments(jeans, shirt, andtrainers), hisheadandfaceenveloped voices ofperformersinanessentiallypostmodernisttheatricalframework” (2010:127). xiqu, heputselementsofxiqusuchasindividualepisodes, sequencesofmovementorsinging form andstructurealtogether: “Instead ofaddingnewelementsintootherwiseconventional ern technologiesinotherwisecanonicalxiquperformances. Rather, Yung disruptsthetraditional xiqu xiaosheng (youngmale)rolesknownasthe “prince ofkunqu,” thepiecederivesitsChinese (A Dream under the Southern Bough, 1600), and The Four Dreams of Linchuan are Kunqu Center). Art China’s first privately owned kunqu troupe, the Shanghai Zhang Jun kunqu yishu zhongxin (Shanghai Zhang Jun A former member of Shanghai kunqu yuan (Shanghai Kun Opera Theatre), Zhang left in 2009 to establish Meng duanmengchang (MakingDreams), oneof Yung’s twocontributionstothe20151T2C Sato\, ontheotherhand, pursuesanaestheticofmonochromeminimalismonavisuallevel, (2014b) for video excerpts and photographs of the productions. As Jessica Yeung remarks, Yung’s methoddiffersfromprevalentapproachestocontemporary renowned Shi female performer Xiaomei, who specializes in the 2002), directed by Yung directorand Zuni coartistic Mathias Woo Yan-wai, and starring the Jiangsu Theatre’s One example is At thebeginningofperformance, Zhangisrecliningonaredarmchair, seemingly — Peony Pavilion and Zuni’s previous experiments with Tang’s for instance, xiquadaptationsofmodernorforeignnarratives, ortheapplicationofmod- Fuluoyide xunzhao Zhongguo qing yu shi (Sigmund Freud in Search of Chinese Matter and Mind, 26

Peony Pavilion, Zichai ji (The of the Story Purple Hairpin, 1587), Handan ji (The Handan xiaosheng Four Dreams see Ferrari (2014a). See Ferrari — succinct, probing, andsomewhat (young male) role. Dream, 1601). — possibly \). Paraphrasing — 24 Zhanghas Nanke ji in shiyan 25 23 His From

Asian Theatre as Method 159

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) resonates — an embodied stage — ) of the mind (Wang X. 2015). 2015). X. ) of the mind (Wang (Making Dreams), an experimental kunqu directed directed kunqu experimental an Dreams), (Making chang meng duan Meng

actually, an assemblage of electronically distorted samples of Zhang’s voice an assemblage of electronically actually, —

that Zhang applies in his turn of In keeping with the principle of classification ex negativo The absence of obvious theatricality in Zhang’s stage work entirely defies conven- The absence of obvious theatricality in Zhang’s phrase “acting without acting,” I propose that, in this instance, shiyan kunqu is based upon an in this instance, I propose that, “acting without acting,” phrase and his voice disembodied (meiyou The actor is silent, antithesis of the four conventional skills. nor zuo ), (meiyou and there is neither outward movement nian ), ); he has no lines (meiyou chang the actor becomes pure presence As such, ). da martial action (meiyou tional expectations of kunqu audiences who, traditionally, are “listening to theatre” (tingxi “listening to theatre” are traditionally, tional expectations of kunqu audiences who, (Wichmann 1991), and appreciate the manner in which an actor executes a specific aria or 1991), (Wichmann Zhang’s performance thus consists of interprets a familiar scene from the classical repertoire. and combat- acting, speaking, a radical reversal of the above-mentioned four skills of singing, ), de biaoyan biaoyan (meiyou “acting without acting” as Zhang has categorized this practice ing. aesthetics of which stems from a process of extreme reduction and simplification of the complex but inside the body, through the body, yet not externally, Performance still takes place, kunqu. (neixin xi “inner theatre” in the by Danny Yung. Toki Arts Week 2015, Nanjing Museum Theatre, 30–31 October 2015. (Courtesy 2015. October 30–31 of Theatre, Museum Nanjing 2015, Week Arts Toki Yung. Danny by Icosahedron) Zuni of Xu Sijia (standing) in in (standing) Sijia Xu of Zhang’s static performance is juxtaposed clear and muffled. distant and near, shrill and deep, who appears as an kunqu dan Xu Sijia, partner, with the vibrant interpretation of his female as she heroine Du Liniang, Pavilion Xu embodies the spirit of Peony Presumably, oneiric vision. Xu appearance, In contrast with Zhang’s modern enthralls scholar Liu Mengmei in his dream. At one point embroidery and silky water sleeves. wears a traditional white gown with delicate and she executes part of her her head is also shrouded in a white veil, during the performance, routine with her eyes covered. neither moves nor sings. Essentially, he does not “act.” Only toward the end, a phantasmal Only toward the end, “act.” he does not Essentially, neither moves nor sings. voice Figure 13. The static performance of Zhang Jun (sitting) is juxtaposed with the dynamic interpretation interpretation dynamic the with juxtaposed is (sitting) Jun performance static The 13. Zhang of Figure ) over and over, with varying intonations with varying (meng) over and over, “dream” reiterating the word from offstage, Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

160 Rossella Ferrari questioning (tiwen), rethinking( and onthechallengesinherenttoprocessoftransmission(Xu2013:118). opment ofxiqu(Wang X. 2012). The realquestionshingeratheronthesystemofinheritance, essential tocreativity. Modernizationandreformare, moreover, intrinsictothehistoricaldevel- not differentiatebetweenthetraditionalandmodernstage:stageisonedialectics who acquiresanewexpressiveidiom. For Yung, thisisprobablyafalsequestion, forhedoes mother tongue?” (in Wang X. 2012) put ittoaforeignobserver: “You areBritishandyoulearningChinese. Will thisharmyour question isnotoneofcorruption, damage( been blamedfordesecratingareveredtradition. Nonetheless, Toki membersagreethatthereal brings aboutastateofself-reflectionandself-challenge. ditional costume, too, isitselfapotentsignifierofadaptationand(self-)deconstruction, which nition and “concept” (gainian) (Wang X. 2015), ratherthankinesis. The removalofone’stra- installation, asitwere. Performanceoccursviaasculpturaldisplayofdynamicstillness, ascog- 27. deimperialization, andde-cold waroftheatretheoryandpraxisin(andabout) Asia by decon- The Toki Projectparticipatesin Asia asmethod’sthree-foldthrusttoward Toki asMethodfor Asian Theatre? actors, popvocalists, jazzmusicians, balletdancers, andclassicalcomposers connect asanintegratedtrans-Asiancommunity. anchoring point” (2010:212), whichenablesdisparate performing bodiestocometogetherand table-and-chairs formatconstitutes, precisely, atangible externalizationofChen’s “imaginary eters isessentialtocomprehend Toki 1T2Casasignof Asia asmethodinperformance. The No matterwhetheroneiscompliantortransgressive, thestipulation ofasharedsetparam- drape alsostoodfortheabsenttable(tellingly, Yung isoftenthefirsttobreak theruleshesets). wooden chairshavebeenexchangedforvelvetyarmchairs, as inMakingDreams, inwhichalong tables havebeenremovedorswappedfortheentirestage, as inFight, MeNow? andtheaustere “to beprovedordisproved” (Liu2015). does. As withtradition, formcanbearestraining(closed)cage, butalsoaliberatingorganism (kuang) the samerules,” conceptualcomparisonsof “how” onerespondstothecuratorialframework gram notesofthe2015edition. Becauseallcontributorscreateand “communicate under enhances the “conversational” potentialoftheperformances of anotherconvention. Yet, onthecontrary, farfrombeingrestrictive, the1T2Cstructure ditional actorsattempttoovercometheconstraintsoftheirreceivedconventionsbymeans closed pattern, thatis, thefixedformat. Putdifferently, itmayseemparadoxicalthatthetra- past (Wu 2015). tion, hasemancipatedhimfromhisoverly “closed” ( mance againstthegrain, achievedbyundoingand experience intotheirstagepractice. Onekunquactorhassuggestedthatthiskindofperfor exercise theircreativitybeyondtheorthodoxyofreceivedform, andtofeedtheirlived younger performersconcurthat, afteraninitialdisorientation, Toki hasempoweredthemto Process (guocheng) iskeyinthe Toki Theatre, alongwiththespaceforsearching(zhaoxun), As with Yung, Zhangisnotnewtoexperimentsandcrossovers Over theyears, therehavebeenmoreactorsineachsegmentthantheprescribedtwo; Interestingly, in1T2C, thisexpansiveperceptualshiftoccurswithinalikewiseseemingly See, for instance, Zhang Jun’s reflections in Wang Xiaoying (2015). These descriptions recur in the traditionalperformers’ testimonials about the Toki Project and Yung’s shiyan xiqu. — namely, 1T2C — take precedenceoverapurelyqualitativeassessmentof “what” one fansi — ), andreflection(sikao)that Toki affords. implying thatthesameappliestoakunquornohactor pohuai ), orexploitationoftradition. As KeJunonce — to somedegree fengbi ) mentalframework(kuangofthe — as LiuXiaoyiwroteinthepro- — — he hasworkedwithkabuki unlearning theconven- decolonization, — 27 and haslikewise Especiallythe - Asian Theatre as Method 161 - - - of the

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noh, China noh, if not all “producing a ten- — — Japan, China with Japan, noh, the lavish costumes, the elaborate the lavish costumes, — or, in our case, of the Expo as a festivalizing mega-event in our case, or, alongside and juxtapositions (kunqu tradition), modernity versus Japan, —

whose effects reverberate beyond the time-space of the event. This occurs chiefly of the event. whose effects reverberate beyond the time-space

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Moreover, if one agrees with Yung that “real dissemination must start with a cri- “real dissemination must start with that Yung if one agrees with Moreover, 28 versus versus

McMahon derives the notion of “low density” festival from Sauter (2007). Sauter from festival density” “low of notion the derives McMahon Within this Asia-focused framework, Toki can be seen as a case of minor transnational practice transnational practice seen as a case of minor can be Toki framework, Asia-focused this Within The cross-referential horizon of Asia as method assists a critical turn toward an integra- Asia as method The cross-referential horizon of The Toki Theatre is not a product but a practice. Toki does not peddle antiques in the global Toki Theatre is not a product but a practice. Toki The To adapt McMahon’s argument, projects such as Toki can “avoid some can Toki projects such as adapt McMahon’s argument, To Writing of Lusophone theatre festivals, Christina McMahon argues that under certain con- McMahon argues that under certain Christina of Lusophone theatre festivals, Writing makeup, the exquisite props, the spectacular stunts. Toki substitutes the essentialist ontology of substitutes the essentialist Toki the spectacular stunts. the exquisite props, makeup, classic interculturalism for the rhizomatic ontology of relations. appraisal of simi- “static” tive notion of intercultural comparison that is neither limited to the China noh, larities and differences (Friedman 2013:40) between autonomous units (kunqu and noh, (kunqu versus nor simply premised upon contrasts modernity and tradition), and Japan, China tue of their ornamental potential, the Toki Theatre deprives tradition precisely of those features Theatre deprives tradition precisely of those Toki the tue of their ornamental potential, the global circuit that make it marketable and attractive on intercultural theatre in the inter- reveals, Toki As modernity alongside tradition). alongside Japan, a namely, (40), a progressive politics of comparison” “the possibility for Asian mode incubates conception of comparison as dynamic relational dialogism (kunqu with tique of the system for disseminating culture” (2013:225), intercultural exchange should then (2013:225), tique of the system for disseminating culture” establish- “the relationship between their individual self and the empower artists to reassess enlistment or (236) without any pressure to produce artistic merchandise for ideological ment” capitalist consumption. which large-scale international festivals often tend to 2003:27), (Wehle “supermarket of culture” 2014) the very meaning of intercultural the- (McMahon “recast” can be said to Toki promote. the classic brand of hegemonic interculturalism Whereas atre praxis in transnational contexts. fragments of tradition purely by vir has been chastised for misappropriating decontextualized pitfalls of a global arts market and create spaces for genuine (and often contentious) cultural pitfalls of a global arts market and create debates” through interpellation of a specific cultural, linguistic, or geopolitical membership, and com- or geopolitical membership, linguistic, through interpellation of a specific cultural, and spectacle sales, prizes social interaction over scale, format that “low density” mitment to a 21). (5, sion between the theatre event and the overall structure that has the potential to push festival sion between the theatre event and the overall (6). reevaluate the festival’s ideological thrust” attendees (both artists and spectators) to 28. tiatives to promote alternate narratives of minor discourse. If, on the one hand, transnationalism on the one hand, If, narratives of minor discourse. tiatives to promote alternate it unearths its intersti- other hand, on the persistent forces of the national, tends to uncover the facets. tial and transgressive themselves and “recast” to take advantage of such interactive contexts ditions performers can “‘post-national imaginary’ [...] that transcend[s] even, a transnational or, their nations within as expositions, Comparable observations apply to world (2014:9). the boundaries of the state” excessively ide- Without to narratives of constructed collectivity. festivals of nations committed that the 2010 Expo collaboration nonetheless demonstrates alizing such minor interventions, goes against the grain of the larger framework “theatre artists can stage a performance that of a festival” in which national structures may condition the unfolding of transnational agendas, the Expo col agendas, may condition the unfolding of transnational in which national structures infiltrate and inspire national ini that the transnational can purposefully laboration also indicates reversing, dismantling, undoing. undoing. dismantling, reversing, minjian approach. and city-based artist-driven, because of its nongovernmental, in performance the underscores Shanghai Expo concurrently context of the in the institutional its genesis Yet, elucidating the manner While dynamics. within transnational of national discourses endurance structing aesthetic and epistemological conventions. Hence the emphasis is on “de-” is on Hence the emphasis conventions. and epistemological structing aesthetic Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26 September 2021 Downloaded from http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/DRAM_a_00678 by guest on 26September 2021

162 Rossella Ferrari theatre(s) lute universalisms, andhegemonicsingularities, buttoforeground Asia fer dominant(West-centered) discursivecoordinatesontonewnormativestandards, abso- as method. Asia asmethodisnottantamountto Asia ascenter:itsaimisnottosimplytrans- archive forthefuture. traditional genres, butalsobecauseitforegroundstraditionasaconduitofmodernity, andan and tradition, notonlyinthatitmodernizestraditionthroughaconversationofmodernand modernity Lei, DaphneP. 2011a. Alternative ChineseOpera inthe Age ofGlobalization: Performing Zero. Basingstoke: Ke Jun. 2015. “Verstecken undFliehen:DieKun-Oper zwischen Tradition und Avantgarde /HideandRun: Kaku Ryuzaburo. 1997. “The PathofKyosei.” Harvard BusinessReview, Hubbert, Jennifer. 2015. “Back tothefuture: The politicsofcultureat theShanghaiExpo.” International Hitchcock, Peter. 2003. Imaginary States:Studiesin Cultural Transnationalism. Urbana:Universityof He Yinan. 2013. “Forty Years inParadox:Post-NormalisationSino-JapaneseRelations.” ChinaPerspectives 4 Hannerz, Ulf. 1996. Transnational Connections:Culture, People, Places. London:Routledge. Hanasaki Kohei. 2007. “Decolonialization and Assumption of War Responsibility.” Translated byMuto Friedman, SusanStanford. 2013. “Why NotCompare?” InComparison:Theories, Approaches,Uses, editedby Ferrari, Rossella. 2014b. “‘Tang OurContemporary: Twenty-First Century Adaptations ofPeony Pavilion’: Ferrari, Rossella. 2014a. “Tang OurContemporary: Twenty-First Century Adaptations ofPeony Pavilion .” Ferrari, Rossella. 2010. “Journey(s) totheEast Felski, Rita, andSusanStanfordFriedman. 2013. “Introduction.” InComparison:Theories, Approaches, Douban. 2013. “Toki Project.” Accessed 4March2016. http://site.douban.com/225788/room/3149804/. Dai Zhixun. 2014. “Zhuhuan duihua Chen Kuan-hsing, HuChin-ya, and Wang Chih-ming. 2013. “Minjian East Asia Forum:Feelingsand Chen Kuan-hsing. 2010. AsiaasMethod: Toward Deimperialization. Durham, NC:DukeUniversityPress. Barba, Eugenio, andNicolaSavarese. (1991)2006. of ADictionary Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art ofthe Anno, Mariko, andJudyHalebsky. 2014. “Innovation inNo References Under thisframework, relationisbothanepistemologyandamethodology, andsois Asia Palgrave Macmillan. The KunquOperabetween Tradition and Avant-garde.” TheaterderZeit 2017. https://hbr.org/1997/07/the-path-of-kyosei. Journal ofCultural Studies, 28July. Accessed 30March 2016. DOI:10.1177/1367877915597495. Illinois Press. (December):7–16. 178–90. London:Routledge. Ichiyo. InTheInter-Asia Cultural StudiesReader , editedbyKuan-HsingChenand ChuaBengHuat, Rita FelskiandSusanStanfordFriedman, 34–45. Baltimore:Johns HopkinsUniversityPress. 30 March2016. www.soas.ac.uk/tang-our-contemporary/. Supplementary Materials(Video ExcerptsandPhotoGallery).” SOAS UniversityofLondon. Accessed Santangelo and Tian Yuan Tan, 1482–1522. Leiden:Brill. In Theatre(s).” edited byRitaFelskiandSusanStanfordFriedman, 1–12. Baltimore: JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress. /324739510/. 3 January. Accessed 21September2016. https://site.douban.com/225788/widget/notes/15273835/note Imaginations.” Performer. London:Routledge. Change.” Passion, Romance, andQing: The World ofEmotionsandStatesMindinPeonyPavilion, editedbyPaolo — with tradition). Insodoing, italsochallengesestablishednotionsofmodernity Asian Theatre Journal 31,Asian Theatre 1:126–52. as adiffusemultiplicityofsynchronousconnectionsandrhizomaticcollectivities. Postcolonial Studies13, 4:351–66. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies14, 2:327–33. — Qingshui Kuan’er” [Toki dialogues:ShimizuKanji]. Douban, — Travels, Trajectories, and Transnational Chinese : Matsui Akira Continuesa Tradition of \ July–August. Accessed 17March Spezial China12:26–31. — and (inter-)Asian Uses,

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