Theatre Nohgaku
Theatre Nohgaku is an international company comprised of Japan and North American-based members whose mission is to create and present English language plays in traditional noh style complete with hayashi musicians, masks, costumes and stage sets. Founded and led by Artistic Director Richard Emmert who has spent over 35 years studying, teaching and performing classical Japanese noh in Japan, Theatre Nohgaku serves as a unique cultural and artistic intermediary between Japan and the English-speaking world.
Theatre Nohgaku's mission is to share noh’s beauty and power with English speaking audiences and performers. We have found that this traditional form retains its dramatic effectiveness in languages other than Japanese. We believe noh techniques hold a powerful means of expression in the context of contemporary English language theatre.
To carry out this mission, Theatre Nohgaku:
Create and perform English language noh, both new works and traditional noh in translation, and occasionally perform traditional noh in Japanese or a combination of Japanese and English.
Promote understanding of the art of noh and provide training in its techniques through lectures, demonstrations, workshops, and residencies.
Provide opportunities for Japanese noh masters to perform and teach with Theatre Nohgaku.
Exploring possibilities for performance across cultural and language boundaries, we seek to create a theatre for the twenty-first century, opening vital new channels for contemporary expression.
Pagoda dress rehearsal workshop preparing for the Asia Tour of the first joint production between Theatre Nohgaku and the Oshima Noh Theatre. Photography Sohta Kitazawa, Tokyo 2011.