Za Kabuki founded in 1976 at the Australian National University

Australian National University

The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

, is the longest running Kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 troupe outside of Japan. Directed by Mr. Shun Ikeda

Shun Ikeda

Shun Ikeda from Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a specialist in Japanese language, culture and society, and a senior lecturer at the Australian National University's School of Culture, History and Language...

 of the ANU Japan Centre, with a cast and crew consisting mainly of ANU Japanese students, the troupe performs traditional Kabuki plays almost entirely in classical Japanese, with some English translation and ad-libs inserted to assist the mainly English-speaking audiences.

History

The tradition of annual Japanese performances at the ANU began in 1976, with the first shows taking place in the walkway between the Sports & Recreation building and the Union building. During the 80s and 90s, productions became increasingly elaborate, with authentic makeup and costumes, original sets and musical accompaniment, hosted at a number of the theatre facilities around the ANU campus.

In 1999, Producer Suzy Styles led the Za Kabuki troupe on their first tour of Japan, with performances in Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

 and Kobe

Kobe

, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...

. On September 11, 2001, a troupe from Kobe's Konan University

Konan University

is a university located on the slopes of Rokko Mountain in Higashinada-ku, the city of Kobe, Japan. A private university with approximately 10,000 students, the university offers a wide variety of programs to Japanese students, as well as an international exchange program through the Konan...

 returned the favor by performing at the ANU's Llewellyn Hall.

The 2006 production of Yukio Mishima

Yukio Mishima

was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...

's "Iwashiuri Koi no Hikiami", for the first time in Za Kabuki history, featured a 7-piece orchestra, also made up predominantly of ANU Japan Centre students. The orchestra played an original score, composed specifically for the play by Thomas Spencer Hartley.

Past Performances

Year	Title	English Title	Author	Producer	Director
2011	Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami is a 1954 comedic Kabuki play by Yukio Mishima . It was first performed in November 1954 at the Kabukiza theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality"-Plot:...	The Sardine Seller's Net of Love	Yukio Mishima Yukio Mishima was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...	Dia Jalil	Shun Ikeda
2010	Bunshichi Motoyui Ninjyou Banashi	Topnot Bunshichi: A Story of Human Relations	Enokido Kenji	Kaima Negishi, Haru Depp	Shun Ikeda
2009	Ise Ondo Koi no Netaba	Dancing with a Sleeping Blade	Chikamatsu Tokuzo	Rachael McAndrew	Shun Ikeda
2008	Hakata Kojoro Namimakura	Love At Sea	Chikamatsu Monzaemon	Michiko Takimoto	Masafumi Matsumoto
2007	Kanadehon Chushingura	The Treasury of Loyal Retainers	Takeda Izumo	Elli Kim	Shun Ikeda
2006	Iwashiuri Koi no Hikiami	Sardine Seller Casts The Net of Love	Yukio Mishima	Irene Abarquez	Shun Ikeda
2005	Shinju Ten no Amijima	The Love Suicides at Amijima The Love Suicides at Amijima The Love Suicides at Amijima is a domestic play by Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Originally written for the jōruri puppet theatre, it was adapted into kabuki shortly after its premiere. The play is one of Chikamatsu's more famous plays.It was first performed 3 January 1721...	Chikamatsu Monzaemon	Will Mitchell / Peri Jenkins	Shun Ikeda
2004	Koi no Tayori Yamato Oorai	The Courier for Hell The Courier for Hell The Courier for Hell or Courier of Hell is a love-suicide play by Chikamatsu written in 1711. It follows a similar storyline to some of his other love-suicide plays, including The Love Suicides at Sonezaki and The Love Suicides at Amijima...	Chikamatsu Monzaemon Chikamatsu Monzaemon Chikamatsu Monzaemon was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki...	?	Shun Ikeda
2003	Ninjo Banashi Bunshichi Motoyui	Topknot Bunshichi: A Tale of Human Relations	Enokido Kenji	Stephen Harrington	Shun Ikeda
2002	Iwashiuri Koi no Hikiami	Catching a Fish Called Love	Yukio Mishima	Catherine Bailey	Shun Ikeda
2001	Kanadehon Chūshingura Kanadehon Chūshingura Chūshingura is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami's Matsukaze, although the vivid action of Chūshingura differs dramatically from Matsukaze... (7-dan-me)	The Legend of the 47 Ronin (Act 7)	Takeda Izumo	?	Shun Ikeda