NACL hosts Deep Time: A Weekend Workshop and Retreat

HIGHLAND LAKE, NY — Jubilith Moore, co-artistic director of San Francisco’s Theatre of Yugen, will lead a weekend retreat focused on the traditional Japanese theatre forms of Noh and Kyogen for western performers and educators from Friday, December 14 through Sunday, December 16 at the NACL theatre.

Often described as the art of performance, Nohgaku refers to both the Japanese traditional theatre forms of Noh (drama) and Kyogen (comedy). As the longest continuously performed theatre in the world, Nohgaku has been kept vibrantly alive as each generation rigorously works to further cultivate it. Combining the elements of song, dance, mask, space and time, it is a total stage art created by hand. The principles inherent in Nohgaku are time-tested, unique and come together to create a highly refined stage aesthetic. Participants will be introduced to the traditional training methods in chant (utai / kouta) and dance (shimai / komai), as well as offered a detailed practicum of stock characters, which fill the Kyogen repertoire.

Meticulous body and verbal articulation, as well as a tremendous amount of concentration and focus, characterize the Nohgaku performer’s work and are valuable tools for the Western performer, director and choreographer. By focusing on the specific, the underlying foundational elements of the exceptional aesthetic experience of Nohgaku will be revealed.

The workshop schedule will be from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.

The cost is $225, which includes workshop, housing and meals; or $125 for the workshop only.

To register, send a letter with your name, address and phone, along with a short description of yourself and interests, to nacl@nacl.org or P.O. Box 33, 110 Highland Lake Road, Highland Lake, NY 12743. A $50 deposit will be required to hold your spot.

For more information call 845/557-0694.