BAM / Peter Jay Sharp Building / 30 Lafayette Avenue / Brooklyn, New York 11217

Throne of BloodOREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVALADAPTED AND DIRECTED BY PING CHONG BASED ON THE FILM DIRECTED BY AKIRA KUROSAWAHOWARD GILMAN OPERA HOUSEFRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010

THRONE OF BLOOD STUDY GUIDE WRITTEN BY HEATHER LESTER

Leadership support for BAM Education programming provided by:

Throne of BloodDear Educator:Welcome to the Study Guide for Throne of Blood, directed by Ping Chong, an original stage adaptation of Akira Kurosawas 1957 film of the same name based on William Shakespeares Macbeth. Co-commissioned by BAM and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, this production interprets Kurosawas legendary film for contemporary American audiences. The medieval Japanese setting and timeless tale of murder and treachery will intrigue students and inspire learning in many areas.

The BAM program includes: this study guide; a pre-performance workshop in your classroom led by a BAM teaching artist; and the performance on November 12th (1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission) immediately followed by a post-show discussion (3040 minutes.) Please arrange for your students to stay and participate in this unique question-and-answer session.

A Unique Opportunity!BAM will present a special screening of Akira Kurosawas 1957 film Throne of Blood on Thursday, November 4, at 10:30AM for classes at-tending the stage production on November 12. BAM strongly encourages teachers to attend this screening with their classes. Students and teachers attending this screening and the live performance will have the enriching experience of comparing how two master artists tell the same classic tale of power and corruption through different media.

Synopsis (Excerpted in part from the Oregon Shakespeare Festivals program)In war-torn medieval Japan, Lord Kuniharu, ruler of Spider Web Castle, faces rebellion from neighboring warlords. He summons two of his gen-erals, Washizu and Miki, who have stopped an enemy attack. En route, Washizu and Miki, lost in the fog of Spider Web Forest, encounter an old Forest Spirit who predicts that Washizu will be named Lord of the North Garrison, and eventually ruler of Spider Web Castle and that Miki will be named Lord of the First Fortress and that one day his son, Yoshiteru, will inherit Spider Web Castle. When Washizu and Miki arrive at the castle,

Lord Kuniharu grants them the first round of honors predicted by the spirit. Washizus wife, Asaji, argues that Washizu must kill Kuniharu and his old friend Miki to secure the prophecies. Washizu protests that he has no treasonous ambitions. Lord Kuniharu and his men arrive and stay at the North Garrison for the night while Miki watches over Spider Web Castle. Asaji gives Kuniharus guards drugged sake, and Washizu murders him. Washizus guilt is obvious. Kuniharus son, the Prince, wants to avenge his fathers death immediately, but the old general Noriyasu convinces him to flee and bide his time. Washizu brings Lord Kuniharus body to Spider Web Castle for a funeral. Miki backs Washizu as Kuniharus suc-cessor. Washizu announces plans to adopt Mikis son as his heir to follow the spirits prophecies. Asaji reports that shes pregnant. Miki departs for a banquet in honor of Washizus succession, but never arrivesexcept as a ghost, which haunts only the guilt-crazed Washizu. An assassin reports that he killed Miki but his son escaped. Asajis child is stillborn. Washizus enemiesYoshiteru, Noriyasu, and the Princejoin forces with a rival lord, and are closing in on the castle. The Forest Spirit tells Washizu that until the forest itself advances on him, he will be safe. Washizu boasts of the prophecies to his men. When the trees do advancethe enemy in camouflageWashizus men unleash a flood of arrows on him.

THIS STUDY GUIDE aims to help you prepare your students for the per-formance and film at BAM and to connect to your curriculum. It provides information and activities aligned with the NYC ELA Performance Stan-dards and the NYC Department of Educations Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts.

We hope this program inspires you and your students as you experience the spectacular Throne of Blood.

Table Of ContentsPage 3: Transforming MacbethPage 4: Akira Kurosawas filmPage 5: Ping Chongs adaptationPage 6: The Design TeamPage 8: Japanese Culture & HistoryPage 9: Themes & Key ScenesPage 10: Curriculum Connections2

Macbeth Transforming First performed more than 400 years ago, William Shakespeares Macbeth continues to fascinate audiences with its tale of bloody ambition. Directors have adapted the play for film including Orson Welles (1948) and Roman Polanski (1971). Some film versions depart from Shakespeares text but echo the plot such as Scotland, PA (2001) re-imagined in a small town fast-food restaurant, and Macbool (2004), a Bollywood film set in the criminal underworld. Foremost among these film adaptations is Akira Kurosawas Throne of Blood (1957). Critics contend that it is an extraordinary interpretation of Shakespeares original although it includes not a single line from the play. Kurosawa moves beyond adaptation. Rather than just transposing the play to another era, in this case, feudal Japan, he synthesizes elements of Japanese culture into the story, themes, and characters offering a new perspective on a timeless classic. Ping Chongs stage adaptation of Throne of Blood interprets Kurosawas film and synthesizes fresh layers of cultural significance for contemporary audiences. We can uncover meaning in these works by looking at them individually and by considering their intersections and parallels.

MACBETH ACROSS TIMEKurosawa sets Throne of Blood in medieval Japan when the nation struggled with political unrest and violent warlords ruled disparate territories. Kurosawa finds in this period of Japanese history thematic parallels to Macbeths Scottish setting as well as echoes of post-World War II when he conceived the filmissues of national and individual identity, power struggles, treason and violence.

SAMURAI MACBETHThrone of Blood is called Samurai Macbeth because the 15th century setting features characters fashioned after Japans famous warriors. The Samurai is more than a period signifier. Central to the Samurai code was loyalty, honor, duty and self-sacrifice, themes inherent to Throne of Blood.

IN THE NOH Kurosawa weaves elements of Noh theater throughout his film and Ping Chong furthers the Noh influences in his stage adaptation. The oldest form of Japanese theater, Noh is highly stylized and symbolic. Kurosawa and Chong use Noh influences to emphasize aspects of Japanese culture and deepen themes. Neither director uses authentic Noh techniques but rather interpret and integrate Noh style in their approaches.

FREE WILL vs. FATEWhile Macbeth is essentially a tale of free will, Kurosawa constructs Throne of Blood as a story of fate. Driven by his thirst for power, Macbeth makes choices that lead to his downfall while the actions of Washizu, Kurosawas Macbeth, follow a path of cause and effect. Macbeth struggles with his decisions and is ultimately responsible for their outcome. Washizu must live out the inevitable prophecies with no alternative. This thematic variation represents a cultural difference. Throne of Blood reflects Japanese Zen Buddhist belief in the transitory nature of life and Kurosawas vision of mans futility. Indeed, the films Japanese title Kumonosu-j translates to Spider Web Castle, Kurosawas metaphor for being caught.

Major Characters (and Shakespearean counterparts)WASHIZU, General in the army of Lord Kuniharu, (Macbeth) ASAJI, Wife of Washizu, (Lady Macbeth) MIKI, General Washizus comrade, (Banquo) YOSHITERU, Son of Miki, (Fleance, Banquos son)LORD KUNIHARU, Ruler of Spider Web Castle, (King Duncan)KUNIMARU, Son of Kuniharu, (Malcolm, Duncans son)FOREST SPIRIT, (Witches)

WHAT IS DIFFERENTLooking at how Kurosawas film diverges from Macbeth reveals the directors meanings:

A chorus, similar to Noh drama, chants at the opening and closing, framing a tale of fate.

Shakespeares three witches become a single forest spirit drawn from a Noh story.

Unlike Shakespeare, Kurosawa does not depict psychological struggles. He simulates stock characters from Noh.

Lady Asaji is Noh stylized. Her makeup mimics a mask.

Like the Macbeths, Washizu and Asaji are childless. Asaji becomes pregnant and her child is stillborn.

Kurosawa omits the character of the porter who provides comic relief and commentary.

The circular structure has four acts separated by interludes when minor characters comment on the action.

There is no character equivalent to Shakespeares Macduff who kills Macbeth. Instead, Washizus own men kill him.

Throne of Blood

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Akira Kurosawa & Throne Of Blood: 1957AKIRA KUROSAWA (1910-1998) was a giant among filmmakers of the twentieth century. Renowned in his native Japan and around the world, he directed more than thirty films during his decades-long career and was involved in many more as a screenwriter and assistant director. Although originally intended for Japanese audiences, his films had a universal appeal and influenced many American directors such as Martin Scorsese, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. His diverse body of work includes post-war noir, samurai epics and literary adaptations. Among his most well known are Rashomon (1951), Ikiru (1951), the Seven Samurai (1954) which was later remade into the American Western The Magnificent Seven, The Lower Depths (1957), and Ran (1985), an adaptation of Shakespeares King Lear. Throughout his films, Kurosawa explored cultural values and the moral consequences applying a humanistic approach. Asked to explain the common theme of his films, Kurosawa replied, Why cant people be happier together?

APPROACH & STYLEKurosawa was a master technician and stylist. A perfectionist in every area of the filmmaking process, he supervised the editing of nearly all his films and wrote or collaborated on most of the scripts. Kurosawas aesthetic of strong visual images and theatricality reflects the silent film era of his childhood. His experimentation with camera perspectives was inspired by films of the French avant-garde and American Westerns by filmmakers like John Ford. Influences of Noh and Kabuki Theater, Japanese visual art, and cinema weave through his work.

FILMIC TECHNIQUESThrone of Blood showcases some of Kurosawas signature film techniques and debuted other more experimental choices. colorless -Kurosawa usually restricts his film to black and white to enhance the contrasts between light and darknesssimpleediting-He limits scene transitions to a simple cut or wipe. There are no fades or dissolves.motifsand repetition - Kurosawa reveals themes visually through repeating motifs. Throughout the film, Kurosawa uses the circle as a metaphor: For example, Miki and Washizu travel in circles through the forest; an out-of-control horse gallops in circles; the transfer of power is portrayed as a continuing cycle of murder and treason; the film has a circular structure, ending back at the beginning.distancingtheviewer-There are few close ups of the actors. Emotional moments are shown at a distance.widescreenHe uses landscape shots to capture vast space.familiaractors-He often worked with the same actors on many films such as Toshiro Mifune who plays Washizu.musical counterpoint -Kurosawa integrates music into the visual storytelling instead of using it as just accompaniment. visual composition He visually frames action on the screen by juxtaposing movement and stasis, manmade and natural shapes, and horizontals and diagonals.

THE APPEAL OF SHAKESPEAREMacbeth interested Kurosawa because he wanted to explore Japanese culture and history through the thematic lens of literary adaptation. He discovered parallels between the themes and setting of the play, medieval Japan, and post-World War II Japan that was still a fresh memory at the time of filming. Kurosawa wanted to find a new approach to Japanese historical films that audiences considered worn out. His aim in exploring medieval Japan through Throne of Blood was to move past commemorative costume drama to find contemporary meanings.

POETRY TO IMAGERY Kurosawa does not use a single line from Macbeth in Throne of Blood, but he succeeds in conjuring powerful images that provide visual equivalents to the poetic text. In his book, The Warriors Camera, critic Stephen Prince writes, In Throne of Blood, the signifiers of word and image are no longer interchangeable, and the verbal texture of the play is transformed into a dense, elaborate patterning of image and sound. Look for these scenes in the film as examples of Kurosawas visual poetry that echoes the text:

- Washizu enters a blood stained room that cannot be washed clean where a traitor killed himself.

- Following intense scenes between Washizu and Asaji, horses outside the castle become frantic and uncontrollable.

- As Washizu plans his defense of the castle, a flock of birds suddenly swarms into the room.

- Washizu and Miki get lost in the forest outside the castle endlessly circling.

Ask students What is visually poetic about these scenes? How do the images affect the story? How do they echo Shakespeares poetic language? Notice how Ping Chong translates these visual moments from the film.

Akira Kurosawa

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Ping Chong & Throne Of Blood: 2010PING CHONG is a theater director, choreographer, and video and installation artist. He grew up in New York City in a family of Chinese Opera performers. He studied visual arts and filmmaking in college and was an early member of Meredith Monks avant-garde performance company. Since 1972, he has originated more than fifty major works for the stage including theater, opera, dance and puppetry. He has presented his work around the world and received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his significance as a leading American theater artist and a seminal figure in Asian-American arts. With his New York-based performance company, Ping Chong & Company, he creates innovative works of theater and art that explore the intersections of race, culture, history, art, media and technology in the modern world. www.pingchong.org.

CHONGS VISION FOR THRONE OF BLOODChong recognized in Throne of Blood a theatricality that inspired his interest in adapting the film for the stage. The elements of Noh theater and strong physicality that permeate the film suggested to him tangible dramatic opportunities. His experience as a filmmaker and choreographer gave him a unique sensibility for translating the cinematic and kinesthetic elements to theater. Chong sees the film as a metaphor for modern day life. He explains, the story of Throne of Blood is very much a story of the world we live in today. A world of violence...irrational...dark. For Chong, Kurosawas theme of the recurring destructiveness of humankind remains relevant.

FILM TO STAGE: The ChallengesChong had to find ways to depict certain moments in the film impossible to replicate onstage. He also wanted to pay homage to Throne of Blood as a well-known film. Chong often integrates film into his theater projects. In Throne of Blood, he uses video projections to complement the action onstage adding another layer to the audiences experience and alluding to the storys cinematic roots. He uses theatrical conventions to reference and replace cinematic devices. The costumes are primarily black and white relating to the black and white color of the film. Kurosawas famous ending - when hundreds of arrows impale Washizu - Chong stages in a wholly theatrical way. Similarly, the earlier battle scenes are abstract and while intense and full of movement, the characters and their weapons do not touch. Chong employs traditional Japanese KOKEN STAGEHANDS to move sets and props. Seen by the audience but considered invisible, kokens are Chongs theatrical solution to transitioning time and space that Kurosawa achieves effortlessly on film.

SCREENPLAY TO SCRIPTThe stage adaptation is in English translated from the Japanese screenplay and expanded. While retaining Kurosawas original intentions, Chong substantially augmented the spare dialogue and wrote a play. He wanted modern American audiences to be able to relate to the plays context and characters. Critics call Kurosawas film deliberately cold and distant. Chongs aim was to warm up the story by making the characters more accessible to viewers. He does this by fleshing out the relationships between characters and softening some of the plays formality with emotion. Chong also infuses the production with moments of humor not found in the film.

Be Sure to Listen For...Chongs addition of: references to Kurosawas films; lines from Shakespeare plays including Macbeth and Merchant of

Venice; and Zen Buddhist ideals.

NON-NATURALISTIC Ping Chong took a cue from Kurosawas use of Noh theater elements to adopt a minimalist, non-naturalistic style for staging. In traditional Noh theater, audiences must imagine place and objects. Movement and dialogue are highly stylized and theatrical. Chongs adaptation is informed by this approach. He does not attempt to make the dramatic moments appear realistic but rather embraces the theatrical context. For example, fight scenes do not involve physical contact but are highly choreographed movements suggesting conflict. There is no blood on stage but details of costumes, props and set represent blood symbolically. At times, the actors face the audience in a presentational mode rather than facing one another. The stage is often bare and the audience must imagine the setting based on the characters actions.

Director Ping Chong

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VISION & COLLABORATION:

Theater is a team sport. I may be the art director but I really listen to everybody. ~PING CHONG, DIRECTOR The team of designers that Ping Chong assembled for Throne of Blood collaborated over two years. While they were granted permission to use Kurosawas screenplay, they were prohibited from using the film. Chong and the designers found the refusal liberating. They felt freer to imagine their own version of Throne of Blood and embrace the distinct possibilities of a theatrical context rather than try to recreate the film. Set designer Christopher Acebo explained, We can give a visual-auditory-spatial experience thats unique that does not happen in film.

WORLD OF THE PLAY Building on Chongs vision, the designers forged a world of the play, a time and place that the characters inhabit. They devised a Japanese visual aesthetic centered on the concept of empty space. In Japanese Zen Buddhism and Noh theater, empty space is active and meaningful. Both Kurosawas and Chongs artistic sense of space was influenced by Meiji screens, Japanese landscape paintings that use significant empty space on the canvas. Chongs design team incorporated Kurosawas symbolic use of circles, another connection to Buddhist concepts. To connect the plays themes of past and present, they combined varied shapes, textures and materials that suggest the era but are recognizable to modern audiences. The designers see the plays world as a mysterious, uncertain place where people and things emerge from darkness. Atmosphere is central to Kurosawas film. He filled the screen with fog, rain, wind and shadows. Chongs design team found ways to recreate an equally intense atmosphere. They capture the stark eeriness, urgency and dread that pervades Throne of Blood.

The stage is very sparse. The actors on stage become like the rocks in a Japanese rock garden. ~PING CHONG.

SET - Emptiness & ActionWeve taken the film sensibility and filtered it through theatrical design. Christopher Acebo, Set Designer

The set is transformative. It allows moments that mimic film editing techniques like bleeding or dissolving one scene into another. Chong prefers sets that are mobile, not static, so watch for surprising ways that the set involves motion. Acebo established basic elements of a material world in his use of wood, stone and iron. Like the other designers, he uses an ombre effect with his use of color, moving from white to black as Washizu journeys from celebrated warrior to doomed murderer. Acebo stripped down the set to evoke timelessness. The set engages the audience imaginatively and pulls them into the world of the play.

COSTUMES - A Modern Riff

(I) basically think of costumes as sculpture... STEFANI MAR, COSTUME DESIGNER

In Kurosawas film, clothing is central to the Japanese context. The shape, color and materials of each characters costume create a complex cultural identity. Mars costume designs for Chongs stage adaptation reflect the historical era but with a theatrical spin that adds a new dimension to the visual experience of the story.

Mar integrates both period and contemporary Japanese design. She takes traditional motifs and tweaks them. She stays true to the medieval silhouettes by replicating the strong shapes but uses modern fabrics and design details to add dimension.

Be sure to notice..COLORThe black, grey and white palette reflects the colorless film. Only Washizu and Asaji wear color. Notice the gold for greed and red for death. How, when and why does the color change?

Be sure to notice...TEXTURE & MOVEMENTThe materials Mar selected for the costumes mean to add depth and weight. Chong and Mar see costumes as architecture in the stage space. Mar looks at fabrics and textures as extensions of the characters. How do the costumes move onstage? What is the effect of combining period and modern?

Be sure to notice...HELMETS & ARMORAs fantastical as the helmets may seem, Mar explains that the headpieces worn in the production are fairly true to the helmets of medieval Japan. What do the helmets seem to reveal about character, status, and culture?

The Design Team

LIGHTING Exacting Control

What you dont see is as important as what you do see. DARYL MCGROOM, LIGHTING DESIGNERLighting was a priority for Kurosawa who worked painstakingly to shape atmosphere in Throne of Blood. For the stage adaptation, lighting designer Daryl McGroom follows Kurosawas obsession with the subtleties of lighting to generate an atmosphere fundamental to the story. McGroom also explores the possibilities of theatrical lighting to further the themes. In the film, light and shadows are concentrated because of the lack of color. McGroom works with frosted lighting to control shadows and experiments with bright, white lights and high angles to create starkness. He continues the circle motif that weaves through Throne of Blood by using pools of light.

Watch out for...the lighting to change as Washizu murders more people...how light signifies weather....when characters are in darkness...what is illuminated when the stage is dark....what the shadows suggest about character.

MUSIC & SOUND Art of IntegrationThis is dream project for me. Todd Barton resident Composer and Sound Designer, OSF

In cinema, sound and music are key components of visual storytelling. Kurosawa uses both to create an auditory landscape in Throne of Blood. As a filmmaker familiar with the dramatic potential for sound, Chong has used sound extensively in his theatrical productions. Chong and designer Todd Barton, who has a passion for Japanese music, integrate sound and music into nearly every moment of this production. The Noh elements are present especially in the productions musical score. Barton designed a sonic texture and palette that aligned with Chongs vision and gathered the sound from local and global sources. The soundtrack layers traditional Japanese musical instruments and Noh chanting as well as sounds like arrows, wind, birds, and horses. Instruments heard in the play that are part of the traditional Japanese Gagaku Orchestra (Imperial Court Music) include:

*Biwa: short-necked fretted lute*Sh: mouth organ*Hichiriki: double reed melodic flute*Ryuteki: the transverse dragon flute made of bamboo*Taiko DrumAsk Students: Why is sound important in film and in theater? How does the music and sound in the play punctuate the dramatic action? When in the production do you most notice the sound and music? Is it effective?

SPECIAL EFFECTSBecause weather figures so prominently in Kurosawas film, Chong and his design team had to find ways to depict fog, rain, lightning, and wind onstage. They generate these elements through a combination of lighting, sound and special effects including stage fog. Unlike film where multiple takes and editing eventually capture the perfect shot, in live theater, the technical crew and actors must deal with the spontaneity of manufactured fog that is difficult, if not impossible, to control.

VIDEO PROJECTIONSThe stage includes large projection screens, and videos play during the dramatic action. Designed by video artist Maya Ciarrrocchi, the images are part of a videographic language that Chong layers onto the live action unfolding onstage. Watch for the images of the cherry blossoms before and after Mikis death. Notice images of the castle. How do the video projections

help create a sense of place, time or otherwise add to the story?

ACTING COMPANYWhile Kurosawas cast consisted entirely of Japanese actors, Chongs company is multi-ethnic. He points out that this reflects the contemporary American audience and helps to make the plays universal themes more recognizable. Chong deliberately cast a Japanese actress trained in Noh theater techniques as Asaji to reinforce the characters Noh stylization and to underline Asajis cultural confinement. During the rehearsal process, the actors worked with an Akido master of Japanese martial arts who trained the performers to move in a Japanese theatrical style with a low center of gravity. Chongs artistic approach is choreographic in nature. How does the actors movement add to the atmosphere of the play? How does their physicality expand your understanding of the characters?

The actors bodies become a statement in form, in a sense a sculptural form in this production. PING CHONG, DIRECTOR

The Design Team

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Culture & HistoryIn Throne of Blood, the historical setting, influences of Noh Theater and themes related to Buddhism merge to create the plays specific Japanese context. For students, becoming familiar with the cultural and historical background will make the production more accessible and meaningful.

THE ENIGMA OF NOHNoh Theater emerged from traditional Japanese folktales and dances more than 600 years ago and has since continued. Considered a living art form, it remains popular in Japan today. In Noh, form is story. Performances combine poetry, music, song and dance in an intense and controlled presentation that most modern audiences find alien. Yet, for Japanese audiences and others familiar with the art form, Noh intrigues with its highly stylized enactments of well-known stories. Distinct from theater of realism and naturalism, Noh plays are ritualistic, abstract in style with minimal scenery and a symbolic use of props. Kabuki, another Japanese theater form, evolved from Noh and includes many of its core elements.

Key Facets of Noh TheaterAsasji is the only character in Throne of Blood enacted in a Noh style, but the production has Noh influences throughout including some of the following key characteristics of this theater form:

OLD TALES: Throne of Bloods Forest Spirit is from a Noh dance drama in which travelers meet a kindly old woman who is actually an evil spirit.

MUSIC & CHANTING: Music is central to Noh. The performance is accompanied by live music on traditional musical instruments and a chorus of six or eight people.

MOVEMENT: Actors motions are slow, exact, and elegant, full of poetical allusions. Performers walk heel to toe.

MASKS: Lead actors wear masks thought to give them power and which represent their character type. In Throne of Blood, Asajis make up and Washizus facial expressions resemble Noh masks.

FANS: Chukei (folding fans) are used to represent objects or to express actions.

THE ROLE OF BUDDHISMBuddhism has been a major world religion and predominant in Japan for centuries. Its central aim is for followers to seek a spiritual path for transcending the inevitable suffering of existence. The circular theme in Buddhism comes from the concept of Samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth to which all beings are subject, and results from the consequences incurred by ones karma, the sum of good and bad actions that accumulates over many lives. Release from this endless cycle happens only by attaining enlightenment, the Buddhists primary goal. Buddhism figures prominently in the development of Noh Theater that often included Buddhist themes. Zen Buddhism, based around meditation and sudden enlightenment, was popular among the Samurai warrior class of the medieval period portrayed in Throne of Blood.

MEDIEVAL JAPANThrone of Blood takes place in 15th century medieval Japan known as the Sengoku Period (Warring States Period) when the country was fraught with civil war and regional unrest. With no assistance from a weak central government, the local provinces operated as independent domains and constantly defended themselves against attacks from all sides. They built castle fortresses as defense and established enclaves of warriors for protection. Anarchy pervaded as people vied for more power at all levels of this feudalistic society.

The Samurai CodeThe Sengoku Period was a golden age for the Samurai warrior. Rising from the ranks, these fierce Japanese warriors were members of the military nobility. The culture of the samurai, later called the way of the warrior, revolved around honor and freedom from the fear of death. Samurais both demanded and behaved with the highest honor. A true samurai would fight fearlessly for his master, and die honorably rather than surrender in defeat. Their belief system and fantastic fighting skills (long sword, longbow, and hand-to-hand combat) made the samurai revered in their time and today. What elements of samurai culture appear in the play? Is Washizu a true samurai?

Scene from Yuya, a Noh play. P

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Kurosawas Throne of Blood transposes Shakespeares Macbeth to Medieval Japan through a prism of Noh Theater to create an unsparing vision of human nature in times of crisis, a vision at once timeless and chillingly contemporary. PING CHONG, DIRECTOR

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Culture & HistoryThemes And Key ScenesThemes, symbols, motifs and key scenes in Shakespeares Macbeth re-emerge and transform in Kurosawas film Throne of Blood and Chongs stage adaptation.

MAJOR THEMES

Ambition: In Macbeth and in Throne of Blood ambition becomes destructive. Thirsty for power, Lady Macbeth/Asaji convinces her husband to murder. Chong makes explicit Asajis rationale. To remain here, in the blissful pose of a Bodhisattva, is to court disaster. The threat is clear. You have but two choices: to be extinguished or to extinguish a certain foe.

Loyalty & Honor: Honor and loyalty were important to soldiers in Macbeths Scotland, but these traits defined the Japanese Samurai warrior. When Washizu murders, he breaks Samurai code.

Madness: Guilt drives Macbeth to hallucinate and Lady Macbeth to sleepwalk. How is madness depicted in the film?

Rightful Kingship: Macbeth deals with laws of succession, a theme relevant in Shakespeares England. In Throne of Blood there is no rightful succession because even Lord Kuniharu gained power through murder. This parallels Japan during feudal times and post World War II.

Friendship: Macbeth kills his friend and comrade Banquo. Chong expanded the friendship between Washizu and Miki. When he kills his friend, it carries weight.

Free Will & Fate: Macbeth has choices and opts to pursue power through evil means. Washizu is destined to fulfill the prophecies. How does Chong emphasize Washizus fate? Did his downfall seem inevitable and deserved?

SYMBOLS & MOTIFSBLOOD: Shakespeares text refers to blood. Directors often use fake blood. In Kurosawas colorless film, blood is present but not vivid. Chong does not use stage blood, but symbolizes it in costumes and lighting.

SUPERNATURAL: Shakespeares three witches are dark and foreboding. Kurosawas single witch is spooky and entirely white as is Mikis ghost when he appears to Washizu at the banquet. Notice how Chong depicts the supernatural in sound and lighting. How is the supernatural frightening in the production?

WEATHER: Shakespeares opening scene includes the line, Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air immediately creating atmosphere. Kurosawas film is filled with inclement weather. How does weather feel and what does it seem to mean in Chongs adaptation?

CIRCLES: Different from Shakespeare, Kurosawa uses circles throughout his film to represent the cyclical nature of mans destructiveness and to relate to Buddhist beliefs. The film has a circular structure beginning and ending in ruin. How does Chong expand on the circular motif?

NATURE: The original text includes images of animals and nature. We hear and see birds and horses in Kurosawas film. How does Chong incorporate nature and animals and what meanings do they seem to have?

CASTLE & FOREST: Present in Macbeth but highly symbolic in Throne of Blood as the contrast between man and nature.

KEY SCENES

*Meeting the Witch(es): Macbeth is terrified but intrigued by the weird sisters. What are Washizu and Mikis responses to the Forest Spirit? How does Chong stage this scene differently than Kurosawa?

*Ghost at the Banquet: The banquet in the play, film and adaptation all offer a glimpse into society. What rituals are involved? How does Chongs staging of the banquet frame Washizus reactions to the ghost?

*The Hand Washing: Lady Macbeths sleepwalking scene when she relentlessly washes imagined blood from her hands shows her descent into madness. In the film, Asajis hand washing is ritualized as in Noh. In the stage adaptation, what, if any, emotion do her movements and vocal intonations suggest?

*Moving Trees: The improbable advancing wood, prophesied by the witches, occurs offstage in Macbeth. Kurosawa includes a haunting aerial view of trees moving through the wind. Watch for the trees in Chongs version.

*Macbeth/Washizus Death: Shakespeare ends his play with Macduff killing Macbeth in battle as the witches predicted. In the film, there is no Macduff. Washizu is killed by men in a prolonged and horrifying hail of arrows. How does Chong stage this famous scene? Is it effective?

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These activities can support your class in seeing Ping Chongs stage adaptation of Throne of Blood. You can also use or adapt some of the activities to explore Kurosawas film or Shakespeares Macbeth.

Before or during the film or play...ACTIVATING VISUAL THINKINGProvide students with a copy of the plays synopsis and ask them to create a visual representation such as a character list that depicts relationships, themes and major events. Or, ask students to choose a single event in the plot and create a visual interpretation. They might draw, use collage or generate images from computer clipart. Performance Standards: E1c; E2a. Blueprint: Making Connections

LISTENING FOR MEANINGIntroduce students to the musical instruments and sounds they will hear in the production. Ask them to listen closely to the score and soundtrack and to notice how music and sound underlines the dramatic action. Have students write about what they discovered, detailing ways that the production used sound and music to make meaning. Performance Standards: E2b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Literacy, Making Connections

KNOWING NOHWatch a clip of a Noh theater performance on YouTube. List elements of Noh theater style and ask students to look for these in Throne of Blood. What Noh elements are present and how has the director adapted them? Performance Standards: E3b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Literacy

COMPARING BANQUETSAs a class or in small groups, read and stage Act 3, scene 4, the banquet from Shakespeares Macbeth. What mood does Shakespeare create through language and dramatic action? Compare the scene in Macbeth to the same scene in Throne of Blood. What essence of the original is retained in the adaptation?Performance Standards: E2b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Making, Theater Literacy

RECOGNIZING STYLE & CONVENTIONFamiliarize students with theatrical style and conventions the class may encounter in the production (e.g. the use of kokens and the appearance of a forest spirit as conventions in Noh theater, or the choreographed combat scene as part of the style of the production). Tell students to notice and be ready to write about or discuss in detail two examples of style and convention in the play.Performance Standards: E2a; 3b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Literacy, Theater Making

MOOD IN TEXT & IMAGERead a witches scene in Macbeth. Discuss the atmosphere and tone created by Shakespeare through the language. What might it look and feel like onstage? Pay attention to atmosphere in Throne of Blood. What visual images and words does Chong use to create mood? How is it different or similar to the mood created in the scene you read from Shakespeares play? Performance Standards: E3b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Literacy, Making Connections

ANALYZING FILMScreen clips from Kurosawas film in your classroom. Watch it without sound or subtitles and focus on the visual images. Track Kurosawas use of camera techniques. View and compare the first three scenes in the film and in another film version of Macbeth that adheres to Shakespeares text.Performance Standards: E3d; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Making, Making Connections

FILM VIEWING PROMPTSDivide the class into FIVE groups outlined below and assign each group the related viewing task for Kurosawas film. Afterwards, discuss the impact of each element on the effectiveness of the film.

~Cinematography: Note camera angles and motion and transitions in the film. In the stage adaptation, notice movement onstage and visual composition of scenes.

~Acting: Note how actors use body language, voice and facial expressions.

~Editing: Note sequence, transitions and how scenes relate.

~Setting: Pay attention to how locations are established. Notice background and details.

~Music: Note the mood and style and the action onscreen.

Performance Standards: E3b; E3d Blueprint: Film Literacy

PLAY VIEWING PROMPTSAdapt the activity above to analyze Chongs production. Divide students into these SIX groups:

~Staging: How do actors move and fill the space onstage? What is the style of the action?

~Acting: Note body language, voice and facial expressions.

~Costume: Notice colors and detail, textures and movement.

~Lighting: Watch for brightness and shadows. Note mood.

~Setting: Pay attention to when and how locations are established.

~Music & Sound: Notice the range and use of sounds and the effect.

Performance Standards: E3b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Literacy.

Curriculum Connections

10

Before or After seeing the film or play...MACBETH VS. WASHIZUCompare and contrast the main character in Shakespeares original and Chongs adaptation. How are the characters different? How does each character influence the different meaning of each play?Performance Standards: E5a. Blueprint: Making Connections

LADY MACBETH VS. ASAJICompare and contrast the main character in Shakespeares original and Chongs adaptation. Performance Standards: E5a. Blueprint: Making Connections

MISSING MACDUFFIn Throne of Blood, there is no character equivalent to Shakespeares Macduff in Macbeth. Ask students to write about this major difference and how it changes the meaning.Performance Standards: E2b, E5a. Blueprint: Making Connections

HISTORY & CLOTHINGHave students research and analyze the meaning of traditional Japanese Samurai-era clothing and how it represents social status and other cultural values. Ask students to imagine what it would be like to live and move in these clothes. How are the costumes in Throne of Blood similar or different from authentic Japanese clothing? In the stage adaptation, how are the costumes a modern riff on tradition?Performance Standards: E2a; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Litearcy, Making Connections

THE MASK EFFECTDiscuss how masks are used in Noh theater and other kinds of performance. Bring in simple, neutral masks. Ask small groups of student volunteers to demonstrate by wearing a mask. Coach students in masks to physically express a range of emotions suggested by you or by the class. How does a mask change our response to a person or character? What is required of an actor wearing a mask?Performance Standards: E3b; E5a. Blueprint: Theater Making, Theater Literacy

UNDERSTANDING FEUDALISMResearch feudalism in Western Europe and in Japan. Create a chart that depicts the feudal hierarchical structure. Who is in power and who serves whom? How did the European and Japanese systems differ?Performance Standards: E1c, E2a. Blueprint: Making Connections

SUPERNATURAL BELIEFSStudy the history of the supernatural. How did people feel about ghosts and witches in Shakespeares day? How does Japanese culture interpret and relate to supernatural elements? How is it the same or different?

Performance Standards: E1c; E3b. Blueprint: Making Connections

BUDDHIST INFLUENCESurvey students about their ideas of Buddhism. Have small groups research the development and influence of Buddhism around the world. Discuss as a class why the central beliefs of Buddhism are relevant to Throne of Blood.Performance Standards: E3b; E5a. Blueprint: Making Connections

RESOURCES

Ping Chong & Companywww.pingchong.org

Oregon Shakespeare Festivals Plays from the World Stage: Throne of Blood guide. http://www.osfashland.org/_dwn/plays/TOB_worldstage.pdf

Asia Societyhttp://asiasociety.org/

Paley Center for Mediawww.paleycenter.org/

Museum of the Moving Imagehttp://www.movingimage.us

Folger Shakespeare Librarywww.folger.edu, Teach & Learn

Japan Societyhttp://www.japansociety.org/

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Akira Kurosawa. Webpage. British Film Institute. http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/kurosawa/index.html

Crogan, Patrick. Translating Kurosawa. Senses of Cinema. 2000.

Davies, Anthony. Filming Shakespeares Plays. Cambridge University Press. 1990.

Noh. Japan-Zone website. 2010.

Prince, Stephen. The Warriors Camera: The Cinema of Akira Kurosawa. Princeton University Press. 1991.

Richie, Donald. The Films of Akira Kurosawa. University of California Press. 3rd edition. 1999.

Connections

11

Presenting sponsor for BAM 812 education programs:

Education programs at BAM are generously supported by:

Leadership support for school-time performances, pre-show preparation workshops and educational film screenings is provided by John L. & Eva Usdan.

BAMs school-time presentations are supported by the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation.

This program is supported by Grant No. 2010-JL-FX-0358 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquence Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S Department of Justice. Points of view expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Education programs at BAM are supported by:Barker Welfare Foundation; Tiger Baron Foundation; The Bay and Paul Foundations; Capital One; Charles Hayden Foundation; Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation; Heckscher Foundation for Children; HSBC Bank USA, N.A; Chase; Tony Randall Theatrical Fund; The Jerome Robbins Foundation, Inc.; May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.; Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation; Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation; The SHS Foundation; Surdna Foundation, Inc.; Michael Tuch Foundation; and Joseph LeRoy and Ann C. Warner Fund.

Education programs at BAM are endowed by:Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Endowment Fund for Community, Educational, & Public Affairs Programs; Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin; William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education and Humanities Programs; Irene Diamond Fund; and The Robert and Joan Catell Fund for Education Programs.

BAM would like to thank the Brooklyn Delegations of the New York State Assembly, Joseph R. Lentol, Delegation Leader; and New York Senate, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Delegation Leader.

Your tax dollars make BAM programs possible through funding from:

The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Finance Committee Chair Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council, and Councilwoman Letitia James; and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

The BAM facilities are owned by the City of New York and benefit from public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin; the New York City Council including Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Finance Committee Chair Domenic M. Recchia, Jr., Cultural Affairs Committee Chair Jimmy Van Bramer, the Brooklyn Delegation of the Council, and Councilwoman Letitia James; and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

About BAM Department of Education & Humanities

BAM Education is dedicated to bringing the most vibrant, exciting artists and their creations to student audiences. The department presents performances and screenings of theater, dance, music, opera, and film in a variety of programs. In addition to the work on stage, programs take place both in school and at BAM that give context for the performances, and include workshops with artists and BAM staff members, study guides, and classes in art forms that young people may never have had access to before. These programs include Shakespeare Teaches, AfricanDanceBeat, AfricanMusicBeat, Dancing into the Future, Young Critics, Young Film Critics, Brooklyn Reads, Arts & Justice, and our Screening programs, as well as topically diverse professional development workshops for teachers and administrators.

BAM Education also serves family audiences with BAMfamily concerts, the BAMfamily Book Brunch, and the annual BAMkids Film Festival. In addition, BAM Education collaborates with the Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation to provide an arts and humanities curriculum to students who perform on stage in BAMs DanceAfrica program.

Humanities at BAM

BAM produces humanities programs, including the Artist Talk series, in order to enrich audiences experience during the Next Wave Festival and the Spring Season. The department also presents the Eat, Drink & Be Literary series in partnership with the National Book Awards. For more information about our programs, please call 718.636.4130 x1 or visit www.bam.org

Department of Education and Humanities Department Staff:

Suzanne Youngerman, Ph.D.: DirectorJohn P. Tighe, DMA: Assistant DirectorViolaine Huisman: Humanities ManagerJohn S. Foster, Ph.D.: Education ManagerJennifer Leeson: Administrative CoordinatorNathan Gelgud: Box Office Manager/Program AssociateLeah King: Program CoordinatorCamille Miller: Intern

Study Guide Writer:

Heather Lester is currently a teaching artist at BAM, a consultant for the New York State Council on the Arts Empire State Partnerships, a teacher workshop leader for the Folger Shakespeare Library, and a program evaluator for CUNYs Creative Arts Team. She has worked at the Center for Arts Education as the Associate Program Director for Grantmaking and at the Creative Arts Team at New York University (NYU) where she coordinated the Paul A. Kaplan Center for Educational Drama. While in graduate school at NYU, she co-founded and produced the New York City Student Shakespeare Festival. She has served as a consultant for BAMs Shakespeare Teaches Teachers, Young Audiences/New Jersey, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Scarsdale School District and the English Speaking Unions National Shakespeare Competition.

All Photos by Jenny Graham. unless otherwise indicated.

Copyright 2010 by Brooklyn Academy of MusicAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Brooklyn Academy of Music.