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• Sheng


  The main male role in Peking opera
• Xiaosheng


  • Actors are often involved with beautiful women by virtue of the handsome and young image they project
• Wusheng


  • A martial character for roles involving combat
  • Highly trained in acrobatics
  • Have a natural voice when singing
• Laosheng


  • A dignified older role
  • Characters have a gentle and cultivated disposition
  • Wear
• Dan


  Refers to any female role in Peking opera
• Laodan


  • An old woman
• Wudan


  • A martial woman
• Daomadan


  • Young female warriors
• Qingyi


  • Virtuous and elite women
• Huadan


  • Vivacious and unmarried women
• Jing


  • A painted face male role who plays either primary or secondary roles
  • Forceful character meaning the Jing actor must have a strong voice and able to exaggerate gestures
  • Red denotes loyalty and goodness
  • White denotes evil
  • Black denotes integrity
• Chou


  • A male clown role
  • Usually plays secondary roles
  • Name also means "ugly"
• Peking opera performers' main skills

  • Song
  • Speech
  • Dance-acting (includes pure dance, pantomime, and all other types of dances)
  • Combat (includes both acrobatics and fighting with all manner of weaponry)
• Red


  Devotion, courage, bravery, uprightness and loyalty
• Black


  Roughness and fierceness
• Yellow


  Fierceness, ambition and cool-headedness
• Purple


  Uprightness, sophistication and cool-headedness
• Reddish purple


  Just and noble character
• Blue


  Loyalty, fierceness and sharpness
• White


  Dangerousness, suspiciousness and craftiness
• Xiaohualian


  A small patch of chalk on and around the nose. Clowns of traditional drama who wear this special makeup show a mean and secretive character.
• Hanamichi


  • A flower path, a walkway which extends into audience via which dramatic entrances and exits are made.
• Kogakudo

  • Kabuki theaters that have stages both in front of the audience and along the sides help create a bond between the actors and viewers.
• Mawaro butal


  • The interior of the theater contains a revolving stage
• Suppon

  • A platform that rises from below the stage.
• Hanamicho


  • A walkway that cuts through the audience seating area to connect the stage with the back of the theater.
• The Three Main Categories of the Kabuki Play

  • Jidaimono (history plays)
  • Sewamono (focused on commoners)
  • Shosagoto (dance pieces)
• Mie


  Actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his character and his house name yago.
• Yago


  Sometimes heard in a loud shout.
• Kakegoe


  An expert audience member, serving both to express and enhance the audience's appreciation of the actor's achievement.
• Kesho


  The name of the actor's father.
• Onna-gata and Aragoto

  • Onna-gata (female roles)
  • Aragoto (male roles)
• Kumadori


  Enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural character.
• Kumadori colors and their meanings

  • Red (passion, heroism, righteousness)
  • Pink (youthful joy)
  • Light blue (even temper)
  • Pale green (peacefulness)
  • Blue or black (villainly, jealousy, negative traits)
  • Green (supernatural)
  • Purple (nobility)
• Structure of a Kabuki play

  1. Jo (auspicious and slow opening)

  2. Ha (speeding events up, culminating in drama or tragedy)

  3. Battle in the fourth acts

  4. Kyu (quick and satisfying conclusion)
• Symbolic representations in Kabuki

  • Flowing water (fluttering rolls of linen, insects, foxes)
  • Fans (wind, sword, tobacco pipe, waves, food)
• Kabuki stage crew

  • Black hooded robesso (invisible to audience)
  • Kimono and obi (female characters)
  • Pleated hakuma trousers (worn by characters of both sexes)
• Costume changing is considered as an art. There are special teams that take care of complete and partial costume changes and are done as part of the performances.
• Wigs are important accessories, with each costume having its own type. Specialized craftsmen shape the wigs to the head.
• Materials used to make Kabuki wigs

  • Human hair
  • Horse hair
  • Bear fur
  • Yak-tail hair imported from Tibet