Theatre Nohgaku was born of a shared passion for the classical noh drama of Japan and a belief in its vitality for contemporary audiences around the world. It was founded in 2000 by Richard Emmert and a group of English-speaking performers trained in the demanding techniques of noh. A number of master Japanese noh actors and musicians have worked with TN on specific projects, including full performances of traditional Japanese noh.
Partial list of Residencies and Performances:
2019
Performance in support of exhibit of masks by Bidô Yamaguchi at Newfields (Indianapolis)
2018
Work-in-progress performance of Gettysburg, in association with symposium The Arts of Civil War (Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia)
Tour of Blue Moon over Memphis, with performances at the Univ. of Michigan and the Univ. of California at Los Angeles
2017
Tour of Blue Moon over Memphis with performances at Williams College, Massachusetts, and Earlham College, Indiana
Inaugural Noh Training Project Japan in collaboration with Kita School
NET/TEN Exchange-supported work with Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, and presentation of work-in-progress performance of Gettysburg
2016
Residency and Première of Zahdi Dates and Poppies at Boston Univ.
Residency and performance of Blue Moon over Memphis at NACL/Deep Space (Highland Lake, New York)
2015
Blue Moon over Memphis performed in Tokyo
Residency and workshop performance of Zahdi Dates and Poppies at Ko Festival (Amherst, Massachusetts)
Première of Where Rivers Meet, a triple bill of Richard Emmert’s English-language performing version of Sumida River, the “Texas kyogen” Song of the Yanaguana River by Carmen Tafolla with music by Kevin Salfen, and Benjamin Britten and writer William Plomer’s Curlew River (San Antonio and Houston, Texas)
2014
Residency and performance of Sumida River at Zen Mountain Monastery (Mt. Tremper, New York)
20th Anniversary of the Noh Training Project in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, featuring full performance of Hagoromo and excerpts from Takasago
2013
Residency at Orchard Project (Saratoga Springs, New York) to work on Blue Moon over Memphis
2012
Performance of Atsumori: A Chamber Noh (Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia)
Noh Costume Workshop in Kyoto and Fukuyama Japan with Monica Bethe and Oshima Noh Theatre
Full torch-lit performance (takigi-noh) of Atsumori in collaboration with the Noh Training Project, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble (Bloomsburg Pennsylvania)
2011
Inaugural Theatre Nohgaku Music Workshop (Tokyo)
Asian Tour of Takasago & Pagoda with Oshima Noh Theatre; Performances in Tokyo, Kyoto, Beijing and Hong Kong
2010
Performance of Crazy Jane featuring women’s chorus (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania)
2009
Full torch-lit performance of Funabenkei in collaboration with the Noh Training Project, Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvnia)
European Tour of Kiyotsune & Pagoda with Oshima Noh Theatre; performances in London, Dublin, Oxford and Paris
2008
Lecture-demonstrations and workshop series: Towson Univ., York College, Univ. of Maryland at College Park and Colorado State Univ.
2007
World première tour of Crazy Jane with performances at the University of Puget Sound, the University of Washington, Evergreen College and South Puget Sound Community College
2006
World première tour of Pine Barrens with performances at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Duke University and Hampden-Sydney College
2005
Two-week residency with student recital and mask exhibition at North Carolina School of the Arts
2004
Torchlight performance of Kurozuka in collaboration with the Noh Training Project (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania)
2003
Inaugural Annual Writers’ Workshop at National Noh Theatre (Tokyo)
2002
September: Company première of At the Hawk’s Well: Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia, followed by two-week tour with performances at Univ. of San Francisco, Duke Univ., Williams College, Univ. of Massachusetts at Amherst, Wellesley College, The Town Hall, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
2000
Formation of company
A partial list of where we have performed:
• United States •
Alvina Krause Theatre (Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania); Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, Bloomsburg Town Park (Pennsylvania); Boston University; Duke University; Earlham College; Evergreen State College; Hampden-Sydney College (Virginia); The Music Hall (Portsmouth, New Hampshire); North Carolina School of the Arts; University of California, Los Angeles; University of Massachusetts, Amherst; University of Michigan; University of Puget Sound, Tacoma; University of San Francisco; University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio); University of Washington, Seattle; South Puget Sound Community College; Wellesley College; Williams College (Massachusetts)
• Asia •
National Noh Theatre, Tokyo; Kongo Noh Theatre, Kyoto; Penghao Theatre, Beijing; National Centre for Performing Arts, Beijing; Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts
• Europe •
Southbank Centre, London; Samuel Becket Theatre, Dublin; O’Reilly Theatre, Oxford; La Maison de la Culture du Japon, Paris
