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Throne of Blood

OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL


ADAPTED AND DIRECTEDBY PING CHONG
BASED ON THE FILM DIRECTED BY AKIRA KUROSAWA
HOWARD GILMAN OPERA HOUSE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010
THRONE OF BLOOD STUDY GUIDE WRITTEN BY HEATHER LESTER
Leadership support for BAM Education programming provided by:

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

Throne of Blood
Dear 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 attending 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 generals, 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,
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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 successor. 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 performance and film at BAM and to connect to your curriculum. It provides
information and activities aligned with the NYC ELA Performance Standards 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 Contents
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3: Transforming Macbeth
4: Akira Kurosawas film
5: Ping Chongs adaptation
6: The Design Team
8: Japanese Culture & History
9: Themes & Key Scenes
10: Curriculum Connections

Transforming

Macbeth

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 TIME

Kurosawa 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.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT

Looking 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.

SAMURAI MACBETH

Throne 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. FATE

While 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)

Akira Kurosawa &

Throne Of Blood: 1957

APPROACH & STYLE


Kurosawa 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 TECHNIQUES
Throne 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 darkness
simple editing - He limits scene transitions to a simple cut or wipe.
There are no fades or dissolves.
motifs and 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;thetransfer of poweris
portrayed as a continuing cycle of murder and treason; the film has a
circular structure, ending back at the beginning.
distancing the viewer - There are few close ups of the actors. Emotional
moments are shown at a distance.
widescreen He uses landscape shots to capture vast space.
familiar actors - 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 SHAKESPEARE
Macbeth 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.
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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.

Photo Courtesy of Photofest

AKIRA 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?

Akira Kurosawa

Ping Chong &

Throne Of Blood: 2010


PING 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 BLOOD
Chong 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.

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.

FILM TO STAGE: The Challenges


Chong 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.

Photo Courtesy of The Artist

SCREENPLAY TO SCRIPT
The 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.

Director Ping Chong

The De

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

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...

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.

STEFANI MAR, COSTUME DESIGNER

The stage is very sparse. The actors on stage


become like the rocks in a Japanese rock garden.

Be sure to notice...TEXTURE & MOVEMENT

~PING CHONG.

SET - Emptiness & Action

Weve taken the film sensibility and filtered it through theatrical design.
Christopher Acebo, Set 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..COLOR

The 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?
The 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 & ARMOR

As 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?

sign Team
LIGHTING Exacting Control

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

What you dont see is as important as what


you do see. DARYL MCGROOM, LIGHTING DESIGNER

ACTING COMPANY
While 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?

Lighting 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.

The actors bodies become a statement in form, in a


sense a sculptural form in this production.
PING CHONG, DIRECTOR

MUSIC & SOUND Art of Integration


This 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 Drum
Ask 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 EFFECTS
Because 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 PROJECTIONS
The 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

Japanese

Culture & History


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
In 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 NOH

Noh 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 Theater

Asasji 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

THE ROLE OF BUDDHISM

Buddhism 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 JAPAN

Throne 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 Code

The 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.

Photo Credit Kunihei Kameda

express actions.

Themes
And

Key Scenes

Themes, symbols, motifs and key scenes in Shakespeares Macbeth reemerge 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.

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?

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 & MOTIFS
BLOOD: 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.

Curriculum
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 THINKING
Provide 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 MEANING
Introduce 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 NOH
Watch 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 BANQUETS
As 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 & CONVENTION
Familiarize 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

Conn

MOOD IN TEXT & IMAGE


Read 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 FILM
Screen 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 PROMPTS
Divide 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 PROMPTS
Adapt 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.

10

nnections
Before or After seeing the film or play...

MACBETH VS. WASHIZU


Compare 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. ASAJI
Compare and contrast the main character in Shakespeares original and
Chongs adaptation.
Performance Standards: E5a.
Blueprint: Making Connections

MISSING MACDUFF
In 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 & CLOTHING
Have 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 EFFECT
Discuss 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 FEUDALISM
Research 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 BELIEFS
Study 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 INFLUENCE
Survey 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 & Company
www.pingchong.org
Oregon Shakespeare Festivals Plays from the World Stage: Throne of
Blood guide.
http://www.osfashland.org/_dwn/plays/TOB_worldstage.pdf
Asia Society
http://asiasociety.org/
Paley Center for Media
www.paleycenter.org/
Museum of the Moving Image
http://www.movingimage.us
Folger Shakespeare Library
www.folger.edu, Teach & Learn
Japan Society
http://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.
<http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/00/9/kurosawa.html>

Davies, Anthony. Filming Shakespeares Plays. Cambridge University


Press. 1990.
Noh. Japan-Zone website. 2010. <http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/
noh.shtml>
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.

11

Presenting sponsor for BAM 812 education programs:

About BAM Department of Education & Humanities

Education programs at BAM are generously supported by:

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.

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:

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.: Director
John P. Tighe, DMA: Assistant Director
Violaine Huisman: Humanities Manager
John S. Foster, Ph.D.: Education Manager
Jennifer Leeson: Administrative Coordinator
Nathan Gelgud: Box Office Manager/Program Associate
Leah King: Program Coordinator
Camille 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.

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.

Copyright 2010 by Brooklyn Academy of Music


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