Miyagi Satoshi has directed several produc tions of Euripides’ tragedy “Medea”\, using a number of conventions found i n traditional Japanese theatre\, in particular the use of a narrator speaki ng for a moving actor. Miyagi thinks that Meiji period Japan in which his p lay is set and Athens of the 5th century BCE were similar in a number of wa ys –in their treatment of women\, in their attitude toward neighboring soci eties that had originally provided them with cultural and political models. Miyagi’s production of the “Medea” illustrates inventively these similarit ies between ancient Greece and Meiji Japan and the ensuing antagonisms that developed in Japan toward the Koreans. Aristotle\, the first critic of the atre in the West\, did not like the “Medea\, a play that has been popular f or centuries all over the world. However\, even though Miyagi removes the e lements of the play Aristotle did not like\, I doubt that he would have lik ed this Japanized version either\, which is quite innovative.
Mae Smethurst (University of Pittsburgh)
Mae Smethur st is professor Emerita of classics and East Asian literature at the University of Pittsburgh. Her award-winning scholarship has compare d Greek tragedy and Japanese noh\, including The Artistry of Aeschylus a nd Zeami: A Comparative Study of Greek Tragedy and Noh (AAUP Ari sawa Memorial Award) and Dramatic Representations of Filial Piety (J apan-United States Friendship Commission Prize). She coedited\, with Christ ina Laffin\, The Noh Ominameshi: A Flower Viewed from Many Directions and most recently published Dramatic Action in Greek Tragedy and Noh R eading with and beyond Aristotle.
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LOCATION:Room 604\, Asian Centre GEO:49.266835;-123.258576 URL;VALUE=URI:https://sppga.ubc.ca/events/event/what-would-aristotle-think- a-japanese-production-of-the-greek-tragedy-medea/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:20160313T100000 TZNAME:PDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR