Japanese Theatre and Japanese Literature as Theatrical Devices in Asian American Drama

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K02366
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Kyoto Gakuen University
• Principal Investigator: Furuki Keiko 京都学園大学, 経済経営学部, 教授 (80259738)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 暴力とトラウマ / 古典の翻案化 / 家族劇の解体 / 時空間の超越 / エスニック・マイノリティ / ジェンダー / 日系アメリカ演劇

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I have conducted research on the 21th-century Asian American drama which uses elements of Japanese theatre and literature as theatrical devices. I have especially focused on the works of Japanese-American playwright, Chori Miyagawa. As an American playwright who was born in Japan, and calls herself an “outsider,” Miyagawa blends the works of classic Japanese literature such as Tale of Genji, Sarashina Diary, Chikamatsu’s Woman-Killer and the Hell of Oil, and Japanese No Theatre into modern American theatre. Her experimental use of classical literary works allows her protagonists to converse with historical figures, creating a unique effect within the theatre and stage. With these points in mind, I have explored how “memory” functions as a dramatic device that goes beyond time and space in Miyagawa’s works. I have also articulated how Miyagawa transgress the boundaries of literary genres by blending Japanese novels, diaries and plays into her dramatic works.

Free Research Field

アメリカ演劇