| Interculturalism in theater is the use of foreign performance techniques, texts, dramaturgy, and design elements for the creation of new theatrical pieces for a local community. Using the writings of French semiotician Patrice Pavis, this dissertation explores the relationship between U.S. theater and Japanese culture, focusing on the period from 1945 through 1993. The methodology focuses on Pavis' model of an intercultural "hourglass" in which the elements of both foreign and native theater are affected by various elements of the production process.;Given their economic and political ties, the impact of Japanese culture has been profound in the United States, particularly in the theater. Three general arenas of intercultural activity are explored: commercial theater, academic theater, and avant-garde theater. Plays examined include Teahouse of the August Moon (1953), Rashomon (1959), Sayonara (1987), and Pacific Overtures (1976). Artists examined include the creators of these plays and Lee Breuer, Robert Wilson, Julie Taymor, Leonard Pronko, James Brandon, Shozo Sato, and many others. Examinations of several productions from each sphere of U.S. theater reveal a complex web of Japanese influence and a broad range of interpretations of Japanese culture. This work investigates the question of why Japanese theater has been so popular and the many stereotypical notions of the Japanese (as "artful" or "inscrutable," for example). This work examines the notion of Japan as a feminine counterpart to masculine America, and it examines the new role of the United States as a "superpower." The explosive growth of scholarship about Japan is documented, as is the affinity which the American avant-garde have long held for Japanese culture. The many elements of Japanese theater which U.S. artists have appropriated are identified and discussed. Finally, this work makes some general observations as to what strategies and practices seem to succeed in intercultural theatrical production. |
