Theatre Nohgaku

15/03/2026

10 years ago TN had the privilege of working with Kinue Oshima on an English language version of the traditional noh Sumidagawa. Today, Kinue had the opportunity to perform it in Japanese the Oshima Nohgakudo in Fukuyama. She used a mask by frequent TN collaborator Hideta Kitazawa. The exquisite carving was brought to life through Kinue-san's masterful movement. Sumidagawa continues to be one of the only noh to evoke actual tears in the audience. Bravo to all. This piece also takes place on March 15th so it was "time specific!"

10/03/2026

If you’re in the Chicago area, check out this event with TN Member Mariko Anno!

https://www.facebook.com/100064708144995/posts/1402905261876399/

Join us for “Noh in Dialogue: Music and Tradition in Japanese Performing Arts” and step into the soundscape of Noh, the oldest living form of Japanese theater, as Dr. Mariko Anno guides audiences through the cultural foundations of Japan’s classical performing arts.

Please refer to the info for more details.

🎟️ Free admission

📅Tuesday, March 24📅

📍 International House, Assembly Hall
1414 E. 59th St., Chicago IL 60637
12:30 – 2:00pm
https://ihouse.uchicago.edu/calendar_event/noh-in-dialogue-music-and-tradition-in-japanese-performing-arts/

📍 The Assembly
500 W, Madison St., 3rd Fl, Chicago IL 60661
5:30 – 7:00pm
https://jaschicago.org/event/noh-lecture/

📅Wednesday, March 25📅

📍 Haas Fine Arts Center, Rm 101
UW-Eau Claire, 121 Water St., Eau Claire WI 54703
6:00 – 7:30pm
https://jaswi.org/event/introduction-to-noh-theater-2/

08/03/2026

Carve and finish a Japanese Noh Mask under the supervision of leading mask carving artist Kitazawa Hideta this Spring!

This six-day workshop is unique - the only such workshop in Europe. Kitazawa will guide participants step by step through the design and carving of a traditional wooden noh mask.

This hands-on intensive workshop is suitable for everyone from complete beginners to experienced wood workers (previous experience of carving, sculpture, or working with wood is not necessary).

All participants will leave the workshop having carved and painted a noh mask that they can take home.

Kitazawa Hideta is a traditional Japanese master craftsman, Shinto-temple carver and mask maker for both classical noh and kyogen theatre. His work is held in museum collections globally, and was documented in the book Noh and Kyogen Masks: Tradition and Modernity in the Art of Kitazawa Hideta (Prestell, 2024).

Dates: 6-12 April 2026 (with a day off on the 9th)
Venue: Dept of Drama & Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of London
Email [email protected] for more info and booking details!

03/03/2026

Great article on kyogen actor and TN collaborator Hiroaki Ogasawara. He's bridging worlds, and we sure do like that at TN. Those in Tokyo have an opportunity to see his Tsurigitsune performance this weekend. Highly recommend. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16329115?fbclid=IwY2xjawQTXIZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEePUj27kW5bilBNGmlSO5OwMirNUKrKlRklKcK8J3mGNY2HA1RdA7UEJGmJPI_aem_M8iRY_hIcrfme4f1NkUxDQ

There is a saying in “kyogen” that goes,

01/03/2026

The Kita Nohgakudo continues to expand its reach to include other traditional arts in its programing. Yesterday and today they are presenting the work of nihonbuyo dancer Taniguchi Hirokazu and dancer/actor Tanaka Min in a program titled "Dokudokuza - This is also a classical". Much of the audience was shocked when Min-san entered for his segment in the audience area and proceeded to dance his way through the crowd to then roll onto the stage. The contrast between the styles was stark and I believe really had the audience questioning their thinking towards dance, art, and tradition. There is still one day left to catch this, if you are in Tokyo, try to get there.

28/02/2026

Aoi no Ue? Yes. English language subs? Yes. Our excellent friends the Oshimas? Absolutely! Do enjoy !!

Noh "Aoi no Ue"Sh*te (Spirit of Lady Rokujo) Oshima TeruhisaTsure (Teruhi: a young sorceress) Oshima KinueWaki (Kohijiri: a holy man from Yokawa) Esaki Kinji...

18/02/2026

If you have a moment, it would serve you well to read this and if Japanese it not your strong suit, use one of the myriad ways modern technology has developed to translate this interview. Tomoeda Akiyo is the current Kita-ryu National Living Treasure.

His 80+ years of life are an absolute treasure trove of "ki". He even uses a metaphor the late avant garde director Richard Foreman used regarding a spinning top. So is a 700 year old art form still just as avant garde as one of NY's last theatrical legends? Read it and find out....

喜多流シテ方能楽師、人間国宝（重要無形文化財保持者各個認定）であり、流儀の宗家預りという立場である友枝昭世さんは、その芸の核心にあるものを「気」と呼ぶ。
６歳から喜多流十五世宗家・喜多実氏に師事。４３...

08/01/2026

We are thrilled to announce that TN founder Richard Emmert has been selected this year as one of the recipients of the 47th Kanze Hisao Memorial Hosei University Nohgaku Award.
His commitment to the form and its dissemination, has not gone unnoticed by the noh world. After his years composing for new noh in English, over the past few years he’s also been busy composing for the first French language (Medea) and Spanish language (Rio Sumida) noh. Congratulations, Rick, with thanks for your tireless service in the craft!

観世寿夫記念法政大学能楽賞は、世阿弥の花の思想を体現し、常に"能とは何か"を問いつづけ、1978年12月7日、53歳で急逝した観世流の能役者、観世寿夫氏の能界劇界における業績を記念して、遺族からの寄金に基づき法政大....

17/11/2025

The pilot exhibition connected to "In a Memory Palace" opens in San Antonio this Friday. Full performances, in collaboration with Theatre of Yugen and The Orchestra San Antonio, with the exhibition attached, occur in Summer 2026 in San Francisco and San Antonio.

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, November 21, 2025, from 6-8 PM.

The human story is a story of movement, and A Memory Palace of Migration gathers stories – through sound, image, and video – of that movement inside Texas, across the United States, and throughout the world. As you see and hear other peoples’ stories of movement, across history and geography, you will have an opportunity to contribute your personal and family stories of movement to the evolving exhibition, creating a palace of community memory. Free and open to the public.

🎨 Installation Design: Mikiko Uesugi
🎥 Video Design: Ryan Yu
🎧 Sound Design: Dr. Andrew Bergmann
📝 Essays & Installation Leads: Dr. Lopita Nath, Dr. Kevin Salfen, Dr. Tanja Stampfl
🎭 Project Leads: David Crandall, Jubilith Moore, Dr. Kevin Salfen
🎨💻✨ Graphic Designer: Astrid Ortega
📸 Photographer: David A. Surtasky from series Mika Oskarson-Kindstrand at Kyoto Station
🤝 Supported by Humanities Texas | In partnership with Theatre Nohgaku

🎉 Opening Reception: Friday, November 21 | 6–8 PM
🗓️ Exhibit on Display: Monday, November 24 – Friday, December 19, 2025
📍 Semmes and Condos Galleries, Kelso Art Center, University of the Incarnate Word

The pilot exhibition, "A Memory Palace of Migration," is part of a larger performance/installation project, "In a Memory Palace," by Edith Reisner Newton, with a San Antonio premiere scheduled for Summer 2026.

11/11/2025

This is the urn that they fill with coals to heat the ōtsuzumi drum heads at the Kita Nohgakudo. It's quite nice I think, and has that particular smell. Doing things the OG way, the Human way