With the new century, it seems that the world of traditional Japanese theater has taken a long, hard look at itself and is seeking new means of expression.
Hideki Noda, a standard-bearer in the world of Japanese contemporary theater, for example, demonstrated at the Kabuki-za in August that modern and classical Japanese performing arts can be successfully integrated.
Meanwhile, in the world of kyogen (Japanese comic theater that dates back to the Muromachi Period, 1392-1573), Mansai Nomura is working in a similar vein. He is searching for a new theatrical direction that retains kyogen's sophisticated movement and expression, and blends it with the spoken lines and dramatic sense of modern plays.