“Mistook sign” — Australian responses to noh

Peter Eckersall

This paper will discuss Australian responses to noh theatre with particular emphasis on the experimental scene. Three aspects of the response will be considered here. First, an overview of significant historical works in which noh is a defining influence. These begin in the 1960s, a time of rising contemporary arts activity in Australia. Secondly, I will develop the case for the Japan connection in the Australian arts in the 1990s. These influences laid the groundwork for a contemporary noh based project called kindai noh gakushu by Melbourne’s Liminal Theatre and my third focus will investigate Liminal’s avant-garde performances of Sotoba Komachi and Kantan.

How and why are artists are working with nô in the experimental theatre? What ideas do they respond to and seek to represent in their work? This paper will explore some contexts and problems for an Australian noh.