Eastern Theatre Research Course
The Global COE Eastern Theatre Research Course focuses mainly on Chinese Theatre. The principal programme member specializes in modern and contemporary theatre, but since contemporary theatre has its historical roots in Pekin opera, that also, together with various types of regional theatre and modern drama in China, is covered in this course. In addition to the research in these fields, a "Chunliu-she International Symposium" was held, with work also done on an experimental theatre performance of classical Chinese opera and Quyi (Chinese narrative theatre).
about Eastern Theatre Research Course
Another programme member specializing in classical theatre has joined the course since the beginning of the Global COE, and we have now enhanced the research system, focusing both on modern and contemporary theatre and on classical theatre. There are thus two core members now, together with a visiting research assistant, visiting lecturers inside and outside the University, cooperative research members, and Global COE associate fellows. We are planning to coordinate COE seminars, hold regular workshops, provide special lectures, do fieldwork, hold symposiums and publish our results.The Theater Museum at Waseda University has a large stock of eastern theatre research that has been accumulated since its opening and that offers a valuable form of support for our research. For example, there is the record of a performance of Chunliu-she, the pioneer of Chinese language theatre, in 1907 in Tokyo's Hongo-za and the existence of this record itself prompted us to hold the "Chunliu-she International Symposium" in 2007. The Theatre Museum is known throughout Asia as a mecca of theatre research, and many researchers visit from overseas. The Eastern Theatre Research Course intends to carry out research based on the extensive materials now available, as well as developing current resources to as great a degree as possible.
