Western Theatre Research Course
The purpose of the Western Theatre Research Course is to promote research on Western theatre from multilateral perspectives, and to support the advanced study of Western theatre in Japan. Through support for Global COE associate fellows in their pursuit of doctoral degrees and domestic and international academic publication, the Course aims to cultivate theatre researchers with the potential to establish international careers in the near future.
1) Course Plan
The Western Theatre Research Course promotes discourse at the forefront of theatre theory and extends knowledge of Western theatre by bringing diverse international scholars, directors, and actors to the Institute, as well as by offering varied symposiums, conferences, and lectures. The Course also develops and conducts seminars to improve researchers' foreign-language competence, to further their ability to make presentations, and to write for publication in international forums. The course also provides practical assistance, including financial support, to enable researchers to attend international conferences.2) Currently-Supported Fields of Inquiry
・Comparative Studies of Japanese and German Theatre (Akiba Hirokazu)・Beckett Studies (Okamuro Minako)
・Western Drama Productions in Japan (Odashima Koshi)
・Theatre Theory (Kawashima Takeshi)
・Postcolonial Theatre Studies (Sawada Keiji)
・Francophone Theatre Studies (Fujii Shintaro)
・Shakespeare Studies (Fuyuki Hiromi)
・Opera and Musical Theatre Studies (Marumoto Takashi)
The Western Theatre Research Course of the 21st Century COE has supported the publication of a number of significant works, including Engekigaku no Kiiwaazu [Keywords in Theatre Studies], Shoki Opera no Kenkyu [Earlier Opera Studies], Kotoba to Bunka no Shakespeare [Shakespeare, Words, and Cultures], and Chi no Gekijo Engeki no Chi [Theatre of Insight, Insight of Drama], Gendai Engeki to Bunka no Konko [Contemporary Theatre and Cultural Hybridity], Ireland on Stage: Beckett and After. Moreover, the Course is proud to have produced gatherings such as the International Samuel Beckett Symposium in Tokyo, 2006, which resulted in a major volume of Samuel Beckett Today/Aujourd'hui (19, Rodopi). The Western Theatre Research Course continues the tradition of accomplishment of the 21st Century COE as part of the Global COE International Institute for Education and Research in Theatre and Film Arts.
