Paper short abstract:

During last few decades many transcultural nō theatre performances were produced, including "Nekyia Nō", based on Odyssey, and a play titled "At Jacob's Well", staged by Tessenkai Nō Theatre, in Europe, in 2019. The author would like to trace the origins and general form of this type of dramas.

Paper long abstract:

The beginning of the twenty first century was marked by the growing importance of intercultural dialogue in the field of theatre and all the performing arts. Theatrical interconnections seem to be related to the performances of various ensembles, realized outside the borders of their home countries, the use of transcultural elements in stage productions, and the cooperation of artists coming from different parts of the world. These phenomena are also characteristic for the contemporary Japanese nō theatre.

During last few decades many transnational and transcultural shinsaku nō (newly written) dramas has been produced, including "Nekyia Nō" (based on Odyssey Book 11, staged in Tokyo and Epidaurus by Kasai Ken'ichi), "Chinkon-Repose of Souls" (by Jadwiga M. Rodowicz, staged both in Japan and Poland) and the very recent project titled "At Jacob's well", by Austrian author Diethard Leopold, produced in Austria, France and Poland, by the renown, Tokyo based, Tessenkai Nō Theatre, in September 2019. The author of the paper participated, in the latter production, playing a conventional waki tsure role. The number of this type of performances, and willingness of Japanese nō theatre artist to participate in them, proves that one is dealing with a whole artistic current. The current, which expands the boundaries of modern nō convention, adding to it, the transcultural and transnational elements. The author would like to trace the origins and general form of this type of nō performances as well as would like to analyse his own performative involvement.