Response to Papers in ACTR in June

[Walter Cassidy]

To Karrie Sebryk,
 
        I am very glad you were able to respond to my concerns. I hope
at one point I can get a copy of your paper.
        Your letter was very helpful to clear up some of my concerns but
I still have a few.  First of all you did not address what "Opera" form
you are talking of.  To me, stating Chinese Opera is like saying Europing
theatre.  To me, that says that realism, comedia D'arte, symbolism,
obsurdism, etc are all the same.  I use Europe insteed of one western
country because China is very much like Europe , having many languages as
different as each Europing one and equally having the same diversity in
cultures.
        You have quoted from Macherass and Scott from information in
realation to Beijing Opera.  Is it the assumion that it is this Xiqu form
of over 200 that you are talking of.  It concerns me when statements like
these are made about Asia cultures because we put in western terms it
sounds strange.  ie. could we say that all female roles for the last 200
years iall of Europe are male based, of course not.
        Certianly, women where banned form the theatre in the Qing.  But
studies have proved that in relation to other Cninese forms that the bans
have not been 100% affective .  So out od the those over 200 forms it
would be interesting to see if the Qing banned was affective.  During the
Cultural Revulution they were not successful in getting ride of all the
"olds" ie, Nanchi thatre form.  Of course the Qing lasted for hundreds of
years but as stated by Scott in Classical theatre of China p69
        The old chines drama was non-realistic by any European standers;
it dependid o  a formal symblosim which, in its essentials, has been
retained to this day.
 
        In Japan, which has a tradition of always doing as your teacher.
No Kabuki or Noh actor would state that they have changed it.  It was
done as it has always been done.  With my limited expeerience with
Beijing Opera (7months) they seemed to have some similiar appoarch but
not as strick as the Japanese.  Each movement wsas given as a guilding
tool instead of a stricct dogma.
        On the same page Scott address the question of men playing women
in the Qing.  Scott discusses the male Dan actors of taking from the
existing symbology  of the role type alead created by women earlier, but
plus, having to be a persinator to be become more of" a women thatn any
women...."To reinforce the typified woman in the eyes of his onlookers."
When you state that "women were not involved in this creation." the
symbology was already there.  Kate Buss in Studies in the Chines Drama
p55 that during the Qing
        courtesanes savantes who, in some measure, have continued the
feminine element in the theatre during the prohibitve years.  They have
been playwrights, and are often protrayed as stage acharacters.
 
        But I feel she must of been talking about Kunju which has a
script tradition, which Beijing Operd does not.
         Now, you ste taht Begining in Yuan D, this bleak image of wemen
appear.  The goverment and theatre have not been on good sides for
hundreds of years.  Theatrre in China has created many polictial changes
which was onve of the reason of the Qing Ban.  Dolby in Chinese theatre
states that great amount of female actors in Yan D and thaty also played
male acotrs  and there is very l;ittle evidence of me playing womens
roles.  There are many traditional plays that question confusionism, and
other social ,religious, policalt hegamony.  Dlby's Eight Chines Plays
have a few, If I remember correctly.
        Women where also strong in the Ming D and theatre still continued
to be the show of problems of goverment and society as was still done in
the Qing, but to a lesser extent.
        But of course, there is also, many many plays that reinforce
confusion values, but some would pick and chose at Taoist, Budist
philophy also mixing the many different thoughts.  I agree that there is
"'male" ideas of women in Beijing Opersa but it is not without its
history of women, which symoblocs created by women.
Chines history is not egalitarion but it is in Yin and Yang in circlar
motion that creates a mixure of the two and theare one is not indpendit
of the otehr but depend and both have equal importance.
        In relaion to your interviews with Chinese Canadians in
Victoria.  Did you ask themn what region they where from and what Xiqu
form they went to.  As I stated Dr. Wichmann did not hear of this
situation wi mothers before.  But she lived in Nanging and is an expert
in Beijing Opera and otehrs forms in Manderin.  I state tis because I
understand that the majority of Chinese in Canada are Cantanese.  I got
this from Statics Canada.  I believe it was 93, but my info is in Canada,
I aqpolagis .
        I am curious if this tradition of sending daughters to Xiqu is
regional, for magority of Chinese are regional instead of being a
national trationa that is found in all mothers North to South.
        There is also the problem of post Cultural revoloution, which was
a scramble to find onces past again.  The statements you udes by Barbara
Ward seem as quoted to be in trying to find taht culture again after it
was denied for many years.  But I do not have the articale so I will take
your word for it.  The 20th century seems to be a very confusion one for
the Chinese in trying to find their culture(s).  Maybe it was a respinse
is to look at Xiqu for it because they have lost it and Xiqu was the
closest living archive.  This is ie, Kunqu with its demize in the early
1800's and come back in the turn of the century.
        The quote your have by Machaerass in Chinese theatre? Do you ave
a page number?  I could not find it in my copy.  si cannot address that
point you made.  I apologize but I don't have the time to go through all
of his articals.  But he did state on pp110.
        throughout the records of the Qing Dynasty constant reherences to
a slackening of "proper" family life resulting from dramat performances.
" Men and Women mix in confusion" is a  common phrase in the recors not
merely in the extract rom Zhili quoted above... some families even
prohibited their womenfolk from attedning temple fairs and such occasion,
which of course included drama performances because of the feared impact
on the family life.
        I thank you for responding to my concerns.  I hope we can
continue this discussion.  I will be in Canadain the month of July and
part of Augest.  I will be traveling fokrm Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, and
Montreal to visit friends etc.  I fyou are around that time I'd love to
"do lunch" or something, to continue are talk.  I fyou can sand me a copy
of your paper. You can send it to:
2519C-1 La'L Rd
Honolulu HI96816
U.S.A.
or RR#2 Woodslee Ontario
NOR IVO
Canada
 
        And if you want to exchange papers, I have been working on one
about Mao's Yan'an talks.  I still have some work on it but I am looking
at its usefullness today as a Dramatic Tehory text for politcial theatre.
        One final note, please forgive all my spelling a grammer
mistakes, I have a learning Disablity and have not access to a an editor
for e-mail stuff.
 
all the best
 
walter cassidy