2019 / Japan Foundation Kabuki Lecture: The Art of the Onnagata, Nov. 13

Japan Foundation Los Angeles Lecture & Demonstration

The Art of the Onnagata: An Evening with Kabuki Actor Kyozo Nakamura

Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 7PM
Venue: The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100 Los Angeles, CA 90036

*Street parking is available near JFLA. Click here for parking info.
Admission: FREE.  Registration Required. Click HERE to Register

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles presents dynamic lecture and demonstration with a celebrated Onnagata (actor specializing in female roles), Kyozo Nakamura.

Kabuki is known for elaborate characters played by an all-male cast.

The program includes a short lecture introducing the basics of male and female acting in Kabuki by Mr. Nakamura and professor Ryuichi Kodama (Waseda University) and there will be a demonstration of Kabuki dance classics such as “Fuji Musume” (Wisteria Maiden).

Lecturer/Performer: Kyozo Nakamura (Kabuki Actor & Japan Cultural Envoy FY2019)

After graduating from university in 1972, Kyozo Nakamura joined as a 6th term trainee at Japan Arts Council’s Kabuki Actor Training Center, which was established by the National Theatre.

After completing the entire program in 1982, he commenced his professional career as a member of the Nakamura Jakuemon IV family under an acting name Nakamura Kyozo, given by his master.

In April 1994, he was promoted to nadai (billboard-ranked actor) at the Kabuki Theatre. While appearing in performances at the Kabuki Theatre and the National Theatre, he has been actively involved in Kabuki lectures and demonstrations organized by The Japan Foundation overseas branches, including in Europe, the U.S., Oceania, and Southeast Asia.

In November 2015, he was certified as a member of the Organization for the Preservation of Kabuki. Currently, he teaches at the Kabuki Actor Training Center at the National Theatre.