Theatrical Pursuits in Elementary School Education

Abstract

Traditional theater that employs kata (traditional acting forms) and kotoba (traditional language) is said to be inaccessible for elementary school pupils. However, the author of the present paper had an opportunity to organize a kyogen workshop in an elementary school class and found that pupils were eager to watch the performer's kata and soon started to imitate them. They even enjoyed using kata in their games played outside the class. In so doing, they understood both the external and the internal qualities of the kyogen performance. In learning traditional kata, which has been rejected in modern school education, pupils seem to have found a means of expressing themselves.