Disappearing of Geidan and the Lack of Imagination in Theatre Criticism

Abstract

Nowadays we rarely meet excellent Geidan, “talking on performing arts,” which we used to have in abundance the old days. Most Geidan talking consists of vivid memories of sensual aspects of stage performances by actors, stage staffs and theatre-goers. In the present paper I point out some reasons why Geidan has been disappearing since. One of the reasons must be the recent tendency of critics to seek the essential, not sensual aspects of theatrical performances. This tendency is drying up, instead of enriching, the theatre criticism and, consequently, theatre appreciation.