Traditional Drama Forum - No.12 ISSN 1743-3789 March 2005

Correspondence

Traditional British drama in Japan

We have received the following letter which is both a plea for help and an offer of help. We have responded to the author’s plea for information but if any other reader would like to respond, email addresses are given.

Dear Editor

I am an avid reader of your mailing list despite living on the other side of the planet and sadly being unable to attend any performances!

I am teaching drama at Nagasaki College of Foreign Languages in Japan. We have just successfully completed our Christmas pantomime, but I am already planning ahead to next year. Are there any publications you would recommend, academic or popular on traditional British drama? Else, in the next newsletter, would you mind mentioning my email address and asking your readers if they would like to send me any words of wisdom?

Additionally, if any of the troupes your are in contact with are touring Asia in the near future, I would be delighted if they could get in touch - I may be able to arrange events and accommodation for them at this end too. The British Council often helps with expenses in these cases and I can possibly wangle some money through our school budget.

When in my teens, through ignorance, I did not have any opinion of traditional performance. Ironically, living here in Japan I am an active participant in Japanese festivals and will be the first westerner to perform in one of the largest and oldest festivals in Japan, Okunchi, in two years time. I would like to communicate to my students the excitement and fun of participating in this kind of activity!

I would appreciate any help you could afford me.

Yours sincerely,

Sebastian Sainoo-Fuller
Kozen Machi 4-1-301
Nagasaki City, Japan
fuller@tc.nagasaki-gaigo.ac.jp

Folk Drama on Film & Video

Our webmaster, Peter Millington received an enquiry from an English instructor at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He was due to teach a class involving traditional English drama, wherein he planned to have the students stage for themselves a production of the folk play. To that end, he was looking for movies of folk play performances that are available on loan. Because the Folk Play Research Home Page gives no clue where to find such movies, he asked for help.

Peter was unaware of any movies that are available on loan. However, there are a few video clips available on the web, and there are some movies available for purchase from commerial suppliers and archives. At least one library in England offers a video for hire, although they might be reluctant to send it out of the country. These are listed in our Links Section, but the video material is scattered throughout the section. To help therefore, Peter has extracted the relevant links to compile an initial filmography, given below.

We would like to know about other folk play movies that are publicly accessible - i.e. on the web, from society or commercial organisations, held in libraries, archives, etc. Please send details, including title, credits, format, duration, supplier or library, etc., to Peter Millington (email: peter.millington1@virgin.net).

Folk Play Filmography

General

England

Ireland

Newfoundland, Canada
Folk Play Home Page   Traditional Drama Forum: Issue No.12   Cumulative Contents
© Copyright 2005, E.C.Cawte. Editor: Eddie Cass (eddie.cass@btinternet.com), Last updated on 14/04/2006