FROM TEXT TO PERFORMANCE: THE USE OF DIGITAL TOOLS TO EXAMINE TSUKURIMONO IN NOH PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Despite its varied usage on stage, at times even providing an added element of spectacle to noh performance, the tsukurimono or large stage object is an often-overlooked aspect in the study of noh performance. As the only physical object of its size on stage, I argue that the tsukurimono’s materiality is fully capitalised on to convey visual information and construct meaning on stage. Its usage contributes largely to the construction of the fluid time-space of noh performance that is otherwise largely constructed aurally and via the actors’ mime or dance. Focusing on the entire repertory of noh plays that utilise tsukurimono, I utilise digital tools to both aid my collection of performance data on the tsukurimono, as well as to analyse the data for prominent patterns in its usage, building a digital resource in the process.