The external structure of the noh stage with square projected acting area, roof, pillars, and bridge leading off at an angle is not the only defining characteristic. Just as important is the allocated use of areas of the stage. Areas within the square main stage are named and have specific associations with characters (shite, waki, tsure, etc.) and with actions that take place in them. One might say the stage space is coded for the way it is used.
Designated areas of performers
To begin with, the performers who basically stay in one place throughout the performance sit in specific places (za), named for them: the chorus sits in the chorus space (jiutaiza), the flute player in the flute seat (fueza), etc. In addition, the stage proper is divided into nine squares, each with a name that gives an indication of this coding. For instance, the waki sits in the waki square (wakiza downstage left). The characters announce themselves in the “name announcing” square (nanoriza), the first square (upstage right) reached upon entering the main stage. This square is also called the “constant square” (jōza) because it is a spot for pausing, and a place from which action begins and to which action returns.
- Jōza (upstage right) “Constant” square where things begin and end and where the shite stands for a long time. Also known as the nanoriza or “name announcing place” because this is where the waki (if unaccompanied) and others announce who they are.
- Wakishō (mid stage right) “Waki front” square from the point of view of the waki.
- Sumi (downstage right) “Corner” square. The closest area to the audience. Key gestures are often performed here, like looking out at the moon, or into the distance.
- Shōsaki (downstage center) “Front center” square, a spot for significant action, and a common place for setting certain types of smaller props and platforms.
- Wakiza (downstage left) “Waki seat” square. For much of a piece, the waki sits here.
- Jiutai-mae (mid stage left) “In front of the chorus” square. Often secondary characters sit here.
- Fueza-mae (upstage left) “In front of the flute player” square.
- Daishō-mae (upstage center) “In front of the large and small hand drums” square. Large props like huts are placed here. Action can begin here and move forward along the central axis.
- Shōnaka (center stage) “Front center” square. The shite sits at center stage for important narrative sections, such as the kuse segment or when telling a story (katari). The aikyogen sits here to relate the background story of a place to the waki during the interlude between acts.
Use of stage scene by scene (dan)
The codification of stage areas associated with specific actions means that the scenes (dan) in a play have recognizable stage use. Put another way, there is a choreographic prototype for all noh plays. The model progression of scenes can be varied in numerous ways––duplication, abbreviation, deletion, addition, shifting order––but they remain recognizable because action adheres to the generalized prototype. Below are sketches of the characters on the stage with commentary about the action during each of the five standard scenes of a one-act nō according to a basic model.
Scene 1 – Entrance of the waki
The waki walks along the bridge until he comes to the stage proper, which he enters and stands at the ‘name announcing’ square to give his first lines. When there are several wakizure, they line up in two rows to the right and left of the central axis. If the play begins with a shidai song, the instruments are playing and the chorus will repeat the last lines of the waki song, as shown in the sketch. If it begins with a name announcing nanori delivered in speech (kotoba) neither chorus nor instruments will actively participate. The waki is often traveling (indicated by a few steps forward and back) and at the end of his entrance scene he arrives at a destination, whereupon he is seated in the waki seat. If he has a companion wakizure they sit next to him lining up in front of the chorus.
Scene 2 – Entrance of the shite
Perhaps stopping along the bridge to utter a few lines, the shite eventually arrives at the “name announcing” spot and remains there to finish the shite’s introductory scene.
Scene 3 – Exchange between waki and shite
The waki then questions the shite about the place and they begin a dialogue. They converse along the diagonal, the shite in the “constant square” (jōza) and the waki in his waki square.
Scene 4 – Shite’s presentation
At the waki’s suggestion, the shite then tells a story (mostly narrated by the chorus). This forms the kernel of the play and often takes the form of a kuse scene. In a one-act play, the presentation scene may feature both narration and an instrumental dance (for example Hagoromo sketched here). In a two-act play, often the narration in the first act is performed with the shite seated in the central square (shōnaka), while the presentation scene in the second act might have both dances to chant and dance to instrumental music.
Scene 5 – Exit scene
In a two-act play, the shite leaves the stage or alternatively enters a large prop to change costume and possibly mask. In a one-act play, the exit scene often has a finale dance to chant, such as would appear at the end of a two act noh as well.
Property placement on stage
The placement of a prop and its manipulation help designate the stage space. Large props, like huts, graves, and palaces generally are placed in the upstage area in front of the two hand drums. Often covered with a cloth draped over a bamboo frame, the shite may enter the stage within the prop as it is being carried on stage and appear when the cloth is removed. Alternatively, the shite may exit into the prop at the end of the first act and change costumes within it to be revealed as a different figure in the second act. Whichever the case, these large props serve as a focus and a backdrop to the action.
Lower frames holding a symbolic pine, plum tree, or arrow tend to be placed in the center front (shōnsaki) square. Action is directed towards the prop and takes place around and behind it, decreasing the area in which movement takes place, and obscuring some actions, but serving as a constant reminder of the prop’s symbolic importance. In the final dance of several plays, like Nonomiya, Izutsu, and Matsukaze, the Shite interacts physically with the prop: stepping through a torii gate, looking into a well, and embracing a pine tree respectively.
In other plays, a platform becomes a stage within the stage. In Kantan, for instance, the shite performs a gaku dance within the confines of a small platform that doubles as a bed and, within the Shite’s dream, a palace. In Shakkyō, where a lion family dance among peonies, the large platform set downstage center is decked with oversize paper peonies and the lions frolic around them jumping on and off the platform.
Contributor: Monica Bethe