{"id":219185,"date":"2025-07-29T09:22:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:22:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=219185"},"modified":"2025-07-29T09:22:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T19:22:59","slug":"kabuki-training-at-uh-manoa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/29\/kabuki-training-at-uh-manoa\/","title":{"rendered":"Kabuki master leads singular training opportunity at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"Kabuki
Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII<\/abbr>, an eighth-generation kabuki master, will lead the workshops.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A world-renowned kabuki actor is bringing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> this summer. Ichikawa Monnosuke VIII<\/abbr>, an eighth-generation kabuki master, will lead an intensive workshop at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa August 1–18, offering rare, hands-on training in this vibrant classical Japanese art form.<\/p>\n

\"People
Students will gain rare, hands-on training in the classical Japanese art form.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“This opportunity to train in kabuki with a professional is truly unique,” said UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa theatre professor Julie Iezzi. “Nowhere else in the world, not even in Japan, can those outside of the tradition train under a kabuki actor.”<\/p>\n

Spirit of kabuki<\/h2>\n

The two-week workshop, offered Mondays through Fridays through UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Outreach College<\/a> and Department of Theatre and Dance<\/a>, is open to students, alumni, and community members, and will focus on Kabuki movement and vocal training. Two course tracks, credit and non-credit, are available for beginners<\/a> and advanced beginners<\/a> for $1,350 (non-credit) and $1,500 (credit). The program ends with a recital showcasing students’ work on August 18th at 4 p.m. in the Earle Ernst Laboratory Theatre.<\/p>\n

“Different from the realism of Western theatre, I hope students will learn the unique performance techniques of kabuki, which express the spirit of a character while also valuing the beauty of form,” Monnosuke said.<\/p>\n

Eighth-generation master<\/h2>\n
\"Kabuki
In 2024, Monnosuke trained students for UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s English-language kabuki production.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Monnosuke, whose family\u2019s kabuki lineage dates back to 1713, is no stranger to UH<\/abbr>. In 2024, he and his apprentices trained student actors for UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s English-language kabuki production, The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves<\/em>. That production not only sold out performances but also received a first-ever invitation to perform in Japan, where it was enthusiastically received.<\/p>\n

Kabuki has deep roots in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. In fact, the university staged the first known English-language kabuki production in the islands 100 years ago. Today, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa is helping keep that legacy alive.<\/p>\n