Tsutsui Tokujirō

Western tour (1930-31)

The Tsutsui Troupe was one of the first groups to bring traditional Japanese performance to the United States and Europe.^[2] His troupe performed in twenty-two countries,^[1]:3 with attendees including seminal directors such as Bertolt Brecht,^[3]:255 Jacques Copeau, Charles Dullin,^[4] and Vsevolod Meyerhold.^{[5]:154, n.192}

They had a repertoire of sixteen plays that were based on Kabuki plays 'in a mélange of styles with an emphasis on swordplay to appeal to audiences.'^{[5]:154, n.192} Four of the plays were presented only for Japanese residents in California, and were absent from the rest of the tour.^[1]:35 Tsutsui emphasised that he 'wanted to put the Western audience in the presence of the true Japanese theatre, such as the Japanese conceive it'.^[3]:135 Contemporary critics, however, questioned this authenticity, noting the number of changes Tsutsui made to traditional Japanese theatre.^[3]:136 These included the shortened length of the plays (which had to be under two hours),^[1]:33 the use of painted scenery and 'enormous stage settings' in a Western style, 'the troupe's replacement of onnagata', roles traditionally played by male transvestites, with actresses. ^[3]:136