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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS/AMHERST ASIAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT

About the Artist

Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe
of
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Department of Asian Languages

Under the direction of Prof. Martin Holman of the Department of Asian Languages and Literature at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe offers performances of pieces from the traditional Bunraku repertoire, as well as puppetry demonstrations and workshops. Artists from the 170-year-old Tonda Traditional Japanese Puppet Troupe of Biwacho in Shiga Prefecture trained all the performers of the Bunraku Bay Puppet Troupe in Japan, northeast of the old capital of Kyoto.

Besides appearances in Japan, the Troupe has performed at a number of locations in the United States, including the Hopkins Center for Performing Arts and the Hood Museum at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Williams College in Massachusetts, Bowdoin College in Maine, and Austin College in Texas, as well as at their current home at the University of Massachusetts.

Past Performances

Photo of April 6, 2005 Performance

April 6, 2005

Students from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst Asian Studies Department present three traditional bunraku puppetry tales in which large, lavishly costumed puppets are manipulated by hand rather than by strings.

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