KYOTO, Japan >> “Photo time” offers audiences watching Noh, Kabuki and other traditional performing arts the chance to take photos of the stage and actors after the end of the show, and it’s spreading throughout the Kansai region.

Although photography is prohibited during performances, photo time broadens the fan base of traditional performances by encouraging young people to share their experiences on social media.

Highlights reenacted

A show by the Kyoto Kanze Association, which allowed photography, was held at the Kyoto Kanze Noh Theater in Sakyo ward, Kyoto, in late August.

After the show, which included performances of “Yokihi” and “Aoinoue,” Kyogen performers stepped onto the stage and told the audience they would be allowed to take pictures.

As Hayashikata (players of Japanese classical music instruments) began performing with Japanese flutes and drums, “Aoinoue” protagonist Rokujo-no-Miyasudokoro and a priest stepped dramatically onto the hashigakari (entry bridge).

As the priest rubbed his prayer beads together to perform an exorcism on Rokujo-no-Miyasudokoro, who had been turned into a demon by her envy — a reenactment of one of the play’s highlights — the audience could freely snap pictures with their smartphones.

It was the first attempt at “photo time” during a Noh performance by the Kyoto Kanze Association.

Association chair Katayama Kuroemon called from the stage for spectators to participate.

“We would like to see how much people will learn about Noh plays by letting parts of them be shown on social media,” he said. “I hope it will spread widely.”

Declining audiences

A Noh performance in Taiwan in May led the association to test the photography session in Japan. Its members performed an original piece themed around “Mazu,” a Taoist goddess who is worshipped in East Asia.

In theatrical performances in foreign countries, photography is often permitted during the curtain call.

After the first day of performances, Kuroemon and other players gave a seven-minute performance of highlights from the play that spectators could capture with their smartphones.

Audience members posted the scenes on social media, and the remaining two performances fully booked.

In the world of theatrical performances and musicals, where copyrights belong to creators of individual aspects of the work, including stage design and the script, there are various hurdles to overcome to allow picture-taking.

Kuroemon said that because Noh plays are also performed as rituals and ceremonies, he had not considered allowing audiences to take photos. But he decided to try it out of concern over declining audiences.

According to a poll conducted last year by the Cultural Affairs Agency, only 2.7% of respondents said they had watched any traditional performing art, including Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki or Bunraku, within the past year.

Kabuki leads the way

Kabuki led other performing arts in lifting the ban on smartphones.

At the Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto, photo time has been included since 2021. It came at the initiative of the actors.

The photos are an opportunity for fans to passionately support their favorite actors on social media, and photo time has proven popular.

At the March program at Minamiza, the audience was asked to photograph actors on the hanamachi, an elevated walkway running from the stage through the seating area to the back of the theater.

Usually about 20% to 30% of Kabuki audiences are in their 20s or 30s, but on some days in March the age group made up nearly half of the audience.

“We hope we can offer the audience some way to enjoy the performance that is in keeping with the times,” said a Minamiza official, “while also drawing a clear line between what can and cannot be photographed.”