Oana Maria Ghiorghilas shares her experience with Noh theatre. Come and join the last Digital Coffee of the Theatre in Palm project!
Link to the Digital Coffee Talk: Noh, the aliveness of the moment!
“During this hour together, we will begin with a “Journey into Noh,” familiarize ourselves with key concepts of Noh theater, and then I will share my personal experience of practicing both Noh and Western theater. I will discuss the main differences I have observed between the two, keeping one key question in mind: what can we learn from Noh and bring into our local stories and theater?
My goal is to give you a true sense of what Noh has meant to me, sharing my experiences and the aspects that spark my curiosity the most. I would also love to hear your thoughts and discuss perspectives on both Western and Noh theater together.
So, grab a coffee or tea, and let’s travel together to The Land of Eight Million Gods!
About Noh
Noh, the traditional Japanese drama, combines music, dance, and acting. It originated in the 14th century and has been performed for centuries, passed down from generation to generation. While Western theater focuses on narrative and emotion, Noh invites us into the presence and freedom from a persona.
Noh is purely about the aliveness of the moment, the NOW. As an actor, you carry no baggage with you except your body and the opportunity to renew yourself each time, with each dance and each performance. No decoration, no stage lights. Everyone is visible: to oneself and to others.
– Notes by Oana Maria Ghiorghilas
About Oana Maria Ghiorghilas
Oana is a passionate traveler and lifelong language learner. A linguist at heart and a language teacher and actress in practice, she views theater as a universal language that transcends borders and brings together diverse voices.
Her love for languages and cultures led her to the far North of Europe, to Sápmi—the land of Norway’s Indigenous peoples—where she began her journey into theater. Since then, Oana has continued to explore, learn, and perform, and is currently training in the traditional art of Noh theater under the Oe theater in Kyoto.
Oana wants to tell stories. Her aims is to create performances of local stories with the structure of Noh theater and choral songs, bringing to life the traditions and narratives of the community she calls home.
