Mrs Howe (Director of Drama and Dance)

In Drama, Year 7 have been exploring the traditional and highly popular form of Japanese theatre known as Kabuki.

Originating in the 17th Century, Japanese audiences love the fantastical, visually exhilarating and sonic storytelling of Kabuki and its use of clever theatrical stage devices, which have also had a large influence on western theatre. Part of Kabuki’s appeal is its reflection of the ritual and spirituality found in Japanese culture.

As such, Year 7 were introduced to the practice of Zen Buddhism and how this is seen in one popular Japanese tradition - the tea ceremony or ‘the way of tea’. Using the ceremony as a base, pupils developed their own Zen rituals focusing on producing the 4 main Zen aspects of harmony, purity, tranquillity and respect. The department loved watching these rituals and seeing how creative as well as committed so many of the pupils were and it was a delight to see parents, siblings and pets taking part too! It was also a wonderful opportunity for the pupils to get away from screens and find a moment of calm with so many pupils reflecting how peaceful and relaxed they felt creating and performing their rituals - allowing themselves a moment to ‘think about not thinking’ which is very much the outcome that Zen meditation aims to achieve.

Click here to see a selection of these fabulous rituals.

Also click here to see some of the pupils’ wonderful Kabuki make-up designs for a popular Kabuki farce - ‘The Zen Substitute’