Masaya Kiritake

TheatreWorks presents Masaya Kiritake. Bunraku involves three aspects of theatre: narrative storytelling, shamisen (3-string instrument) musical accompaniment, and the manipulation of complex 1/2- to 3/4-life-size puppets whose wrists, fingers and facial expressions move with the precise flick of a toggle. Traditionally, a puppet’s sophisticated movements require the cooperation of three men, all of whom remain visible throughout the production. Kiritake-san is one of the few performers of a female variant of this traditional style. Rather than requiring three men to achieve lifelike manipulation, Otome-Bunraku involves just one female puppeteer who stands behind the puppet, supporting it with a frame mounted on her shoulders. Attachments and grips allow the puppet’s movements to mirror the puppeteer’s.