Noh Stage

Japanese Noh Stage

The Department of Film, Theatre & Television is proud to own one of only two Japanese Noh stages in Western Europe. The stage was donated to the University in 2009 by The Robert H. N. Ho Foundation, a Hong Kong-based foundation dedicated to promoting an understanding of Chinese and Buddhist-related arts in the West.

As one of the most unique styles of classical Asian theatre in the world, Noh theatre dates from at least the fourteenth century and is intimately connected to both Japanese Buddhism (particularly Zen) and Shinto religious practices. Noh plays tend to focus on historical, literary or esoteric figures who return to the stage to seek vengeance and/or salvation.

The Department also has a collection of six Noh masks. This unique art form has inspired practitioners from all over the world, including W.B. Yeats, Bertolt Brecht, Eugene O'Neill and Peter Brook. The existence of the stage provides students with the rare opportunity to engage with the complexity of this important form.