Appropriation vs. Appreciation at Bucknell University

I just returned from Bucknell University where I was invited to talk on a panel regarding Theatre Nohgaku’s production of Gettysburg. The company, being a majority white ensemble, doing Japanese Noh theatre in America, prompted the department to have a discussion on appropriation vs. appreciation.

Though, instinctively, I was a bit surprised upon first hearing of this production, when I actually saw it I was quite moved to see Noh theatre evolve in a way that translated fairly effectively to a western audience. The production was an original piece in English with a mix of Japanese traditional Noh instruments and western instruments, like a violin and harmonica. The company having trained in Japan and frequently works and collaborates with professional Japanese Noh artists, it was clear to me that they really loved the art form and were trying create new work to further its legacy across the world.

The company being majority white, however, does bring with it colonial and imperial baggage. These optics may color how audiences consume this work regardless of how much deference and homage they give to Japanese Noh. As such, one of the artists from the company has admitted to being called “weaboos” for their perceived Orientalism and fetishization. Though I do find this reasonable, it is also a bit excessive to disparage them given the amount of rigor, passion, and care the company has for Noh, which is already a dying art form in Japan. To fall in love with something is beautiful. To paint an entire culture based on that fascination is a problem. I don’t see Theatre Nohgaku to be as insensitive as the latter.

However, the company’s whiteness showed itself in a much darker tone with the content of their production. Gettysburg is a story about an Afghanistan War veteran who meets the spirit of Confederate General Armistead when he goes to return a watch that was passed down to him from his Union General ancestor, Hancock. Armistead and Hancock were friends before the Civil War and both died on the battlefield fighting on opposite sides. Now if you noticed, I haven’t said the word “slavery” once. That is because the play treats both Union and Confederate generals as some how equally noble and omits the fact that Armistead had willingly rebelled against his country, his family, and his friend to risk his life for the preservation of chattel slavery.

This type of omission follows a terrifying tradition throughout American history that attempts to undermine and reduce the Civil War to merely a battle for America’s “identity” or some vague “states’ rights” issue. Simple war games where brothers fought against brothers. It legitimizes the Confederacy and downplays its current prevalence in culture as simply “Southern Pride.” It erases the fact that they were virulently racist traitors that would rather secede from the nation than allow black people their freedom and humanity. We would not do this with other genocidal and murderous regimes but this narrative still persists in America. It lives among us now in the form of statues, monuments, and various public spaces named in honor of Confederate soldiers. It is a whitewashing of history and racism.

Now, I do not believe that the company is a bunch of racist bigots. I must make that clear. They are well intentioned white folks who are oblivious to their own whiteness (whiteness will do that). However, this play is racist and must be revised or cease further performances if they truly care about telling an “American story,” if they truly care about an equitable society. Their intentions are meaningless if they hurt people. What space do they want to occupy in American theatre? The company has claimed that there was internal concern among some members about this, which should have been a clue, but—again—whiteness is a hellava drug.

I only hope that going forward, the amount of rigor and care they put into performing and studying Noh will extend to the types of stories they want to tell.

P.S. My costume design professor from Hunter was also invited on to the panel by pure chance! I haven’t seen her in YEARS!