The Osaka Prefectural Museum of Kamigata Comedy and Performing Arts in Chuo Ward, Osaka, a key base of Osaka's comedy community, is planning to offer a certificated exam on comedy in fiscal 2008.
According to a spokesman for the museum nicknamed Wahha Kamigata, the exam is intended to educate fans of the performing arts about comedy from Kamigata--an ancient name for the Kyoto and Osaka region. Initially, a trial exam will be given on Feb. 24 to determine the difficulty level and other factors relating to the real exam.
The plan follows similar exams being given by local governments and organizations on regional specialities.
According to the spokesman, the exam will be multiple-choice, covering the entire range of Kamigata performing arts, including manzai (rapid-fire comic dialogue), rakugo (comic monologue), rokyoku (chanting of classical stories), kodan (recitation of classical stories) and ordinary theatrical comedy.
The exam, tentatively named Waraken, will include a wide range of questions related to history, productions and contemporary gags.
A few examples of the kinds of questions included are: "Who is the historical figure featured in the classic rakugo story "Tanuki no Sai?" (answer: Sugawara no Michizane); "Who was the teacher of singer Tatsuo Kamon when he was a rakugo story-teller?" (Tsuruko Shofukutei); and "What is the famous gag of manzai duo Kodama & Hibiki Oki?" (Chick-chiki-chi).
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070125TDY16002.htm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment