Alan Cummings interviews Kita School Noh Actor, Akira Matsui

Akira Matsui is a master actor-teacher of the Kita School of Japanese classical noh theatre.

Matsui was born in 1946 and began studying noh at the age of seven. At age 12, he became a "live-in apprentice" to Kita Minoru, the 15th generation of noh masters of the Kita School (one of the five guilds of shite main role actors). From his firm foundation in tradition, and unusually for a professional, Matsui has consistently experimented in intercultural fusions over many decades. In 1998, he was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the Japanese government. In 2016, Matsui was awarded an honorary doctorate by Royal Holloway, University of London, in recognition of his status as a noh master and for his long record of achievement in bringing noh to new international audiences. In conversation, Alan Cummings will discuss Matsui’s many achievements, and his belief in noh as a form with both contemporary and international relevance.

Registration

This event free, open to the public and in-person only. If you would like to attend, please register using the link above.

This event is part of the 'From Tradition to Modernity: Understanding nohgaku from its establishment 650 years ago to contemporary times' series of events. The full programme of events can be found on the Between the Stones website.

Header image credit: Matsui Akira performs Takasago at the Southbank Centre, London, January 2020. Photo: Clive Barda/ArenaPal