It took three puppeteers to work each of the kimono-clad puppets during a packed Bunraku Bay puppetry performance on Saturday night at Schwab Auditorium.
Bunraku, the traditional Japanese puppet theater, was performed by the Bunraku Bay Troupes, which J. Martin Holman, coordinator of the Japanese studies program at the University of Missouri, founded in 2003.
It is the only troupe outside of Japan that performs Bunraku, according to a flier at the show, and Holman was the first non-Japanese person to train and perform in Japan's traditional puppet theater.
With a smile on her face, Japanese Culture Society (JCS) Vice President Danielle Booth (senior-information sciences and technology) said the performance was the club's "biggest event ever." Schwab Auditorium seats about 650 people, and it was a full house.
JCS members said Bunraku troupes are rare, even in Japan.
"My mom's from Japan, and she's never even seen this," JCS Treasurer Julia Steiber (senior-finance and Japanese) said.
Before the performance started, JCS President Kevin Imafuku (senior-geography, East Asian studies and international studies) took to the stage and thanked the audience, the troupe and the event's sponsors. He then introduced Holman, who gave the audience a humorous history of his troupe, as well as a short Japanese lesson.
Three cloaked people, who Holman compared to "the man behind the curtain" in The Wizard of Oz, worked each puppet.
The performance was divided into three acts. The first act -- called Sanbaso -- involved a puppet that blesses the audience and scatters good fortune throughout the crowd and ended with it waving a Penn State flag. The second and third acts were more narrative. While the second act was a sad story, the third act was a comedic story.
At the end of the show, Melissa Nau (junior-animal bioscience) said the show was "really cool," adding that her favorite part was the comedic third segment.
Between each act, Holman came back on stage and shared information about the puppets and the puppeteers. The majority of the puppeteers are Missouri students, although students from other colleges participated as well.
Holman also demonstrated traditional Japanese music. Holman said the shamisan -- a banjo-like string instrument -- is "vinyl, but they're usually made of cats or dogs," while a puppeteer played the instrument.
Prior to the show, Booth expressed hope that the snowy weather wouldn't keep people away. Imafuku said it definitely didn't, adding that he was pleased with the turnout.
The performance was presented by the JCS and funded by the University Park Allocation Committee and International Student Services, according to the flier.
Imafuku, who had seen Bunraku for the first time, said he thought the performance had gone "really well." He said the club tries to present different kinds of entertainment, but he might want to have the troupe back some time in the future.
Rhiannon Davis (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) first heard about the performance when she received a flier under her door.
"It looked like fun," she said.
