James Rodger Brandon

James Rodger Brandon (1927 – 19 September 2015) was an American academic who was a professor of Asian theater specializing in Kabuki and Sanskrit theater at the University of Hawaii.^[1] He was an outstanding member of the generation of scholars who first brought Asian theater to English-speaking audiences in the post-War period, translating dozens of plays and directing many performances, some of which toured widely throughout the United States.

Biography

Brandon was drafted into the military in 1950 and was stationed in Japan and Korea during the Korean War. It was with only two days left before his tour ended and he returned to the United States that he saw his first kabuki performance. It was this performance that awakened his interest in Asian theater. He returned to the University of Wisconsin–Madison to take a Ph.D. in theater on the G.I. Bill.^[2]

After completing his Ph.D., he entered the foreign service where he was a cultural affairs officer stationed in Jakarta, Indonesia from 1955-1957.

The Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Golden Rays with Rosette, Imperial Decoration in 1994.^[3]

Scholarly contributions

In 1965, along with Andrew T. Tsubaki and Farley Richmond, he founded the Afro-Asian Theater Project, which after a series of reorganizations has been known since 1987 as the Association for Asian Performance.^[4]

He co-founded the Asian Theatre Journal with Elizabeth Wichmann-Walczak in 1984.^[5]

References

Bibliography

Selected works by Brandon

Authored books

• Brandon, James R. (2008). Kabuki's Forgotten War: 1931-1945. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3200-1. 
• Brandon, James R. (1976). Brandon's Guide To Theater in Asia: Where To Go, How To Get There and What To Expect. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824803698. 
• Brandon, James R. (1967). Theatre in Southeast Asia. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-87587-7. 

Edited books

• Brandon, James R., ed. (1993). The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521416238. 
• Brandon, James R., ed. (1982). Chūshingura: Studies in Kabuki and the Puppet Theater. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824807931. 
• Brandon, James R.; Van M. Baumer, Rachel, eds. (1981). Sanskrit Drama in Performance. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 81-208-0772-3. 

Translations

• Brandon, James R.; Leiter, Samuel L., eds. (2003). Kabuki Plays on Stage, Vol. 4: Restoration and Reform, 1872-1905. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824825744. 
• Brandon, James R.; Leiter, Samuel L., eds. (2002). Kabuki Plays on Stage, Vol. 3: Darkness and Desire, 1804-1864. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824824556. 
• Brandon, James R.; Leiter, Samuel L., eds. (2002). Kabuki Plays on Stage, Vol. 2: Villainy and Vengeance, 1773-1799. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824824136. 
• Brandon, James R.; Leiter, Samuel L., eds. (2002). Kabuki Plays on Stage, Vol. 1: Brilliance and Bravado, 1697-1766. Honolulu, H.I.: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0824824037. 
• Brandon, James R., ed. (1975). Kabuki: Five Classic Plays. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674304857. 
• Brandon, James R., ed. (1970). On Thrones of Gold: Three Javanese Shadow Plays. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0824814250. 
• Brandon, James R.; Niwa, Tamako, eds. (1966). Two Kabuki Plays: The Subscription List and the Zen Substitute. New York: Samuel French. 

Academic journal articles

• Brandon, James R. (Spring 2014). "'Democratic Kabuki' for a 'Democratic Japan': 1945-1946". Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawai'i Press. 31 (1): 103–125. doi:10.1353/atj.2014.0004. JSTOR 43187289. 
• Brandon, James R. (Fall 2011). "The Association for Asian Performance: A Brief History". Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawai'i Press. 28 (2): 281–308. doi:10.1353/atj.2011.0037. JSTOR 41306492. 
• Brandon, James R. (Spring 2006). "Myth and Reality: A Story of Kabuki during American Censorship, 1945-1949". Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawai'i Press. 23 (1): 1–110. doi:10.1353/atj.2006.0003. JSTOR 4137090. 
• Brandon, James R. (December 1960). "Toward a Middle-View of Chekhov". Educational Theatre Journal. Johns Hopkins University Press. 12 (4): 270–275. doi:10.2307/3204553. JSTOR 3204553. 

Works cited

• Harada, Wayne (2 October 2015). "UH Theater Professor Was Top Western Authority on Kabuki". Star-Advertiser. Honolulu, H.I. Retrieved 2 October 2015. 
• Jortner, David; Foley, Kathy (Fall 2001). "James R. Brandon". Asian Theatre Journal. University of Hawai'i Press. 28 (2): 341–355. JSTOR 41306497. 

External links

• Asian Theater Journal page at the University of Hawaii
• The Association for Asian Performance
• James R. Brandon memorial webpage

See also