The world of kyogen is mourning the loss of Don Kenny, an American who dedicated his life to performing and disseminating the traditional style of theater in English. He died in September at the age of 88.
Kenny was also known to longtime Japan Times readers through three theater- and movie-related columns he authored in the newspaper since 1969: Theater Off Ginza, On Stage and Recommended Revivals. In 1971, he began writing film reviews for the Times, with his articles appearing on and off through the mid-1980s.
But Kenny’s true passion was for the stage. Born in 1936, he came to study music and dance at Phillips University in Oklahoma. His life’s path delivered a slight detour, however, with the U.S. military presence in postwar Japan — Kenny would eventually arrive in Japan as an American soldier stationed at Atsugi Air Base in Kanagawa Prefecture. In 1959, shortly after he arrived, he happened to catch a kyogen production and found himself completely captivated by the actors’ performances. With that, his life was back on its theatrical path.