James Rodger Brandon

James Rodger Brandon
Born 1927
Mazomanie, Wisconsin
Died September 19, 2015(2015-09-19) (aged 87–88)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Education B.Ph., University of Wisconsin, 1948
M.S., University of Wisconsin, 1949
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, 1955
Occupation Professor of Asian theater
Years active 1968-2000
Spouse(s) Reiko Mochinaga 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

  1. "In Memoriam: Asian Theatre Pioneer James Brandon". University of Hawaiʻi System News. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  2. Jortner and Foley, 2001, p. 343
  3. Jortner and Foley, 2001, p. 350
  4. Brandon, 2011, pp. 281-282
  5. Jortner and Foley, 2001, p. 352

Bibliography

Selected works by Brandon

Authored books
Edited books
Translations
Academic journal articles

Works cited

External links

See also

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