Noh In Greek Theatre

The word Noh means skill, craft, or the talent particularly in the field of performing arts in this context. The word Noh may be used alone or with gaku (fun, music) to form the word nōgaku. (Bowers) Noh is a classical tradition that is highly valued by many today. When used alone, Noh refers to the historical genre of theatre originated from sarugaku in the mid-14th century and continues to be performed today. Noh and kyōgen originated in the 8th century when the Sangaku was spread from China to Japan. Sangaku included various types of performances presenting acrobats, song and dance as well as comic sketches. (Bowers)
Kan'ami Kiyotsugu and his son Zeami Motokiyo brought Noh to what is its present-day form during the Muromachi period (1336
Unlike western theatre in which there is a curtain that opens to initiate the play; the noh stage is a simple space in which there is no curtain between the playing area and the audience. Initially noh was played in the open for commoners to see before it was made a private form of entertainment for the higher socioeconomic classes. To keep this tradition alive, the stage is designed complete with details such as a roof, bridge with a handrail and a pine tree painted on the back wall, producing a building within a building. (Nôgaku
The ability of the shite and waki to express volumes with a gesture is enhanced by their use of various hand properties, the most important of which is the folding fan (chukei). The fan can be used to represent an object, such as a dagger or ladle, or an action (Noh). Props are very important to this kind of performance, though they are very simple as to what they use, each prop can represent many things.
Moreover, Noh plays have a certain structure that has to be followed. We need to remember that a noh play is a reenactment of something that has happened in the past. The play has a beginning (Jo) , a middle (Ha) and an end(Kyu). The setting of the play and the characters are introduced by the main actor since the stage is a simple stage with a pine tree on it. (Bowers)
During Jo, the opening session every character is introduced through words by the waki or side character. Then he sings a travel song during which the shite or main character enters with any accompanying characters. This is their way of introducing the play. The waki and the shite ask each other questions and answer to introduce the theme of the play.