Back to topics

How one Japanese storyteller plays an entire cast

In the Japanese storytelling tradition rakugo, one seated performer can create a conversation among several characters. Changes in voice, posture, and gaze help listeners follow the cast, while a fan and cloth stand in for objects. Explore how a performer makes an imagined scene feel populated.

5–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What cues let listeners recognize a character without a costume change?
  • How can a small prop represent different objects?

Start reading

Ready to try your ideas aloud?

Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.

Arts and culture

How does perspective make a flat drawing look three-dimensional?

A drawing lies on a nearly flat surface, yet a few carefully angled lines can make it look like a long hallway stretching into the distance. In one-point perspective, receding parallel edges converge toward a single vanishing point on a horizon line, linking the flat drawing to a particular viewer's eye level.

3–5 min

How does perspective make a flat drawing look three-dimensional?

Arts and culture3–5 minA drawing lies on a nearly flat surface, yet a few carefully angled lines can make it look like a long hallway stretching into the distance. In one-point perspective, receding parallel edges converge toward a single vanishing point on a horizon line, linking the flat drawing to a particular viewer's eye level.

Arts and culture

Looking beneath a painting with infrared

The finished surface of an oil painting is not always the first version the artist drew on the panel. Because certain paint layers allow infrared light to pass through while carbon-based charcoal or ink absorbs it, infrared imaging can reveal hidden underdrawings and abandoned ideas beneath the visible masterpiece.

4–5 min

Looking beneath a painting with infrared

Arts and culture4–5 minThe finished surface of an oil painting is not always the first version the artist drew on the panel. Because certain paint layers allow infrared light to pass through while carbon-based charcoal or ink absorbs it, infrared imaging can reveal hidden underdrawings and abandoned ideas beneath the visible masterpiece.

Can a tradition be heritage without a building to preserve?

Arts and culture3–5 minA song, a craft skill, or a shared practice can be passed on without being fixed in stone. Intangible cultural heritage places importance on living knowledge and the communities that recognize and transmit it.

How one Japanese storyteller plays an entire cast | Speech Topic | speaking.app