Though there has in the past half century been some introduction of western plays and consequently western styles of acting in china and Japan, the role of an actor is both very different in traditional theater and extremely rigid and stylized. The character of a part in a play is revealed at once by the costume and mask or elaborate make up of the actor. The actor uses a wide range of conventional and symbolic gestures to convey the information about the time and place and ambiance of a play. His training is generally much more specialized than that of western counterpart, for from an early age he learns an almost acrobatic control of his body and face.
Co, Caxton Publishing. "A,a." The New Caxton encyclopedia. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton, 1966. 32. Print.