Description
Book SynopsisThis is the first book to offer a clear introduction to Kattaikkuttu (or Terukkuttu), a vibrant, vocal and physical outdoor Tamil theatre tradition from India. It describes the theatre's characteristic heroic nature as expressed through its principal, male kattai characters, explores its history, social status and ritual context, and examines the production of all-night plays. After placing Kattaikkuttu in the wider, competitive context of the performing arts in India, Hanne M. de Bruin introduces readers to some of the debates about the form and provides an overview of the different elements that make up a Kattaikkuttu performance. It considers its performance spaces and the way the form has changed, such as its transition towards an independent and more professional theatre genre, as well as the opening up of the form to different castes and to women. It covers the production and frameworks of all-night performances, uses the
Mahabharata play
Karna Mok
Trade Review
This is an extraordinary introduction to an invisibilized theatre tradition. De Bruin skillfully highlights the complex social history, spectacular technique and cultural politics around the Tamil kuttu theatre. This book marks an immense contribution to the study of subaltern theatres from South Asia by one of the most significant scholars on the subject. Few studies of Indian theatre glide so seamlessly between theoretical propositions and the affective and material dimensions of practice. This book is bound to become a classic for the study of theatre in modern South Asia. * Davesh Soneji, University of Pennsylvania, USA *
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations Series Preface Acknowledgements Notes on Transliteration Introduction What’s in a Name? Tamil Theatre Histories Discourse of Contempt Alternative Views Personal Note Chapter 1. Kattaikkuttu: Aesthetic Characteristics and Historical and Socio-economic Contexts What is Kattaikkuttu? The Elements Performance Spaces Performances Performers Art as Labour Theatre Companies Emergence of Kattaikkuttu as a Distinct Genre Summary Chapter 2. Producing an All-night Performance Performance Texts Framework of a Performance Building Blocks and Modes of Production Performance Conventions and Recall Strategies The Play Karna Moksam Shifting Repertories Summary Chapter 3. Transmission, Interpretation and Innovation Kattaikkuttu’s Embodied Performance Knowledge Interpretation The Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam Pakatai Tukil Validation and Aesthetics Notes References Index
