Kattaikkuttu: A Rural Theatre Tradition in South India

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to Kattaikkuttu, a vibrant outdoor Tamil theatre tradition from India, exploring its history, social status, ritual context, and production of all-night plays. It considers the form's performance spaces, changes over time, and opening up to different castes and women. It also examines the role of the performer, including training and interpretation of well-known roles, and recent innovations such as new work and the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 19 October 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Kattaikkuttu, a vibrant, vocal, and physical outdoor Tamil theatre tradition from India, is the focus of this first book. It explores the theatres characteristic heroic nature, its history, social status, and ritual context, and examines the production of all-night plays. Hanne M. de Bruin introduces readers to the debates about the form and provides an overview of the different elements that make up a Kattaikkuttu performance. It considers the performance spaces and the way the form has changed, 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 Moksam as a case study, and examines recent changes in the Kattaikkuttu repertory. In addition, the book looks in more detail at the role of the performer, including the training of a Kattaikkuttu novice, the performance score of actor-singers that underlie a specific role or vesam, and a seasoned performers agency in interpreting well-known roles. Finally, the study turns to recent innovations, in particular the creation of new work and the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam.

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350236615