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Contents
Turkey: Karagöz
India: Sanskrit Drama
India: Kathakali
China:
Japan
Turkey: Karagöz
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Notes
India: Sanskrit Drama
Richmond, Farley P., Darius L. Swann, and Phillip B. Zarrilli, eds.
1990. Indian Theatre: Traditions of Performance. Honolulu:
University of Hawaii Press.
"Introduction," 1-17
Observe the "Arrival Trope": the author arrives to a far off country, usually
by airplane
Tastes and smells of other culture - richness of first impressions
Emphasis on the words theater and performance
Theater versus dance
Theater vs. religion/ritual
What is "tradition" and what is "traditional"
What are the five spheres of performance genres?
Observe the chronology of the material contained in the book
Part One: The Classical Tradition and Its Performance
"Introduction," 21-24
Scan it - do not delve much in it
Chapter One: "Origins of Sanskrit Theatre," 25-32
What is the Natyasastra? To whom is it attributed, when was
it composed?
What are the four Vedas
How is the Sanskrit Theater connected with Vedic sacrifices and sacrificial
rituals?
What is the historical evidence of the origin and development of Sanskrit
Theater?
What are the epic sources for Sanskrit Theater?
Was there any Greek influence?
Chapter Two: "Characteristics of Sanskrit Theatre and Drama," 33-85
No surviving old Indian theater
Sanskrit theater is multidimensional: dance, music, makeup, costumes, rtiual
/ religion
Scenery is used sparingly
Religious function of theater
Sanskrit language vs. local languages and dialects called Prakrit
Multilingual character of Sanskrit drama (compare this with Javanese Wayang
Kulit and medieval European Motet of the Ars Nova)
Natyasastra - "drama science" or "science on dramaturgy" (from natya,
drama, and sastra, science) attributed to Bharata
Actors:
men were permitted to play women and women could act the role of men
Training and apprenticeship
Three main roles:
Hero
Heroine
Clown
Other members of the drama ensemble:
musicians
dancers
Four social classes or castes of India in the hierarchical top-down order:
-
Brahmana - Brahmans, priestly caste
-
Ksatriya - Kshatriyas, warrior caste
-
Vaisya - Vaisyas, traders
-
Sudra - Sudras, peasants
Social status of actors: low (Sudras)
Actors charaterized as prostitutues and bandits
Acting: Bodily movements, including face, limbs, and the entire body
Pantomimic dance
Gestures
Various meanings of various gestures
India: Kathakali
Part Five, "Dance-Dramas and Dramatic Dances: "Introduction", 307-314
Chapter Ten: "Kathakali," 315-357
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