Learning from Performance: Epic Narrative in Regional Theatre Traditions of South India

Speaker: Prof. Paula Richman, Danforth Professor of South Asian Religions, Oberlin College, Ohio, USA; who is a Ramayana specialist of international repute Chair: Dr. Rustom Bharucha How do the conventions of particular theatrical genres shape the ways in which epic incidents get enacted and interpreted? Which characters come to life most vividly in dance-dramas in open air theatres, puppet plays, or proscenium stages? This talk reflects on the fixed and fluid aspects of enacting epic incidents in India today, with examples drawn from Yakshagana, Kattaikkuttu, Nangiar Kuttu, and Ramlila