Open-Air Musical Opera- Therukoothu
Therukoothu, the village folk drama of Tamil Nadu, is performed on the street junction (theru) and hence it’s called Therukoothu (koothu means play).
Stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are brought to life through dialogues, movement, songs and dance. Traditionally, all males enact the roles wearing ankle belts. Stage director/ sutradhar/ narrator, kattaran, explains the play, and is a link between the players and the spectators. A buffoon (komali) provides humour. Musical accompaniment consists of mridangam, mukhaveena, harmonium, cymbals.
Theatrical make-up and costumes are colourful and original. Elaborate and vivid facial make up represents different characters. Towering head dresses and massive shoulder ornaments carved of light wood and decorated with gold paper and bits of coloured glass, are an essential part of the show.
This most widely performed theatrical form of Tamil Nadu, uses no written script, depends mostly on the memorized oral scripts handed down from generation to generation. At times, these vachanams, (prose passages which make up for the dialogues and descriptions) are improvised on the spot.
-Ananta Gaur
The name Therukoothu is problematic because the performance does not happen at any street junction. It happens in front of Draupadi amman temple and the ritualistic space around her temple. In one ritual, the koothu artists also go around the village. This is the reason the koothu artists association decided to call the form Kattaikuttu.
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ReplyDeleteThank you, Devika, for adding yet another dimension to the enigmatic etymology of the name Therukoothu. We students are constantly researching, and almost all standard literature on this art form mentions it as a drama performed in streets. We would love to hear more details from you about the temple performances, when we meet during the Delhi festival.
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