Logo

Drama is a distinct form of literature which is meant for performance. Unlike poetry and novel, its true value lies in its stagebility. On the evidence of 2500 years of dramatic theory and practice in both East and the West it is reasonable to conclude that plays need not be considered as either performable texts or scriptable performances. They can be and usually are, both. The best play is designed for the page as well as for the stage as is evident from the works of great dramatists like Shakespeare in the West and Bhasa/Kalidasa in the East. Hence the present volume involves the analysis of the Ramayana plays ascribed to Bhasa namely, Abhisheka Natakam and Pratima Natakam both in terms of Language in Theatre i.e. Dramatic Text composed by the playwright and Language of Theatre i.e. Performance Text designed by the director for the production of the play and tries to establish the inter relation between both of them. The main focus is on the detailed textual analysis of these two plays and the performance analysis of Balivadham and Toranayuddham, the two acts of Abhisheka Natakam in Kutiyattam tradition and K. N. Panikkar's pathbreaking production of Pratima Natakam. How the dramatic text is transformed into the performance text is shown here for establishing the relation between text and performance.