Wider audience reach is opening up in the form of the ever expanding print & visual media. By audience education, enlightenment & involvement via the visual media in particular, the audience base can be substantially widened. In fact, this is actually happening as evidenced by the ever larger numbers which Kathakali and Kutiyattom shows are drawing in recent times.
Audio and Video documentation of these arts while the old artistes familiar with old traditions are still alive, is a very essential activity for Margi, as a legacy for posterity. To buy titles please contact:
Margi
Near Fort High School
Thiruvananthapuram
Tel:
Email: krishnakumar_648@hotmail.com
Kutiyattom DVD
3 nos-each 1hr with english subtitles
Rs.1,500/- for set
In the context of presenting Koodiyattom before an international
jury of the UNESCO, a video documentation with English subtitles,
in digi Betamode, was done in November,2000 by Margi under a project
sponsored by the Heritage Wing of the UNESCO.
The documentation was directed by noted film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan;
a keen enthussiast of the Kerala theatre Sri. Rama Iyer, Smt.
Sudha Gopalakrishnan and Guru P.K.Narayanan Nambiar helped with
the script and selection of themes for videography. The filming
was done in the special theatre structures, known as Koothambalams,
forming part of important temple complexes in Kerala. These structures
about 20 in number, date back to several centuries and have exquisite
carvings, and paintings besides excellent acoustics and viewing
facilities. The documentation was done in the Kidangoor and Haripad
Koothambalams. (For more details on Koothambalam, refer Margi
publications 1971, 1976 in Malayalam and Sangeet Natak special
issue Kutiyattom 1995 in English - Editor Shri. Ayyappa Paniker).
The 11 hour documentation covers performances, training sessions
etc., and features most of the current practioners of the art.
Episodes recorded in this documentary are as follows:
Performances with subtitles in English
Preliminaries like 'Arangutali, 'Ghoshti', sounding of Mizhavu
-
Artistes: Guru P.K.Narayanan Nambiar, Vasanthi, Rukmini.
Entry of Soothradharan Bhasa's play Balacharitha, Act Mallaankom -
Artiste: Guru Moozhikulam Kochukuttan Chakiar.
Entry of Kapali (Mendicant) in Mahendra Vikraman's play Mathavilasa -
Artiste: Mani Damodara Chakiar.
Entry of Vidhushaka (clown) and hero Arjuna in the play Subhadra Dhananjayam, ActI -
Artistes: P.K.G.Nambiar and Pothiyil Narayana Chakiar.
Famous sequence 'Kailasodharanam' from Act III, Thoranayudhom of Bhasa's play Abhishekom-
Artiste: Kalamandalam Sivan Namboodiri.
(Refer Chapter5 of Book "New sites for Shakespeare Theatre, the audience and Asia" by Shakespeare scholar Mr. John Russel Brown, for impressions on the aesthetics of this sequence in Koodiyattom)
Sequence 'Himakaram'from Act V, Ashokavanikankom of Sakthibhadra's Ascharyachoodamani -
Artiste: Margi Madhu
Entry of Kalpalathikan Act II of Kulasekhara's Subhadradhananjayam (otherwise known as Nangiarkoothu)-
Artiste: Margi Sathi
Garden scene from Bhagavajjugam of Bodayana -
Artistes: Kalamandalam Girija and Shailaja.
Sequence 'Gopastreevastrapaharanam'from Sreekrishna Charitham Nangiarkoothu-
Artiste: Margi Sathi.
Act II Soorpanakankam from Sakthi Bhadra's Ascharyachoodamani:
Artistes: Kalamandalam Rama Chakiar and Girija,Margi Madhu, Naryanan,Usha.
Act I Balivadhankam from Bhasa's Abhisheka Nataka-
Artistes: Kalamandalam Sivan Namboodiri,Kalamandalam Prasanna / MargiMadhu, Sajeev Narayana Chakiar, Pothiyil Narayanan
Rituals in Koodiyattom -
Artiste: Margi Madhu.
Training Sessions
Uzhichil (body massage); body kinetics; eye movement training; 'Navarasa' (nine sentiments or moods registering on the face); (control of facial muscles; peacock dance; recitation of slokas (quatrains from Sanskrit poems) standing in a characteristic posture; Stances/postures of (i) demoness (ii) bird (iii) monkey; battle sequences; exercises in the main percussion instrument in Koodiyattom, the Mizhavu.Artistes who figured in the training sessions were Kalamandalam Rama Chakiar, Girija, Shailaja Prasanna, Anjali; Margi Madhu, Narayanan, Sathi
Artistes who provided percussion support
Mizhavu - Guru PanivadaTilaka P.K.Narayanan Nambiar
KalamandalamEaswaran Unni
KalamandalamUnnikrishnan Nambiar (Margi)
KalamandalamRaman Unni (Margi)
KalamandalamAchuthanandan
Lakkidi UnnikishnanNambiar (Margi)
KalamandalamVijayakrishnan
Edakka - Margi SubramanianPotti
Thimila - Margi Mohanan
Kuzhithalam - All femaleartistes, in turns
Make up, costumes and stage arrangements were provided by Margi Somadas, Ravindran Pillai, Kalamandalam Sivaraman
Costumes, headgears and other accoutrements and percussion instruments were provided by Margi and Kerala Kalamandalam.
The object of this high tech, 11 hr Video Documentation is to preserve for posterity the current performance norms, modes etc of this highly structured theatre art which have remained aesthetically valid for over 15 centuries. This is also the first ever extensive documentation filmed in the Koothambalams (specialised theatre structures of yore) where this art was kept alive & vibrant through all these centuries.
Three DVDs of one hour duration each are now available for sale at a price of US$50 each. Our patrons are requested to bear this relatively high cost as a promotional effort also of this invaluable performing art. Those interested may kindly contact secretary@margitheatre.org
Books (English)
"Kathakali,the art of the non worldly" (1994)
Editors: D. Appukuttan Nair and K.Ayyappa Panikker (MARG publications, Mumbai)
"SangeetNatak-Special Issue Kutiyattam” (1995)
Editor:K.Ayyappa Panikker. Published by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi
Unnayi Varier's Nalacaritam with performance manual based on Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair's stage version - English translation by Smt.Sudha Gopalakrishnan
Published by Sahitya Akademi
"SreeRamacharitham Nangiarkoothu" (Stage presentation Manual)
by Margi Sathi - Published by D.C.Books, Kottayam, Kerala (1999) in Malayalam with an appendix on 'Nangiar Koothu' in English by Ayyappa Panikker. (English translation of thus book is under way)
Books (Malayalam)
Publications in Malayalam are for limited
circulation. These include compilations of articles by experts,
providing short but in depth insights into several aspects of
the essential Kerala theatre arts; as also stage performance manuals
collected/compiled in Margi with the object of revitalising the
arts concerned)
1. Margi Souvenir 1971 (Koodiyattom) edited by D. Appukkuttan
Nair
2. Margi Souvenir 1972 (Kathakali and Music)
3. Margi Souvenir 1974 (Kerala percurssion ensembles)
4. Margi Souvenir 1975 (Kathakali)
5. Margi Souvenir 1976 (Koodiyattom)
6. Nalacharitha Section-I Kathakali Dramatic Text and performance
manual ie., choreographic supplements. vide Section, 'Performance
repertoire' also D. AppukkuttanNair
7. NalacharithaSection-II
8. NalacharithaSection-III
9. Banayudham
10 Vischinnabhishekom
11. KharaVadhom
12. Act I 'Parnasalankam' of Ascharyachoodamani Stageperformance
manuals scripted by Guru AmmannoorMadhava Chakiar, for revivalsof
the concerned sections of Koodiyattomin the Margi stagevide Section
- 'Performance Repertoire'
13. Act. III 'Maya Seethankam' of Ascharyachoodamani
14. Act. VII 'Agnipravesankom' of Ascharyachoodamani
15. Act. II of Subhadradhananjayam
16. Kudiyattom register book
Edited by dr.p.venugopalan margi publication a directory of Kudiyattom/Nangiarkuthu
artistes, with family details. A who�s who with photos related
to this 2000 year sanskrit theatre art proclaimed by UNESCO as
a world heritage art in 2001.
