The Actors
Traditionally, the actors
have been members of the Chakyar caste, themselves belonging to the
Ambalavasi or temple dweller caste, the elite among the temple
servants. The dedication of this community of artists, considering
their profession as kuladharma (family duty) is responsible for the
preservation of Koodiyattam through the centuries. Nambiars, a
sub-caste of drummers, have been associated with this theatre as
players of the mizhavu ( a pot-shaped, large drum unique to
Koodiyattam).
It is the women of the Nambiar community who act the female
characterizations and play the bell- metal cymbals. While most of
the about 18 Chakyar families and
an equal number of Nambiar families have given up the traditional
profession in the course of the past 50 years,
the Ammanur family alone continues to
maintain the inherited profession.
Here we find also the meeting of the two world views: the
patriarchal and matrilineal. The Chakyars are the male actors and
chief custodians of the art, while sharing the stage with the
Nagyars, women of matrilineal households and their menfolk, the
Nambiar drummers. While the Chakyars are said to be of Aryan origin
and therefore probably carriers of Sanskrit learning, the Nangyars
are local and their inclusion represents thus a harmonious fusion
between two distinct cultures.
While Koodiyattam's Vedic/Sanskrit origins have been preserved and
regarded as a sacrilege, the actor's independent interpretation of
the text has simultaneously adapted to regional tastes until
Koodiyattam has been assimilated as a supremely art of Kerala. The
vigour of the folk art roots of Koodiyattam and Koothu may explains
to a large extent that this art form is still alive.
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The Performance
The character introduces himself by presenting his personal history
including perhaps his past life. The Chakyar actor has almost full
freedom to choose which legends associated with the character he
wishes to emphasize and thus becomes an important interpreter of
his role .
The complete performance of the drama -
from beginning to end - is performed on the last day.
The
performance take place in a kuttampalam, the temple of dance-drama,
a structure built within the compound walls of a temple according to
the rules of Natyashastra
Acting in Koodiyattam is based on a highly evolved mime language.
Stylized facial and eye expressions, a language of mudras (hand
gestures), a unique style of chanting together with elaborate
headdresses and the symbolic use of colour through the makeup
constitute the drama. Contained movements and intense emotions mark
this temple theater style.
Unlike in Kathakali, women
traditionally perform the female characters.
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Music
The accompaniment is chiefly by the use of mizhavu drums played by
the Nambiars who sit at the rear of the stage. These huge drums have
great symbolic significance; they set the mood for the play and
heighten its drama. They also keep the talam, the rhythmic pattern.
To the left of the stage a Nangyar may
sing the main verses of the drama and accompany the Chakyar with
small cymbals.
Further accompaniments may be the
itakka (an hour-glass shaped drum),
the kuzhal ( an oboe-like wind
instrument) and the shankha (conch shell).
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Koothu
Koothu is a monoact in which a single actor
represents the role of all the characters. He expounds puranic
stories, drawing parallels from contemporary life in order to
emphasis a point or relate a moral from the stories he is narrating.
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Nangiar Koothu
Nangiar Koothu is an offshoot of Koodiyattam
that has captured the imagination of people in recent times. is
performed solo by a woman actress. The stories she enacts are taken
from the the text Sree Krishna Charitam, depicting the life of
Lord Krishna.
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Chakyar (Prabandham) Koothu
Chakyar or Prabhandam Koothu, a solo
performance, is another offshoot of Koodiyattam. The character
represents the vidushaka (fool, clown), poking fun at Kerala
society, using the colloquial language Malayalam. The name of the
art form refers to the community of the actor respectively to the
use of the prabhandas, literary works in Sanskrit for dance-drama
as a basis for his narration.
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