ENG 157: SPEECH AND THEATER ARTS

MODULE 18
Lesson Title: Differentiating General Characteristics of Oriental Theatre
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, I am expected to:
elaborate characteristics of oriental theater.

The Origins of Asian Theatrical Traditions

In Asia, as in many other regions in the world, the origins of theatre and dance can be traced back
to several early, archaic types of performance. In Asia they include
1. early religious rituals,
2. ancient movements imitating animals, or so-called animal movements,
3. the martial arts, and
4. the art of storytelling. Later,
5. the complex behavior codes of different periods, the most intricate of them being court
etiquette, also left their undeniable marks on theatre and dance.

In fact, most of the so-called “classical” styles of Asian performing arts (formulated roughly
from the 13th to the 19th centuries) can be analyzed or deconstructed so that these original “root”
traditions can be recognized. In the later “classical” traditions these root traditions are, however,
intermingled with each other in surprisingly various ways.

1. Rituals
In many cultures the origins of theatrical arts can be traced back to early religious rituals.
a. Trance Rituals and Shamanism
Trance indicates a kind of hypnotic or half-conscious state of mind, which can be attained by
several means or techniques.Trance rituals are strongly associated with the early belief system
usually called shamanism. In this form of shamanism the shaman “priest” had various roles. He
or she could act
1. as a healer, or
2. as an oracle, or the shaman could function
3. as a mediator between the ancestors or sprits and the community he or she was serving.
b. Shamanistic Ritual as a Form of Theatre
Shamanistic rituals often include features which relate them to theatrical performances. During
the ceremony the spirit priest often wears clothes which refer to the particular spirit the shaman
is getting in touch with.

2. Animal Movements
The tradition of imitating the movements of animals seems to stem from the earliest
periods of known human existence, that is the times when humans were hunter-gatherers and
their entire livelihood depended on the natural world and the animals around them.

3. Martial Arts
As has already been pointed out, most of the Asian theatrical traditions are performed by stylised,
dance-like movements. They include several different elements, such as symbolic hand gestures,
fixed ways of standing and sitting, sculpture-like poses and defined ways of portraying, for
example, a battle.
From Martial arts to Dance and Theatre
Most of the Asian martial arts techniques have clear ritualistic features and they share movements
and poses, such as the open-leg position, with the dance traditions of the regions where they
evolved. Martial arts techniques have influenced Asian dance and theatre traditions deeply.

4. The Art of Storytelling

If we consider the textual and narrative aspects of Asian theatre, it is obvious that the
origins can be traced back to the simple act of conveying a story to the audience orally.
Many of the later theatrical traditions, such as shadow theatre, puppet theatre and many
of dance theatre forms evolved from early storytelling traditions.
The process could roughly be outlined as follows:
(i) the starting point is the act of storytelling, i.e. the act of conveying the oral literary
tradition;
(ii) gradually the storytellers started to employ different kinds of visual devices to
illustrate their narration (panels, scroll paintings, shadow figures, puppets and in
some cases even dolls), and
(iii) storytelling was enriched by gesticulation, body movements, mime, dance, music
etc.

5. The Etiquette and the Formulation of the Present “Classical” Traditions

One important feature of mainland Southeast Asian culture has been the conception of
the god-king. This cult created an extremely intricate court etiquette, which was also reflected in
dance and dance theatre. As the performances often featured the gods to which the living king
was related, it was natural that the physical surroundings and the modes of behavior of the artistic
presentations followed the models set by the king’s actual court. Thus, many dance theatre forms
of the court, especially those on a grand scale, still reflect today the behavioral practices and
etiquette of courts from centuries ago.

MODULE 19
Lesson Title: Describing Indian Drama
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, I am expected to:
discuss the Indian Drama.

Indian Drama
The origin of the INDIAN drama may unhesitatingly be described as purely native. The
Mahometans when they overran India brought no drama with them; the Persians, the Arabs, and
the Egyptians were without a national theatre. It would be absurd to suppose the Indian drama to
have owed anything to the Chinese or its offshoots. On the other hand, there is no real evidence
for assuming any influence of Greek examples upon the Indian drama at any stage of its progress.
Finally, it had passed into its decline before the dramatic literature of modern Europe had sprung
into being.

Sanskrit drama in India was the first drama in Asia. It dates back to the 8th century BCE, before
the development of classical Greek tragedy. The Sanskrit drama that has survived represents
some of the earliest theatrical texts that we have. Sanskrit drama emerged in the early centuries
A.D. and continued to form and be performed up through the 15th century C.E. This nearly 1,200
span makes Sanskrit drama the longest continuous performing tradition of any dramatic texts in
the world. Sanskrit dramas cover a wide range of subjects and types ranging from poetic love
stories to short farces. Almost all have happy endings. There is must debate about how they were
staged but it is likely that they were stylized and performed upon a bare stage. The only surviving
Sanskrit theatre today is Koodiyattam in Kerala.

List of Famous Traditional Dramas or Theatres of India

Traditional Dramas or theatres are performed during different social and religious
occasions in India. It is also known as rural or village theatre. It reflects the common men's social
and cultural attitudes and perceptions. In India tribal sports, habit, tradition, culture, vigor, joy,
even disguise for mockery become parts of traditional theatre.
1. Yatra/Jatra
It is traditional folk theatre of eastern India. The origin of this musical drama or theatre
intrinsically a musical theatre form, is traditionally credited to the rise of Sri Chaitanya's Bhakti
movement, wherein Chaitanya himself played Rukmini in the performance of Rukmini Haran ("The
abduction of the Charming Rukmini") from Krishna's life story, a first definite presentation of this
theatrical spectacle.
2. Ramleela
It was started by the Tulsidas during Mughal period in Kashi. It is similar to Yatra where
religious music and dialogues are performed. The theme of this play is the story of Ramayana,
played during Desersa.
3. Raasleela
It is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the
Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her
sakhis. It is a combination of two words- rasa meaning "aesthetics" and lila meaning "act,"
"play" or "dance".
4. Swang
It is very famous traditional theatre in the state of Punjab, Haryana and Odisha. It was
performed in rural area of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Bengal. The softness of
emotions, sharpness of dialogue and specific costumes are some features of this theatre.
5. Nautanki
It is a famous traditional theatre of Northern India. It is said that this style was developed from
'Bhagat' form of theatre which is approximately 400 years old, while the word 'Nautanki' come into
existence only in 19th century.
6. Dashavatar
It is the most developed and famous theatre of Konkan and Goa region. The performers
personify the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu and performed during religious ceremonies.

MODULE 20
Lesson Title: Describing Chinese Theatre
Lesson Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, I am expected to:
discuss Chinese theater.

The Early History of Chinese Theatre

As elsewhere in the world, it is also in China that the origins of the theatrical arts seem to lie in
early religious rituals, in China most probably in shamanistic rites. China has always been an
exceptionally history-conscious culture with a long continuity, and the Chinese system of writing
was invented very early. Thus, it is no wonder that a relatively substantial amount of written
evidence of the theatrical tradition exists from the early periods. It gives enlightening, yet
fragmentary, information about the development of early performance traditions.
It is known that during the Shang dynasty (c. 1766–1066 BC) hunting dances as well as dances
imitating animals were performed. As has been already discussed on several occasions, the
dances imitating animals and employing the so-called “animal movements” have been common
in most cultures. In fact, animal movements still form an integral part of many martial art, dance
and theatre traditions today.

The so-called chorus dances were popular during the Zhou (Chou) dynasty (c. 1066–221 BC).
They were divided into two groups: wu dances performed by men and xi (hsi) dances performed
by women. Besides religious rituals, there were fewer ceremonial types of performances, such as
comic numbers performed by clowns and dwarfs as well as displays of acrobatic skills.
Martial art demonstrations or shows were popular and, as elsewhere in Asia, in China, too, many
of the movements employed by dances originated from the martial art techniques.

Chinese theater and opera

It is impossible to say exactly when Chinese theater came into being, since almost all kinds of
performing arts in China, whether it was circus, musical or dance performances, were
accompanied by theatricalities. However, the first full-fledged dramatic presentation in China –
Nanxi dated back to the XII-XIV centuries.

Gradually the Chinese theater began to develop, separate areas for performances were beginning
to be established, troupes and performances on permanent basis began to be created.
Iyan Theater assumed daily lives of ordinary people and historical events as a basis of their
performances. This theatrical direction was popular among the commons. Performances were
given at the marketplaces or in taverns. Other theatrical direction - Kunshan Theater was spread
among aristocrats and at the emperor’s court.

The Chinese theater is unique by itself. In the Middle Ages there were troupe, where male and
female roles were played by either men only or women only. The XII-XIX centuries saw the
formation of the famous Peking Metropolitan Theater, known as tszinsi. The most famous troupes
of that period appeared on its stage. This was the period of formation of theatrical traditions that
also remained unchanged for the modern Chinese theater.

The most important rule of traditional theater is that all participants must possess not only acting
technique, but also a musical talent, as well as the art of oratory. They must possess excellent
dance and martial arts skills, the latter is necessary for the production of plays on military themes,
favorite for the Chinese.

One of the varieties of Chinese theater is opera. Chinese opera is almost indistinguishable from
a dramatic performance. The artists are required to have not only unique vocals, but also artistic
talent. It should be noted that to date, the famous Peking Opera is considered to be the best
China's opera house.

Today's Chinese Theatre is quite a common phenomenon. It is a fascinating colorful spectacle

that combines not only acting, but also acrobatic, dance and music scene. Theatrical
performances are on not only in major cities during the theater season - China features so-called
“wandering troupes” when the artists give performances during fairs, festivals and other various
events.