For practice-based research on the historical, theatrical and psychological aspects of characterisation in the performance of Therukoothu towards making a play in the form of documentary theatre. Through extensive interviews with the Therukoothu artists and by studying the process of preparing actors for various characters, the project aims to explore pedagogy, performativity and the contemporary trends that have influenced the form in various ways. The outcome will be a documentary theatre production. The Grantee’s deliverables to IFA with the final report will be audiovisual documentation of the interviews conducted in the field and the documentation of the theatre production. Grant funds will pay for an honorarium, equipment rental, travel food and stay, production costs, professional fees and an accountant’s fee.
For research into the diverse constructions and reinventions of the Ramayana epic with specific focus on seven performance traditions and two contemporary reinterpretations. The project seeks to provide a textured and contextual study of the various manifestations of the epic within specific ritual, social and performative contexts. The outcomes will include a series of presentations and an essay.
For the development of a solo multi-media performance, She Said She Was a Dancer. Through a series of improvisations, a contemporary choreographer and dancer will explore her own journey as a dancer, ask questions about her artistic identity, and examine her relationship to contemporary dance as a mode of self-expression.
For creation of a production on ‘The Hare and Tortoise’, which will combine theatre and shadow puppetry. Through constant improvisations and experiments with the puppets, a script––which also looks at other famous races and a few imagined ones, with characters from Indian epics as also from other cultures––will be further developed and layered. Members of the theatre group will also train under resource persons from various traditional forms to develop the content of the production.
For research and examination, by a theatre director, a contemporary actor and a musician, of the textual nature of music in Koodiyattam, the classical theatre of Kerala. The project will result in a new theatre piece and a reworked version of an earlier production.
For the study and documentation of the almost extinct pottery traditions of the women of the Kota community in the Nilgiris. The study will focus on the myth and lore linked to the tradition, which is kept alive only in yearly and secret ritual, and lead to a revival of the Kota women’s occupation and a market for their products.
For a theatre director, a contemporary actor and an exponent of the classical theatre of Kerala to jointly develop actor-training methods and explore how the language and content of Koodiyattam and Nangiar Koothu can be made more contemporary and accessible. The interaction will lead to two productions.
