As part of the grand opening of its new exhibition Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry on August 4, the Ballard Institute will present a free performance of Tholpavakoothu: The Shadow Puppet Play of Kerala by Padmashri Ramachandra Pulavar and his son Rahul Koonathara. The performance, in English, will last 45 minutes. The performance will immediately follow a 5 p.m. exhibition tour conducted by curator Rahul Koonathara and Ballard Institute director John Bell.
This ancient, ritually rooted performance is based on verses from the Kamba Ramayana, the Tamil version of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. The performance includes 71 different characters, and over 160 different shadow figures. While traditional Tholpavakoothu shadow theater takes in temples as ritual performance, Ramachandra Pulavar and his family have popularized the form by performing a variety of stories of contemporary social relevance, about Mahatma Gandhi, Jesus, and the empowerment of women, as well as performances based on traditional tales from the Mahabharata and the Panchatantra. Tholpavakoothu shadow figures follow four main design categories: sitting, standing, walking, and fighting puppets, as well as puppets depicting nature, battle scenes, and ceremonial processions.
Seating is limited, so reserve in advance. If you cannot make the show, please contact staff at [email protected] to let them know so someone else can reserve a seat. Reservations that do not arrive by 5:50 p.m. will be released.
About the Company
Krishnan Kutty Pulavar Memorial Tholpavakoothu & Puppet Centre was founded in memory of the legendary guru K. L. Krishnan Kutty Pulavar, who, together with Shri G. Venu, initiated the shift of ritual temple performances of Tholpavakooth shadow theater to secular performance spaces. The Pulavar family of Kerala has continued the age-old tradition of Kerala shadow puppetry for the past twelve generations, including the traditions of ritual temple performance, as well as the performance of contemporary themes in new performance sites. The Tholpavakoothu & Puppet Centre, dedicated to the preserving indigenous knowledge traditions of puppetry in Kerala, presents ritual performances yearly in over 85 temples from January to May. The Centre also promotes Tholpavakoothu performance by offering traditional training sessions focused on traditional aspects of puppet making, manipulation, design, and narration for new generations of puppeteers. The Tholpavakoothu & Puppet Centre also includes a puppet theater, and exhibitions of different puppets, books, and manuscript styles.
