Chapter 19. Drama, Theatre and Dance
Elements of drama. Plot, character, theme, language (dialogue), music or sound and spectacle (visual elements), as described by Aristotle in the Poetics [51]. Other elements are conflict, setting, atmosphere and audience.
Theatre in outline [51]
Ancient Greek theatre: tragedy and comedy, the chorus, and playwrights such as Sophocles (Oedipus Rex) and Aristophanes.
Sanskrit drama: the Natyashastra attributed to Bharata is a classical treatise on drama, dance and music; Kalidasa’s Shakuntala is a famous play [52].
English drama: Shakespeare (c. 1590–1613) and later developments such as realism, absurdism and modern theatre.
Modern approaches: Stanislavski’s system of naturalistic acting; Brecht’s epic theatre, which used distancing techniques to encourage critical thinking [51].
Theatre arts: acting (voice, movement, gesture, emotion), directing, scriptwriting, set and costume design, lighting, sound, make-up and stage management.
Sri Lankan traditional drama [53]
Kolam: masked folk drama with humorous and satirical characters.
Sokari: a ritual play of the hill country, associated with fertility and village life.
Nadagam: a folk theatre form with South Indian roots, adapted in the Sinhala-speaking coast, with song and stylized dramatic action.
Ritual and temple performances: Thovil and other traditions.
Tamil traditions: koothu (folk theatre) and dance-dramas [53].
Modern Sinhala theatre: Ediriweera Sarachchandra’s Maname (1956) and Sinhabahu (1961) drew on folk drama forms and became landmarks of modern Sinhala theatre; playwrights and directors such as Henry Jayasena and Sugathapala de Silva continued to develop it [53].
Dance. Major Sri Lankan dance traditions include the Kandyan (Up-country) dance, Low-country (Pahatha Rata) dance and Sabaragamuwa dance, each with distinctive costumes, drums and movements. Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian styles are also practised. Study posture, rhythm, expression (abhinaya), costume and the cultural and ritual meaning of dance [52][53].
Devising and performance. Create original pieces, rehearse, and reflect and evaluate; collaborate in an ensemble.
Appreciation. Analyse a performance by describing the story, acting, staging, sound and light, and explain how they create meaning and impact.
Review: Name two traditional Sri Lankan folk theatre forms. (Answer: for example, Kolam and Sokari.)