Compagnia del Natana Kairali

KUTIYATTAM: IL RICONOSCIMENTO DI SAKUNTALA

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november 13_15 h 8.30pm, november 16 h 2.30pm

PALLADIUM

Chapter I november 13 h 8.30pm
Chapter II november 14 h 8.30pm
Chapter III november 15 h 8.30pm
uncut version november 16
h 2.30pm-5pm/6pm-8.30pm/9.30pm-00.00am 

Kutiyattam, an age-old stage art form, and one of the masterpieces of classical Indian theatre are brought together in a performance presented by Natana Kairali -”The recognition of Śakuntalā” by Kālidāsa.
Declared “oral and immaterial heritage of mankind” by Unesco on 18 May 2001, kutiyattam is the only form of theatre in Sanskrit to have reached the present day: it is a tradition that started out in the ninth century and has been kept alive thanks also to Natana Kairali, a centre for stage arts which sees the participation of actors, dancers, directors, choreographers, puppeteers, make-up artists, set designers and musicians, and which in addition to staging performances also organises an international festival and study courses.
Its approach to the classics of Sanskrit theatre aims to reproduce the magic of a highly stylised form of acting, of gestures that combine mime and dance, costumes, make-up and masks whose symbolic colours -a face painted in green, for example, is the defining feature of the hero- are still obtained using plant dyes. It is a fantastical world into which the spectator is drawn, thanks also to the music, which is of course performed on traditional Indian instruments.
The focal point of Natana Kairali’s repertoire is “The recognition of Śakuntalā” which narrates the events that occurred prior to “Mahabharata”. But whilst the latter is an epic Indian poem, the next work by Kālidāsa is actually an evocative drama about the oblivion of love, woven into a tale where the symbols intertwine with the various levels of the story.
A spell causes the semi-divine girl Śakuntalā to be forgotten by her love, King Dusyanta. Disowned and humiliated by the sovereign whose child she is bearing- who will become Baharata, father of heroes from the eponymous epic poem- she takes refuge in the skies, and not even the ring of recognition which helps the King to remember her will manage to reunite the two lovers. And other trials await them.
One of the first Indian classics to be translated into European languages as early as the seventeenth century, “Śakuntalā” fascinated Goethe. The bewitching quality of this text spread to the generations of romanticism and decadence until its exoticism was poured into a transposition for theatre in the twentieth century.

Natana kairali has been reaching out to the world of theatre and dance all over India and abroad for over three decades. Based on careful research and respect for all hereditary exponents, a vast store of classical and ritual arts is increasingly being appreciated by discerning audiences, fellow artistes and scholars alike. The foremost goal remains to preserve their authenticity and dignity at all times while exploring new horizons.