THESIS 2020

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR STAGE

DRAMA ARTIST (KOOTHU PATARAI)

SYNOPSIS

SUBMITTED BY
R.YOGESH
311415251079

MEENAKSHI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING,

K.K.NAGAR, CHENNAI – 78
INTRODUCTION:
“Theatre is a mirror of, a sharp refeecoi of soeiety”

-Yasmiia Reza

The quote explains that the drama is the only form which expresses the lifestyle of society
and giving the way for audience to lead a good life. Street theatre was a fascinating part of
tamil acting tradition. It is now in serious decline and need to spread awareness for a great
revival. Therukoothu is a traditional art of staging street plays that reached its peak quite a
while ago. Today in most regions of world, many forms of folk art are no more a part of the
ethic tradition of the people and present generations are not aware of those forms of folk art.
Therukoothu was one such ethnic folk art indigenous to India. It is now virtually a dying art
form because of not of cinema but also a that today generation doesn’t know about the stage
drama due to lack of advertise. Recently a stage drama shows like ‘Navayuga rathakaneer’
was played around tamil nadu and was popular because of advertise.

AIM:

To design a community space for actors and performers by understanding the art forms and
restore it in a traditional ways in contemporary style considering open spaces, acting school,
performance art, space for open performing space and the space for ‘light and water show’
which was also a part of stage art. The Light and water show was the one which was only
located in ‘akshardham’ new delhi, India

ABOUT THERU KOOTHU:

Koothu or Therukoothu is an ancient art, where artists play songs with dance and music in
story telling the epics, performed in tamil; it is a folk art originated from the early Tamil
country. But more precisely Koothu refers to either Therukoothu or kattaikoothu. The
terms therukoothu and kattaikoothu are often used interchangeably in modern times;
however, historically the two terms appear to have distinguished, at least in certain villages,
between two different kinds of performance: while Terukkuttu referred to mobile
performances in a procession, Kattaikkuttu denotes overnight, narrative performances at a
fixed performance space. Koothu as a form of entertainment reached its peak hundreds of
years ago in Tamil nadu as mentioned in the Sangam texts about the development of iyal
(literature), isai (music) and natagam (drama). Going beyond just a means of entertainment,
koothu educates the rural people about religion and their history.

Koothu is an informal dance structure, the performances generally depict scenes

from ancient epics like Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Tamil other classical epics. There are
traditionally no dialogues, only songs instead. Artists are trained to sing in their own voice
and in a high pitch to reach the entire crowd, since no amplification
KOOTHU PATTARAI:

In years past there was no formal training institution, school and teacher for koothu. Now to
encourage the dying art there are some workshops called koothu pattarai and some dedicated
schools

The learning consists of various fold, classical and martial

arts forms with contemporary theatre techniques

NEED FOR STAGE DRAMA (KOOTHU PATARAI):

There are many arts vanishing in day-to-day society. In this, Stage drama is one among them. As
stage drama is fascinating part of tamil acting tradition. But now the condition of it was pathetic. They
doesn’t have proper recognition in current society. The work of artist is a powerful resource for
community development, education and they are the one who preserves our culture and remembers
our ancient lifestyles by performing through a play in stage and brings the living and survival of
ancient people in front of our eyes. So there is a need to create space where there is a way to preserve
and recognise the drama culture by creating interesting spaces and comfort zoning to create a curiosity
and learning of outside people to come and explore

OBJECTIVES:

 To identify and understand the life and living of artist and performers and design the
spaces according to it
 The design is to creating a meeting platform for actors, artists, performers and art
lovers to interact and express their talent to outside world
 To create a comfort environment for artist, performers which accommodates living,
workspaces and a space for public gathering
 To ensure physical and psychological comfort such as air flow, circulation path and
proper lighting around the site

SCOPE:

 Studying, analysing and experiencing the working of stage drama.

 Understanding the design process and the role of architecture in the Stage drama.
 Understanding the spatial lacking and design according to that.
 The proposed space should act as a landmark around the surroundings.
 The thrust area for Stage drama has been indentified that are
1. Accoustical architecture
2. Lighting
3. Water architecture
SPACES IN THE COMMUNITY INCLUDES

 Acting school
 Indoor performance space
 Open air theatre
 Artist, and trainers houses
 ‘Light and water show’ space
 Recreation space

1. INDOOR PERFORMANCE:
Indoor performance space was a space for artist to perform the play in
indoor where acoustics is to be treated for sound proofing where in olden days artist
who perform the play has act and sing with high pitch with no amplification. Now the
technologies has developed the indoor performance space accommodates on and off
stage, seating for audience and a small pantry spaces

2. OPEN AIR THEATRE:

An open air theatre is a space where events are conducted outside rather
in a building with steps like seating surrounded by a vegetation gives them a pleasant
atmosphere to the audience to concentrate into the stage play

3. ‘LIGHT AND WATER SHOW’

Light and water show is a show which was performed by drama
artist which displays a story with unity of variety of intriguing media of light,
sound and water. Multi colour lasers, video projections, underwater flames,
water jets and surround sound in symphony with light and live actors produce a
captivating and inspiring presentation. In india, this light, sound and water show
is located only in akshardham temple, New delhi, India
LIMITATIONS:

As the stage art evolved in india, to design a space to recognise the art and artist and
to create a platform for their growth to express the talent around the society, zoning and the
requirement of project is to create the curiosity and attract the people to utilise the space and
develop the art and life of artist. So the study part limited in india
Site:

As the stage drama was evolved in gingee and have good spread over across Southern part
of tamil nadu. But artist around the northeren part of gingee was well experienced, has a lack
of recognition around society. But the people around tamil nadu has a knowledge of stage art

Site area - 15 acres

Site is in at southern part of Chennai around ECR where a mixed use of urban and rural
settled where the increase in the flow of rural people creates a curiosity around the urban
people. This results the flow and increase the growth of art around society

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 Theru Koothu – The dying folk art of Tamilnadu, India – Karna Motcham
 “Theru Koothu” and the Koothu in my theru (The drama in my street) – My

Childhood Nostalgia Series

 https://tvaraj.com/2012/07/03/theru-koothu-the-dying-folk-art-of-
tamilnadu-india/