ABSTRACT
Theatre in India dates back to the first century CE with dramatic pieces written in Sanskrit. The introduction to this volume discusses the Natyasastra at length, which deals specifically with Sanskrit drama. Perhaps one of the most famous pieces is the Abhijnanasakuntalam, or The Recognition of Shakuntala. The Recognition of Shakuntala, The Little Clay Cart, focuses mostly on the foibles of Charudatta, a man of the Brahmin, or priestly, class who is poor, but only because of his generosity to others. During tenth century CE, a king in Kerala began to develop a new form of dance-drama based on the Sanskrit dramas known as kutiyattam, which translates to "combined acting". Other forms emerged in Kerala, including the popular form of kathakali. The most well-known performance form of Indonesia, in addition to its dance-drama forms, is the wayang kulit, the performance of shadow puppets. Ratna Sarumpaet wrote Marsinah: Nyanyian dari Bawah Tanah in 1994.
