{"id":215,"date":"2017-10-02T17:29:11","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T14:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/?p=215"},"modified":"2023-05-16T14:45:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T11:45:37","slug":"rukada-the-marionette-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/rukada-the-marionette-theatre\/","title":{"rendered":"<em>Rukada<\/em>, the Marionette Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 12%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-8 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri39.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri39.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-766\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-766'>\n\t\t\t\tThe opening dance of a marionette theatre performance is provided by a Tamil danseuse <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-2 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri40.jpg'><img width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri40.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-767\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-767'>\n\t\t\t\tThe jesters\u2019 dance. The marionettes are operated from above by means of strings <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Sri Lanka has its own form of marionette theatre and its puppets are called <i>rukada<\/i> or \u201cminiature figures\u201d. Like all marionettes, <i>rukadas<\/i> are also operated from above by means of strings. The golden age of the marionette theatre was in the late 19<sup>th<\/sup> century and the early 20<sup>th<\/sup> century. Nowadays only a few groups perform on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, mainly in the vicinity of the village of Ambalangoda.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>The present form of Sri Lanka\u2019s marionette theatre stems from the late 18<sup>th<\/sup> century. However, textual sources mention that mechanical puppets had been used as entertainment during religious festivities as early as the 12<sup>th<\/sup> century AD. The present form is believed to have been introduced to Sri Lanka from South India by the ruling Tamil family of Kandy, the last independent kingdom of the island.<\/p>\n<p>By the mid-20<sup>th<\/sup> century full-length puppet performances became rare and different kinds of variety shows, consisting mainly of short stock numbers, gained popularity. The marionette theatre is still alive in this form. Shows can sometimes be seen during temple fairs and other religious festivities but the performances are mostly aimed at tourists. Lack of public support has put the marionette theatre in great danger of becoming extinct.<\/p>\n<h2>The Repertoire<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 12%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-3 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-8 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri41.jpg'><img width=\"600\" height=\"400\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri41.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-768\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-768'>\n\t\t\t\tA scene from a long marionette play <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Like most forms of Indian puppetry, the marionette theatre of Sri Lanka also imitates forms of live theatre. The first form it imitated was <i>nadagama<\/i>, a South Indian form of recited folk theatre with fantastic semi-historical plots. The next form was <i>nurthi<\/i>, a spoken Parsi folk theatre tradition from Bombay (Mumbai). The former was performed without any stage d\u00e9cor while the latter used painted backdrops.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-4 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-4' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri42.jpg'><img width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri42.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-4-769\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-4-769'>\n\t\t\t\tAn old, large-sized puppet, Colombo Museum <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Many of the early <i>rukada <\/i>plays were set in faraway, exotic European countries. Later, Buddhist <a href=\"http:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/jataka-tales\/\"><i>Jataka<\/i> stories<\/a> were also adapted for the marionette stage. Historical themes concerning the history of Kandy also became popular. The most important example of these historical plays is the <i>Ahalepola nadagama<\/i>, published by Pilippu Singho in 1870. It deals with the tragic end of one of Kandy\u2019s ruling families, the Ahalepolas.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pl-video vimeo ratio43\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/239089592\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"  frameborder=\"0\" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen wmode=\"transparent\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h5>Video clip: A modern puppet imitating a demon dancer <strong>Veli Rosenberg<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-5 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-5' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri43.jpg'><img width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri43.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-5-770\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-5-770'>\n\t\t\t\tA modern puppet imitating a demon dancer <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>After the decline of the <i>nadagama<\/i> tradition puppet theatre adapted characters and dances from theatre forms that were still living, such as <i>kolam, sanni<\/i> and the <i>Kandyan<\/i> <i>dances<\/i>. Nowadays full-length puppet plays are very rare and the shows consist of short stock numbers, such as the opening dance of a Tamil danseuse, derived from <i>nadagama<\/i> theatre, and short dances of a jester and <i>sanni<\/i> demons, as well as scenes with comical <i>kolam<\/i> figures.<\/p>\n<h2>The Stage and the Puppets<\/h2>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-6 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-6' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri44.jpg'><img width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri44.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-6-771\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-6-771'>\n\t\t\t\tA large, old-style puppet of the Tamil danseuse <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>During the golden age of the marionette theatre, at the end of the 19<sup>th<\/sup> and the beginning of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> centuries, there existed permanent theatre halls for the marionette theatre. The stage could be as wide as ten metres and several puppeteers were needed to manipulate the numerous puppet characters.<\/p>\n<p>Today small permanent stages can be found in some of tourist spots in the Amabalangoda region as well as in the houses of the few still active puppeteer families. Otherwise, marionettes now perform mainly on small movable stages constructed of bamboo, wood, and curtains. The puppeteers manipulate the marionettes from behind a curtain or a backdrop, which hangs at the back of the stage.<\/p>\n<p>In former times, when large permanent puppet stages were in existence, the puppets could be over one metre tall. Later, when the marionette theatre has been performed mainly on smaller temporary or portable stages, the puppets have been made to a smaller scale. They are mainly from 30 to 50 centimetres tall.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 20%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-7 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-7' class='gallery galleryid-215 gallery-columns-5 gallery-size-full'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri45.jpg'><img width=\"400\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/sri45.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-7-772\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-7-772'>\n\t\t\t\tA modern, small marionette representing a Kandyan dancer <span>Jukka O. Miettinen<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The heads, bodies and arms of the puppets are carved of light wood. Their costumes resemble those of live actors. In earlier times, when the Portuguese and, later, British influence was apparent, the puppets had an almost European touch. Later, when the marionette theatre adapted themes from local dances and <i>kolam<\/i> and <i>sanni<\/i> theatre, the style of the puppets has increasingly imitated the costumes, masks, and general aesthetics of these, mainly indigenous, traditions. The <i>rukada<\/i> marionette tradition was included in UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2018.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sri Lanka has its own form of marionette theatre and its puppets are called rukada or \u201cminiature figures\u201d. Like all marionettes, rukadas are also operated from above by means of strings. The golden age of the marionette theatre was in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Nowadays only a few groups perform [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[35],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3525,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions\/3525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disco.teak.fi\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}