Kutiyattam: Marriage of an Ancient Art and the New Technology

This presentation traces the development of a multimedia program on Kutiyattam, the Sanskrit theatre of India, perhaps the world's oldest surviving genre of theatre. The program was designed and developed on HyperCard, including QuickTime movies, scanned slides and photographs, and sound. It includes many articles on the subject, as well as a devanagri text and English translation of the Hastalakshanadipika, an ancient Sanskrit manuscript regarded as the source of the gesture language of the actors. The application focuses on stylized gestures which are an essential part of the language of performance, unique patterns of chanting which represent a character's mood and emotions, physical exercises and massage that are used to develop an actor's stamina, discipline, and flexibility, eye exercises and facial expressions which permit performers to convey the deeper meaning of the performance text, and the musical accompaniment which shares an integral place in the performance event. It also identifies some of the notable advantages and disadvantages working with HyperCard.