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IX. The Theatre of the OrientIndian drama was spoken in Sanskrit which was the most commonly spoken language in India. Sanskrit performances were usually given on special occasions such as religious festivals, marriages, coronations, or victory celebrations. No scenery was used but the stage had painting or carvings that would have symbolic value. Sanskrit drama emerged sometime between 1500 to 1000 B.C. and could not be classified as comedy, tragedy or melodrama, but was based on the concept of Rasa. All the Rasa relate to human emotions. The eight Rasa are erotic, comic, pathetic, furious, heroic, terrible, odious, and marvelous. Two famous Indian plays which deal with the Rasa were The Little Clay Cart by Bhasa and Sakuntala written by Kalidasa. In Japan, three classical forms of theatre exist: Noh theatre, Bunraku theatre and the most classical form, Kabuki theatre. Kabuki is a highly stylized form of theatre that employed lots of scenery and elaborate sets and costumes. Kabuki, like most oriental theatre, did not use women in its theatre performances. Another classical form, Bunraku, is puppet theatre. Each puppet had three operators, but only the master puppeteer's face could be seen. The classic form of Noh, however, started as religious ritual. It had a shite, who was the lead actor, and waki, who was the sidekick or confidante of the shite. Noh theatre utilized an orchestra which had a special position on-stage, but Noh, like Kabuki, did not use women in its performances. Besides the enduring influences of its stylized classical theatre, the Japanese also introduced to the world the revolving stage, a design which is used worldwide.
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