We have just returned from a fabulous Tamil street festival in Toronto, the first of its kind. Our Legend of Ponnivala was told by a street drama troupe on a large stage! This, too, was a first ever! Roughly 3,000 people watched this excellent teru kuttu (street drama style) performance. The troupe leader, who goes by the name Ramanee, succeeded in compressing our 44 hour sung legend into a 20 minute street play! The photo below is of his college-age daughter. She played several male parts, including that of the main hero of the legend, named Shankar. Congratulations to her! It is great to see a female play lead male parts in a heritage tradition where (previously) men normally stepped in to re-enact a heroine’s adventures. There were plenty of “folk” elements referenced during this weekend of fun and local colour. More photos later… plus a little live video. Watch this space!
