The Bhāva Process: An Approach to Understanding the Process of Characterization in the Nāṭyaśāstra
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2019
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University of Hawaii at Manoa
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This dissertation analyzes and applies the characterization process found in the Nāṭyaśāstra to introduce and promote accessibility to Sanskrit play production, or theatre performance connected with the terminology and characterization concepts in the Nāṭyaśāstra. The aim of this work is to provide an accessible guide for theatre practitioners unfamiliar or unacquainted with this genre of theatre. This study first lays out a context and theoretical foundation of rasa and bhāva, specifying their roles as theatrical elements and systemizing their procedural objectives in a production. This analysis presents Rasa Theory to practitioners or theatre scholars not accustomed with Sanskrit poetics, or philosophy. Then the “Bhāva Process” of characterization, developed from chapters 6 and 7 of the Nāṭyaśāstra, is correlated with terms and concepts from the Stanislavski System in order to relate the Natyasastra terminology to Western acting terms and concepts. Based on those concepts and prescriptions, two application models, the “Generic Temperament Chart” and an “Individualized Temperament Chart,” provide specific attributes, traits, and action choices the performer employs in developing characterization. These models are put into practice using examples primarily from the classical Sanskrit play, Śākuntala. The findings reveal similarities of the “Bhāva Process” to contemporary Western characterization approaches. The findings also show the usefulness of the Temperament Charts in deciphering the codification found in the Nāṭyaśāstra and reveal that the creation of an archetypal character has more flexibility than the restrictiveness suggested in the Nāṭyaśāstra. The dissertation prompts a re-thinking of using this ancient process, moving forward to application and production.
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