Over 150 attendees gathered at Puppet Showplace on August 10 for a very special presentation by one of the pre-eminent practitioners of tholpavakoothu — a ritual shadow puppetry style from Kerala, India!

We were honored to present one of the most noted practitioners of tholpavakoothu in the world, Padmashri Ramachandra Pulavar, as part of his first-ever visit to the United States.

Pulavar is an 11th-generation practitioner of the art form, and was awarded one of the highest cultural honors in India for his work using tholpavakoothu to address contemporary themes, such as the life of Gandhi, HIV awareness, and COVID-19 stories.

With his son Rahul Koonathara, a 12th-generation tholpavakoothu artist, and a team of guest puppeteers from the Puppet Arts program at the University of Connecticut, Pulavar presented a short version of the Ramayana to a packed audience.

So many people RSVP’d for this Pay-What-You-Will outdoor event that when thunderstorms appeared in the forecast and we had to move indoors, the artists immediately offered the idea of presenting two showings instead of one, allowing two packed houses to experience this art form for the first time in Greater Boston.

From 3- and 4-year-olds giggling at the golden deer’s backflips, to adult puppetry lovers who told us that this performance was a “bucket list” experience for them, this short presentation of tales from the Ramayana touched puppet fans of all ages.

While Puppet Showplace is known for our investment in new works — through our Incubator Program and our Creative Residency for Black Puppeteers — we find it equally important to present contemporary artists working in traditional puppetry styles, from the Punch and Judy tradition in hand puppetry, to string marionettes, to wayang kulit from Indonesia…and now, tholpavakoothu!

Thank you to the Town of Brookline Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations (ODICR); the Brookline Asian-American Family Network (BAAFN); and the Brookline Community Foundation for supporting this presentation...and thank you, our audiences! Your attendance and your contributions make special events like this one possible.

Help us continue to bring special events like Tholpavakoothu to our stage! →