Dear Colleagues, 

(With apologies for cross-posting), I am please to announce a 2-day hybrid symposium we are organizing at UBC on Kutiyattam and Translation of Sanskrit Theatre,  May 17-18, 2024. The event will feature live performances and engagement with the Nepathya Ensemble of Moozhikkulam, Kerala.  More details below. 

All are welcome to attend in person at UBC Asian Studies in Vancouver—or please join us online through Zoom or Youtube livestream (Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ubcsanskrit).We would love to see you! 

Recordings of talks/discussions/performances will not be available online; we are however planning on creating and releasing edited excerpts at a later date. 
Please distribute to any colleagues, students, or friends who might be interested in Kutiyattam, Sanskrit drama, performance and translation! 

Please direct all queries to ubcsanskrit@gmail.com.

With all best wishes,

—
Adheesh Sathaye
University of British Columbia

——

The Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia is pleased to present:

READING BODY LANGUAGE
A Symposium on the Traditional Performance of Sanskrit Theatre and Its Translation

MAY 17-18, 2024

Location: UBC Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada
HYBRID: In-person & Online (Zoom) 
Event website: nepathya.arts.ubc.ca
Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Alfu6hrTopGNLJtdkwBVQs5KxmSeXtvi9G

This in-person/online symposium brings together leading scholars of Kutiyattam and translators of Sanskrit drama to explore how performance as manifest within the traditional Sanskrit theatre of Kerala might be mobilized to translate Sanskrit bhanas (urban comedic plays) for global audiences. Featuring live demos and backstage experiments by the Nepathya Ensemble from Kerala!

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

May 17] Kutiyattam & Performance (9AM-5PM, Pacific Time)

• Leah Lowthorp (Oregon) | 9AM | “Embodied Cosmopolitanism in Kutiyattam”
• Sudha Gopalakrishnan (Delhi) | 11AM | “Performing Intertextuality”
• Kesavan Veluthat (Delhi) | 3PM | “The Evolution of Kutiyattam”

Live Performance (6-9PM, Pacific Time)
• Nepathya Ensemble (Kerala) | “Nepathya Nepathye: Humor in Traditional Kerala Performing Arts”

May 18] Translating Sanskrit Bhana Plays (10AM-4PM, Pacific Time)

• Fabrizia Baldissera (Firenze) | 10 AM | “The Experience of Translating Bhanas”
• Elena Mucciarelli (Groningen) & Adheesh Sathaye (UBC), with the Nepathya Ensemble (Kerala) | 1PM | Roundtable: “On Transcreating Bhanas” 
>> A discussion of our new publication, “Transcreating Sanskrit Humour through Kūṭiyāṭṭam” _Asian Literature in Translation_ 11.1: 16-51 - (https://alt.cardiffuniversitypress.org/articles/10.18573/alt.66)

PUBLIC KUTIYATTAM PERFORMANCES  in VANCOUVER BY NEPATHYA (KERALA):

MAY 19, 1-4PM] Community Performance

"The Vulture’s Murder” (Jatayuvadham) 
Fleetwood Community Centre, Surrey BC 
Organized by OHM-BC | Tickets: $15 
Buy tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/c4e986d7-0662-4fae-949e-a1518092ce8b

MAY 21, 7-10PM] Gala UBC Performance 

“The Auspicious Flower” (Kalyanasaugandhikam) 
Roy Barnett Hall, UBC, Vancouver BC 
In Conjunction with the RasaFest Conference (UBC Dept. of Philosophy, May 19-22, 2024, rasa.arts.ubc.ca)
Organized by The Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver | Tickets: $30 / Students: $15 
Buy Tickets: https://www.icmsv.org/kutiyattam.html#/

Please visit NEPATHYA.ARTS.UBC.CA to register, purchase tickets, and for more info on all events as well as additional workshops!
For all queries, please contact the organizing team at: ubcsanskrit@gmail.com.

 These events are supported in part by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canada.