On the stage, musicians and percussionists sit on one side and actor-singers occupy the centre-stage. Harmonium, Nakkara, and Dholak are the main musical instruments that are used in Nautanki performances. Sometimes a clarinet might be employed. There is often a person in the back corner of the stage who acts as a prompter, helping performers to remember the next line of the piece they are singing. Nautanki scenes are written in a way that there are usually only two to three performers on the stage at one time. The pleasure of Nautankilies in the intense melodic exchanges between the two or three performers; chorus is usually avoided. Traditional Nautankis usually start late at night, often around 10 p.m. or so, and go all night until sunrise the next morning. Nautanki performances start with a collective Vandana. After the Vandana, performers sing individual Bhents. In addition to serving a spiritual and auspicious purpose, the Vandana and Bhents help Nautanki performers to warm up and to gauge their voice before the actual performance begins. After Bhents, the actual performance starts, which is usually an opera based on a popular folk theme derived from romantic tales, mythology, or biographies of local heroes. The performance is often punctuated with individual songs, dances, and skits, which serve as breaks and comic relief for audiences. Audiences sometimes also use these breaks to go to the toilet or pick up food from their homes or nearby shops. There is no intermission in Nautanki performances. As the sun rises, performers and audiences collectively shout a slogan to praise the local deity of the area to mark the end of the performance. However, new Nautanki performances, revolving around social messages about health, women's empowerment, dowry, and family planning, usually happen during the day or in the early evening. Many pro-social performances happen as a part of local health fairs or other cultural events. They are also of a much shorter duration around 2 hours. This is to give audiences an opportunity to watch performances during a break in their daily routine. |