A post-humanist retelling of the epic is presented by UConn Puppet Arts under the direction of Professor Matthew Isaac Cohen and Rahul Koonathara.
About UConn Puppet Arts
Founded in 1968, the Puppet Arts Program at the University of Connecticut is a leading academic center in the United States for the study of puppetry. The program offers BFA, MA, and MFA degrees, as well as an online certificate. Its focus includes puppet design, construction, animation, and history, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration. Graduates of UConn Puppet Arts have become key figures in the world of puppetry on stage, in film, and on television, both in the United States and internationally.
For more information https://drama.uconn.edu/programs/puppet-arts/
The Ramayana is a great epic of South and Southeast Asia that tells the story of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, and Sita, the princess of Mithila. After being exiled to the forest, Sita is abducted by the demon king Ravana, and Rama, with the help of the monkey king Sugriva, sets out to rescue her. In modern interpretations, the story often highlights Sita as the central figure and challenges the traditional image of Rama’s heroism.
The Ramayana is one of the principal sources of narrative for theater and dance throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia. This epic, retold in numerous versions, centers on the relationship between Rama—prince of Ayodhya and an incarnation of the god Vishnu—and Sita, princess of the kingdom of Mithila. Rama wins Sita’s hand through a contest, yet due to a vow once sworn by his father, Rama, Sita, and his brother Lakshmana must undergo exile in the forest.
During the exile, Sita is abducted by the ten-headed demon king Ravana, and Rama allies himself with the monkey king Sugriva to rescue her. After a great battle between the monkey army and the ogre army of Alengka, Rama defeats Ravana, frees Sita, and is finally crowned king of Alengka.
Some versions of the story end with this coronation, but others include an epilogue: Sita must undergo a trial by fire to prove her purity during captivity; she then chooses to leave Rama and raise their two sons alone before finally returning to the earth.
In modern interpretations, the Ramayana often places Sita as the true central figure and questions Rama’s image of heroism.
Tholpavakoothu and Wayang Kulit Purwa
Two of the oldest forms of shadow theatre that depict the Ramayana are tholpavakoothu from Kerala, South India, and the leather shadow puppets (wayang kulit purwa) of Java, Indonesia.
Tholpavakoothu is performed annually in the temples along the Malabar coast by a family of puppeteers known as pulavarDelicately carved leather puppets are played behind a white screen, accompanied by the chanting of verses from Kamba Ramayanam in Tamil and Malayalam, interspersed with humor from the clown character Vidushaka.
Wayang kulit purwa is popular in Javanese villages and palaces, often performed during wedding or circumcision ceremonies. A single puppeteer leads the performance accompanied by a gamelan orchestra, chants mood-setting songs (suluk), and brings humor through the punakawan.
Retelling of the Epic
Production of Ramayana: A Tale of Forests and Trees combines elements of tholpavakoothu and wayang kulit to retell the story of the Ramayana from the perspective of nature and trees. It is inspired by the ideas of anthropologist David Abram and the book The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, this production highlights the role of trees in key scenes such as the breaking of the bow, the battle between Subali and Sugriwa, and the burning of Sita.
We use traditional puppets from Kerala, Java, and Bali, as well as new figures created using traditional techniques and materials. The music is inspired by tholpavakoothu, wayang kulit, and other Asian traditions, including Balinese kecak.
This work was developed as part of the Intercultural Ramayana Project, an initiative of the University of Connecticut that explores the symbol of the “Tree of Life” in interfaith art.
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Cast and Crew
Directors: Matthew Isaac Cohen and Rahul Koonathara
Puppet design and construction of new figures: Rahul Koonathara, Linda Wingerter, Joko Susilo, Tom Tuke, Holly Richmond, Sol Ramirez, Eun Sok Hong, Matthew Isaac Cohen
Performers: Rahul Koonathara, Matthew Isaac Cohen, Poorna Balakumar, Tom Tuke, Sol Ramirez, Holly Richmond
Lighting: Jaron Hollander
Poorna Balakumar is a senior student at UConn majoring in Molecular and Cell Biology, with an individualized major in Asian Art, Culture, and Feminism. She is the captain of UConn ThundeRaas, a nationally ranked Gujarati dance team, and in 2022 she completed her arangetram in Kuchipudi, a classical Indian dance form originating from Andhra Pradesh.
Matthew Isaac Cohen has studied and performed leather shadow puppetry in Indonesia and internationally since 1988. As one of the leading scholar-practitioners of Indonesian performing arts, he has been granted royal titles by three Javanese courts. Since 2019, he has served as a professor in the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut and is an affiliate of the Council of Southeast Asia Studies at Yale University.
Rahul Koonathara is the youngest son of legendary shadow puppet master Padmashri Ramachandra Pulavar and K.N. Rajalakshmi, born into a traditional lineage of puppet makers who have preserved the temple art form tholpavakoothu for the past 12 generations. As a scholar-practitioner, he is currently a graduate student in the Department of Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Connecticut.
Holly Richmond is a playwright and dramaturg currently completing the final year of his undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut. He has also studied playwriting at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center.
Sol Ramirez, an artist, activist, musician, and puppeteer, is a first-year BFA student in Puppet Arts at UConn. He has worked with Paperhand Puppet Intervention, Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, and is the creator/director of 1, 2, 3 Puppetry based in North Carolina.
Tom Tuke is an artist, puppeteer, and educator from New Zealand, currently completing a master’s degree in Puppet Arts at the University of Connecticut.
Special thanks to:
Professor I Nyoman Sedana, Linda Wingerter, Dr. Sohyun Park, Dr. Joko Susilo, Padmasri Ramchandra Pulavar, Rajeev Pulavar, Professor Bart Roccoberton, Matt Sorensen, UConn’s Department of Dramatic Arts, UConn’s Asian and Asian American Studies Institute, UConn Global Affairs, Kathryn Moore, and the UConn Abrahamic Story of the Tree project.