 Kattaikkuttu
is performed in the open air. India has a very hot climate, so you can
sit outside during the night. Men on one side, women on the other and
children on the first rows.
Two
large bulbs provide the light for the performance. They are suspended from
a wooden frame at the front of the stage.
The audience
sits on the ground on mats or on some hay along three sides of the 'stage'.
There are no chairs. During an eight-hour long performance people get sleepy.
 Some
lie down and take a little nap. That's no problem. The performance goes
on. Many people are familiar with the story of the Mahabharata so they
don't get confused. And if you have lost track of the story because you
slept, your neighbour will wake you up when an exciting scene is about
to happen.
If the audience
likes the acting very much they come on stage. Sometimes just to watch
closer. Sometimes to give an actor some money. The actors will stop the
play and thank the donor loudly for this gift. "The noble Mr. Doraisami
of so and so village has given us ten rupees.
We wish him a long and prosperous life."
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