When
the Kattaikkuttu actors arrive in the village they eat dinner in one of
the houses of the organisers. After they have eaten they go to the green
room where they unpack their costumes and get the place oganised. The 'green
room' is a small shed of coconut thatch where the actors do their make-up
and get dressed. In the green room a small light bulb hangs low to the
ground so that the actors have enough light to see their faces during the
make-up.
Every performance
starts with a 'puja'. This is an offer to the
deities. Actors believe that this prayer will protect them from harm.
 For
the puja, the leader of the company draws a sign with white make-up powder
on the make-up stone. He places flowers on the stone and on the large crown
that important Kattaikkuttu characters wear. Then he breaks the coconut
into two halves and sprinkles its water around the puja place. With the
sound of cymbals and drums the green room is cleaned of negative energy.
Next, the organizers of the performance will tell the leader of the company
which story they would like to see. When an important person has died,
there is no choice. On such an occasion the play about the hero Karna who
dies on the battlefield will be performed. People believe that this play
will help the dead person to find peace, just like Karna in the story of
the Mahabharata.
Once he knows
which play the village wants to see, the leader of the company tells each
actor which role he has to perform. The make-up can begin.
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