The Role of Religion in Shaping Early Asian Theatre Culture

This essay delves into the significant impact of religion on the development of early Asian theatre, primarily focusing on the theatrical traditions of India and China. It highlights the similarities in imperial rule and the use of makeup and props to convey emotions. The essay discusses the dominance of Hinduism and Sanskrit in Indian theatre, exemplified by Sanskrit dramas and the Natyasashtra, which included both male and female actors. It also examines the caste system's influence on theatrical performances. In contrast, the essay explores how Buddhism influenced Chinese theatre, including the state-sponsored acting schools and the Kunqu opera. It analyzes the use of regional dialects and the themes of mythology and romance, referencing plays like "The Peony Pavilion." The essay concludes by emphasizing the role of religious beliefs in shaping societal structures and theatrical practices, showcasing the cultural diversity and artistic adaptations within early Asian theatre.

Running Head: RELIGION AND EARLY ASIAN THEATRE
Religion and Early Asian Theatre
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Theatre and civilization has most often been as the mirror reflection of each other for the
scholars as well as the philosophers has drawn shown affinity of the civilization and the cultures
prevailing in it depicted in the theatre and art of the time. The most pivotal point of the Early
Asian Theatre was that the art and theatre cultural was totally detached from the on-going
culturally rich theatre culture of the Greek. Unlike most of the Greek theatrical practices, the
cultural and social subjects regarding which the theatre were formed were based on the religious
cultures of the civilization. When talking about the theatre in the Asian context, the scope of the
view is huge as the area covered by the Asian continent consists of vastly different areas falling
together who were joined by the their affinity of connecting and inducing theatrical context from
and in accordance to the major religious practices prevailing in the society. The thesis statement
of the essay can be narrowed down to the influence and impact of religions prevailing in China
and India and how the performing art culture was the direct reflection of conforming to those
norms or showing their resent o nonconformity with it.
Discussion
There are certain similarity between the three most important nations which has a strong
history of theatre culture which are India, China and Japan. The most important similar feature is
the imperial rule at the time. Each of the country were under rulers and they were constantly
being expanded under different rulers and through trade. The use of makeup and props to signify
and communicate the emotions to the audience was common to all along with elaborate dancing
and singing which were relevant in depicting the central theme of the plays (Hoff). They were all
related and induced as a form of art of preaching religious scriptures and practices among the
illiterate population.

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India
India, as the land of immense rich culture and mineral has been subjected to a number of
rulers each trying to exert their own culture but the most prominent was the religious culture of
the early times when India consisted of a combined empire of Pakistan and Bangladesh as well.
But throughout the conflicting history of the changing rulers, one thing that has been found to
have stayed the same is the dominance of the Hindu religion and the language Sanskrit in which
most Hindu scriptures were written. For this reason, the language was considered to be the
religion of sophisticated and scholars particularly religious scholars (Yousof). The language
prevalence and domination was not simply due to the fact that the majority and the dominant
population was of Hindus but due to the social division of the population in castes. The social
structure was very stringent and divided into different categories known as the caste system
which was established since the Aryan civilization. The upper caste consisted of the Brahmans or
the priest who were the sole determinants of the society in terms of profession, culture and even
food. The Brahmans could only learn the language the lowest caste, the shudras were not
allowed to learn the language, sit among them or even have the same food. They were barred
from entering temples (religious sites).
The first theatre recorded in the Indian theatre was that of the Sanskrit drama of which
there is no measurable amount of literature or historical evidences are present apart from the
book ‘Natyasashtra’ which translates to ‘Theatre Science’ in English (Wale). The book depicts
important evidences of the theatre culture and shows the inclusion of men as well as women as
actors with plays and acts completely equipped with songs on which dance performances used to
be based. The art was a depiction of the Hinduism line of assumption that the universe be a
reflection of unity which was expressed through dance, songs and dialogues which forms the

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complete play (Figueira). The plays were meant for the entertainment of the high classes and for
the education of the lower castes due to which the parts involving or depicting the lower caste
was shown to communicate in ethnic language which was spoken by them. Their decline and the
reason behind it has been untraceable and even most of the writings of the period has been lost.
There only a dozen of scriptures which has been found, the most popular among them being
Shakuntala, a tale of supernatural and mythology.
China
China’s history of theatre has its origin predated from the start of the early Asian theatre
period as the practice of performance can be traced back from the times of court performances
and the practice of the emperors of keeping jesters in the court who provided relief from the
administration. Due to the trade with the Indian subcontinent, Buddhism reached china and was
widely accepted and practiced in the society and even supported by the rulers. Unlike Hinduism,
Buddhism incorporated the theme of equality and demanded equal treatment of all living things
due to the religious connotation of living thing as a part of God himself. The theatre was state
sponsored with the earliest history of the establishment of acting school called the Pear Garden.
The Chinese theatre culture like India saw the emergence of music drama from the two
part of the country which was later merged in Kunqu opera which was performed in the
mandarin language (Dong, Jiangping, and Johan). However, language segregation was prevalent
in the Chinese theatre as well for the lower caste characters spoke regional dialect and was also
considered to be elegant due to the use of mandarin language, the same place given to the
Sanskrit drama. The practice of sponsored art is still prevalent in the society with various
companies sponsoring plays and arts. They had elaborate makeup with facial expressions which
depicted emotions and were based on the theme of religion and showed the romanticized version

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of myths and supernatural (Feng). The most important play of the time which is still present is
‘The Peony Pavilion’ which is the story of a young girl living a life in the dream and the ruler of
the land giving her the permission to go back into that world to find her lover. In this regard it is
found to be similar to the plot of Shakuntala. The performances are mostly of huge duration and
the people from all strata of the society were allowed to attend the play with special places saved
for the sponsors.
Conclusion
The Early Asian Theatre period depicts the impact and influence of religion and its
impact on the structure of the society. The Asian continent due to its vastness was divided into
vast lands under different rulers which were populated with people of different religion and
culture which can be seen with the performance style and depiction of the narrative from the
plays. The enriched Asian culture shows the early adaptation and maturation of the civilization
with the Chinese theatre being encouraged by the rulers themselves. The most important fact
depicted is the use of artificial props and makeup to add to the meaning and communication to
the audience.

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Hoff, Karla. Caste system. The World Bank, 2016.
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