Text and Paratexts in the Samut Thai of Inao No.441 of Thai National Library: A Unique Version of Inao Play in the Transitional Period of Thai Dance-Drama
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Abstract
Background and Objectives: The Samut Thai of Inao play number 441 was written down in a Samut Thai, or folding-book manuscript, which is now kept in the National Library of Thailand, and no record of authorship exists. The Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 is a different version of the Inao of King Rama II, the main version of Inao, and contains various elements relating to the performance. This research aims to examine text and paratexts in the Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 as well as to analyse the relationship between the manuscript and performance management.
Methods: This documentary research consists of examining text and paratexts in the Samut Thai of the performance manuscript Inao play No.441 based on literary and manuscript study approaches, along with connecting the text and paratexts to the dance-drama. This research also compares the text with another related version of the Inao play: the Inao of King Rama II.
Results: The Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 is a unique performance manuscript. The text, which is an Inao play in Klon verse form, was recomposed to represent a new characteristic of Inao, the hero, through the emphasis on thought and reasoning of that character, which does not exist in the same episode of the Inao play of King Rama II. Regarding the paratexts, there are various types of paratexts relating to the performance, for example, Phleng Rong and Phleng Na Phat’ s names, a remark of significant dance, and a list of the dancers’ names.
The text and its paratexts demonstrate that the Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 was used to perform an Inao dance-drama representing the elegant and refined dance of Lakhon Nai, the court dance-drama, as well as portraying a new characteristic of the character distinct from that of the original story. It could also be presumed that the play might have been composed during the reigns of King Rama IV and King Rama V, which are considered as the transitional period of Thai dance-drama. The Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 also reveals the functions of the written manuscript towards the dance-drama, in which the manuscript not only carries on the play text but also gives guidelines for organizing the performance and helps develop the show.
Application of this study: The findings of this study highlight both the approaches and the significance of studying performance manuscripts from the perspectives of literary studies and performing arts studies. The study also provides an example of approaches to adapting dance drama scripts in which character attributes are modified from the original narrative. Furthermore, the findings may stimulate interest in adapting this version of the Inao play for future performances.
Conclusions: The Samut Thai of Inao play No.441 is a unique version of the Inao play that contains values of Thai literature and performance: the value as a new version of an Inao play that becomes an example of a play created in the transitional period of Thai dance-drama and people’s worldview, as well as its value as evidence of a performance manuscript containing various functions in the context of performances from the past that not only help preserve the play-text but also help the performance run smoothly.
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