P. Rajagopal Chronology
1953 Born in Perungattur as son of C. Ponnucami and P. Bhagyammal
1963 Leaves elementary school to join his father’s theatre company
1971 Takes over company after his father’s death; begins performing all principal roles
1978 Combines to theatre companies and leads all performances of the Arcot Paratam, one of the most important Mahabharata Festival in the region happening once in ten years
1982 Visits Yakshagana Kendra in Udupi and realized Tamil Nadu has no school for Kattaikkuttu
1982 International tour to Italy (one month)
1987 Meets Hanne in Kalavai
1988 Starts theatre school in Perungattur (funded by Netherlands Embassy)
1989 Writes first play Enkalukkum Uyir Undu (We Also Live) for students of the Perungattur theatre school
1990 Calls upon fellow performers to come together across company and stylistic boundaries; establishment of the Kattaikkuttu Sangam in Kanchipuram (Nagariswarar Temple)
1991 First Kattaikkuttu theatre festival organized by the Sangam to show case different Kattaikkuttu styles; the festival will be repeated annually
1991 Vilayattin Vilaivu (War Games) – environmental play
1992 Pancha Bhutam (Five Elements) - all-night original story highlighting the theme of environment (in cooperation with the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation)
1994 Veriyattam allatu Tantira Kuratti (Possession or the Gypsy’s Ruse) - all-night play highlighting the viram (heroic) element of Kattaikkuttu and highlighting on various forms of veri or “madness/possession” which impede social and ecological harmony
1996 Vilvalaippu (Bending of the Bow) - all-night play in Kattaikkuttu style performed by all-women cast
1997 Mayakkutirai (Magic Horse) - children's play about power (sakti) and communication.
1998 Mahaparatam (Mahabharata) - 9 hour production of the epic Mahabharata performed by a group of 60 Kattaikkuttu actors and actresses on the occasion of the celebration of India's fifty years of independence.
2000 Curates South Indian Theatre Festival together with Hanne. This five night-long Festival introduces wide range of Indian theatre, dance and puppetry forms—traditional, folk and contemporary—to predominantly rural audiences, but also to urban and international theatre enthousiasts
2001 Jeya Vijaya - written & produced for the 11th Kattaikkuttu Festival
2002 Parkadal (Milky Ocean) - contemporary parody in Kattaikkuttu style on the theme of the churning of the ocean performed by the Sangam’s repertory company
2002 Establishes the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam in Kanchipuram
2005 Co-curator of South Indian Theatre Festival held in Punjarasantankal
2005 Mayakkutirai, Veriyattam & Parkadal – 90 mins versions produced for the South Indian Theatre Festival 2005 (organized by the Kattaikkuttu Sangam) and performed by the students of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam (then 5 to 15 years old)
2006 Inauguration of the Kuttu Kalai Kudam, the new facilities in Punjarasantankal housing the Sangam and the Gurukulam
2007 Vituttal (Deliverance) - adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore play performed at the Rabindra Utsav 2007, Kolkata
2008 Initiates Kattaikkuttu Young Professionals Company; its members are senior students and graduates of the Gurukulam
2008 Azhiyaa Cottu (Inalienable property) – produced for the Sarva Shikshya Abhiyan Program, Kanchipuram District
2010 Ulakam Ulankaiyil (The World in Your Hand – 45 minutes play to create awareness about rights with regard to mobile telephony among rural consumers (commissioned by Chennai based Consumers organization on behalf of TRAI
2011 RamaRavana (90 mins) – produced for the 2011 Ramayana Festival of Adishakti Theatre, Pondicherry
2011 Abhimanyu – original play (all-night) developed to build the repertory of the Kattaikkuttu Young Professionals Company; sponsored by the Ministry of Culture
2012 Tripurakkali – all-night extension of Vituttal, P. Rajagopal’s adaptation of a Rabindranath Tagore play; sponsored by the Ministry of Culture under the Tagore Commemoration Scheme
2013 Subhadra Kalyanam — traditional all-night play performed by the Kattaikkuttu Young Professionals
2014 Tukil – produced for “An Evening of Kattaikkuttu: Appreciating Tamil Theatre” at the Music Akademi, Chennai
2015 Draupadi Kuravanchi — produced for Shraddha and performed on 4 consecutive nights at Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai
2015 Krishna’s Embassy — produced for Urur Olcott (alternative Markazhi) Festival commissioned by T.M. Krishna
2016 Pakatai Tukil (Dice and Disrobing), all-night production adapted from the traditional play
Mayakkutirai (Magic Horse) by the junior students of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam
2017 Retake of all-night Abhimanyu (adapted and directed by P. Rajagopal)
2017 Retake of Pancha Bhutam written and directed by P. Rajagopal; performed by junior students of the Kattaikkuttu Gurukulam
2017 Kattaikkuttu performances at Delhi Public School, Pune, as part of Junoon Arts Encounters at Schools
2017 Karnatic Kattaikkuttu, experimental production in collaboration with T.M. Krishna, Sangeeta Sivakumar and their ensemble of musicians, conceptualized by P. Rajagopal and TM Krishna; Mumbai, St. Andrew’s Auditorium; produced by First Edition Arts
2018 Workshop for students of Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique (CNSAD) Paris, France
2018 Last scene from Abhimanyu- produced by Urur-Olcott Kuppam Vizhaat at the Raga Sudha Hall, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Commissioned by T.M. Krishna.