74
HELGA WERLE
back of the stage (military and civil hats should be separated, so that those who wear them will not fight with each other!). The costumes are all taken to the left back corner and the other trunks which contain the dressing-tables of the lead-actors (one character of their name is painted on the trunk) are placed wherever space is left. There is one old man in charge to look after the patron-deity of the troupe. He will place the shrine in the middle of the back-stage against the back-wall. The rolled up carpet is taken to the stage.
All this preparatory work is done in complete silence, everyone is afraid lest their name should be uttered before the ceremonial (P'o-t'ai k'ai-lo “breaking of the stage and opening the gongs") otherwise they would be unlucky. If one would name an actor, evil spirits not yet cleared from the stage would get hold of him, and during the performance this actor would slip or forget his text, or he would be unable to sing in tune or otherwise damage the success of the presentation.
In the right back corner of the backstage a space is subdivided for a latrine which is not to be used before the p'o-t'ai ceremony. No outsider is allowed on stage and backstage before the ceremony as they have no knowledge of the strict rules that govern the preparations for a performance. In the afternoon between 3 and 6 o'clock everything is ready for the p'o-t'ai ceremony. All the actors of the troupe are assembled, and all the percussionists sit at their drums and gongs on the left side of the stage.
Two actors of the troupe who are especially trained for this ceremony go out on the stage and stick a coloured strip of paper-money to the four corners of the stage. Then one of them seizes an enormous trident-fork and the other a live cock, which has been especially chosen for its high comb. The one who holds the cock then bites into the cock's comb until it bleeds. He rushes to the four corners of the stage and, holding the cock's head in one hand, he smears blood on the paper-money he stuck there before. And then they both run madly from the left stage entrance to the front of the stage, from there out through the right exit of the stage, rushing through the backstage to the left entrance of the stage. They then cross the stage to the right side where the string and wind instruments of the orchestra are positioned and then back to the left side, where throughout this ceremony all available percussions are beaten in a frantic rhythm. During this mad rush blood
74
HELGA WERLE
back of the stage (military and civil hats should be separated, so that those who wear them will not fight with each other!). The costumes are all taken to the left back corner and the other trunks which contain the dressing-tables of the lead-actors (one character of their name is painted on the trunk) are placed wherever space is left. There is one old man in charge to look after the patron-deity of the troupe. He will place the shrine in the middle of the back- stage against the back-wall. The rolled up carpet is taken to the stage.
All this preparatory work is done in complete silence, everyone is afraid lest their name should be uttered before the ceremonial (P'o-t'ai k'ai-lo
“breaking of the stage and opening the gongs") otherwise they would be unlucky. If one would name an actor, evil spirits not yet cleared from the stage would get hold of him, and during the performance this actor would slip or forget his text, or he would be unable to sing in tune or otherwise damage the success of the presentation.
In the right back corner of the backstage a space is subdivided for a latrine which is not to be used before the p'o-r'ai ceremony. No outsider is allowed on stage and backstage before the ceremony as they have no knowledge of the strict rules that govern the prepara- tions for a performance. In the afternoon between 3 and 6 o'clock everything is ready for the p'o-t'ai ceremony. All the actors of the troupe are assembled, and all the percussionists sit at their drums and gongs on the left side of the stage.
Two actors of the troupe who are especially trained for this ceremony go out on the stage and stick a coloured strip of paper- money to the four corners of the stage. Then one of them seizes an enormous trident-fork and the other a live cock, which has been especially chosen for its high comb. The one who holds the cock then bites into the cock's comb until it bleeds. He rushes to the four corners of the stage and, holding the cock's head in one hand, he smears blood on the paper-money he stuck there before. And then they both run madly from the left stage entrance to the front of the stage, from there out through the right exit of the stage, rushing through the backstage to the left entrance of the stage. They then cross the stage to the right side where the string and wind instruments of the orchestra are positioned and then back to the left side, where throughout this ceremony all available percus- sions are beaten in a frantic rythm. During this mad rush blood
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