Abstract:
The great tradition of drama was influenced by
folk drama. In this regard, Japanese folk dramas
such as “Kagura”, “Gigaku” and “Bugaku”
influenced the “Noh” drama style. Similarly,
Sinhala dramas were inspired by Sinhalese folk
dramas such as “Sokari”, “Kolam” and
“Nadagam”. Both the Japanese and Sinhalese
folk dramas were instrumental in developing a
standard acting style, stage techniques, colour
meaning and plot construction. This paper
examines the development of the Japanese
“Noh” drama tradition and the Sri Lankan
dramas based on the influence of their respective
folk drama traditions.