Paper short abstract:

In Cambodian theatre, clowns are disruptive of the theatrical conventions applied to the other actors. In a ritual context, they stand as necessary participants. How do clowns play an essential part in the ritual performance of a classic epic story and what is the broader social significance?

Paper long abstract:

Khmer lkhon khol is an all-male drama performing exclusively excerpts from the Ramakerti epic, the Khmer version of the Indian Ramayana. In rural settings, performances take the form of a propitiatory ritual yearly offered to local ancestor spirits and deities from the Khmer pantheon. This complex ritual extends over five days during which actors mime the epic while narrators sing and chant actions and dialogues in a upper linguistic register. During the performance, some villagers are possessed by local ancestor spirits who solemnly receive the theatrical offering. Another element is essential to the performance of this ritual and strikingly contrasts with the overall performance: the interventions of tlok (clowns). These ambivalent characters stand emancipated from any of the choreographic norms governing the acting in lkhon khol, purposely ignoring linguistic conventions. They step into the performance, shouting jokes and satires, disrupting the unfolding of the epic with political commentaries and burlesque gesticulations. Nevertheless, these clowns are of primary importance to the proper conduction of the ritual and take the lead in the staging of its symbolic climax: the release of the waters, thus anticipating an abundant upcoming agrarian season. Unconventional and disruptive, what makes clowns so necessary in this ritual? Which modalities regulate their interventions? How does their ambivalent behavior relate to the broader social implications of the ritual?