Drama
Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa had established “The Story Singing Gompa” in 1832. There His Holiness let “The Story of Moon Cuckoo” drama (in fact it can be described as an opera) happen to play. In his brief biography it is written as: “…in the year of Rabbit (1831) I came back to my native place and had built the Gompa for playing “The Story of Moon Cuckoo” there. That was how I fulfill the conditions for the drama and let its first three scenes to be played…”
The Contemporary researchers regard Noyon Khutugt Danzanravjaa as a founder
of Mongolian Arts of Theatre and also remark “The Story of Moon Cuckoo”
as a one of those outstanding historical, literature and religious drama of
not only Mongolian but also the entire Oriental people.
The Story of Moon Cuckoo used to be played for a whole month duration and
over 100 actors, actresses, nearly 30 stage makers, 60 musicians, face make
up artists and security personalities, etc, all together well over 200 people
participated in this drama.
Whenever this drama happen to be played there were also presented many religious plays about the life stories of Highly attained beings such as Guru Sakyamuni Buddha, Je Atisha and so forth in order to uplift the common people’s education.
His Holiness wrote in one of those many poems:
“It’s excellent if there is no clouds when sunlight is reaching
its zenith
It’s excellent if there is no laziness when youth is learning dharma…”
and it was as an appeal to learn dharma teachings for lay people of that particular
time.
At the “Children’s Gompa”, which was a school established
by His Holiness, kids were equally studying in the different fields of knowledge
regardless of their sex differences. On the basis of this school those actors,
actresses, musicians, singers, praise or prayer singers, dancers, financial
workers, stage makers, sewers and artists were trained for “The Story
of Moon Cuckoo” drama.
The Story of Moon Cuckoo drama hadn’t been played since 1920. But it was recently played by the Mongolian Drama Arts Theatre in 2004.