Strikingly enough, this traditional theatre is mainly derived from India but has become fully and genuinely Newarized over the centuries. It gives preference to mythological themes, divine or royal intrigues, far from the daily realities of the people. The performances favor dance, music, stylized gestures, and very rarely includes dialogues. They are fundamentally non-realistic, save, notably, for satirical and comical plays which play a crucial role.
Newar dance theatre belongs to the traditional type of performance. There is limited room for individualism. Reference to the past and to religion dominates. Plays are organized around kinship groups, gender, local territories, and on the ancient caste system. They are governed by premodern rules, they exclude women and rest on a strict hierarchy between the characters, whether divine or royal. In all these topics, they stand in stark contrast to Nepali modern theatre, which is much more concerned with contemporary stakes.
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