The performances were shot and recorded on Video 8 tapes by Susan Seizer, the ethnographer, during her dissertation fieldwork from 9/1991- 7/1993. The original collection of Video 8 tapes remains with the ethnographer.

Collection Contents: A total of 31 videos, including 28 performances of Special Drama (aka Iyal Isai Nadakam) + 3 videos of documentary footage from the villages of Valaiyangulam, Madurai and Kothamangam, Chettinadu. The dramas are primarily mythological plays written by Sankaradas Swamigal (1867-1922). Performances are known as Special Drama (Special Nadakam) because each individual artiste is hired specially for every performance; there are no troupes, directors, or rehearsals. Each performance is unique. Musical accompaniment, instrumental and vocal, is a key part of every performance. Songs written by Sankaradas Swamigal are frequently supplemented by the artists with tunes from cinema and folk songs.

This collection is owned by Susan Seizer, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology Indiana University, Bloomington IN, USA and archived in Roja Muthiah Research Library, Chennai.