It originated from an earlier art form Harikathakalakshepam which used similar techniques, but differed in theme and style.
Its chief and later exponents were Swami Brahmavruthan, M. P. Manmadhan, K. K. Vadhyar, P. C. Abraham, Joseph Kaimaparamban, V. Sambasivan, Kedamangalam Sadanandan, Kadavoor Balan,Dr.
[citation needed] Nadakkal Ashokkumar performed Kadhaprasangam in Temples, Cultural organisations, All India radio and Dooradarsan.
The scripts can be original works written for the performance or adaptations of stories from epics, classical, or modern literature.
William Shakespeare's Othello, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Kumaran Asan's Karuna, Vallathol Narayana Menon’s Magdalana Mariyam, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai's Ramanan, Thirunalloor Karunakaran's Rani and Vayalar Ramavarma's Aaayisha were some of the literary classics thus successfully adapted for Kadhaprasangam.