Puppetry

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:18:50 +0100

Puppetry

"Puppet show" redirects here. For other uses, see Puppet show (disambiguation).

Performing arts
Major forms
Dance · Music · Opera · Theatre ·Circus Arts
Minor forms
Magic · Puppetry
Genres
Drama · Tragedy · Comedy ·Tragicomedy · Romance · Satire ·Epic · Lyric

Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC.^[1] Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects. Puppetry is used in almost all human societies both as an entertainment – in performance – and ceremonially in rituals and celebrations such as carnivals.^[2]

Most puppetry involves storytelling. The impact of puppetry depends on the process of transformation of puppets, which has much in common withmagic and with play. Thus puppetry can create complex and magical theatre with relatively small resources.

History of puppetry

Puppetry is a very ancient art form, thought to have originated about 30,000 years ago ^[1]. Puppets have been used since the earliest times to animate and communicate the ideas and needs of human societies.^[3] Some historians claim that they pre-date actors in theatre. There is evidence that they were used in Egypt as early as 2000 BC when string-operated figures of wood were manipulated to perform the action of kneading bread. Wire controlled, articulated puppets made of clay and ivory have also been found in Egyptian tombs.Hieroglyphs also describe "walking statues" being used in Ancient Egyptian religious dramas.^[1] The oldest written record of puppetry can be found in the written records of Xenophondating from around 422 BC.

"A Children's Puppet Show" (傀儡婴戏图轴), a painting by Chinese artist Liu Songnian (刘松年 1174-1224 AD), Song Dynasty

Asia

Evidence of earliest puppetry comes from the excavations at the Indus Valley Civilization.^[4] Archaeologists have unearthed terracotta dolls with detachable heads capable of manipulation by a string dating to 2500 BC.^[4] Other excavations include terracotta animals which could be manipulated up and down a stick, achieving minimum animation in both cases.^[4] The epic Mahabharata, Tamil literature from the Sangam Era, and various literary works dating from the late centuries BC to the early centuries of the Common Era, including Ashokan edicts, describe puppets.^[5]Works like the Natya Shastra and the Kamasutra elaborate on puppetry in some detail.^[6] The Javanese Wayang theater was influenced by Indiantraditions.^[7] Europeans developed puppetry as a result of extensive contact with the Eastern World.^[8] Some scholars trace the origin of puppets to India 4000 years ago, where the main character in Sanskrit plays was known as "Sutradhara", "the holder of strings".^[9] China has a history of puppetry dating back 2000 years, originally in "pi-ying xi", the "theatre of the lantern shadows", or, as it is more commonly known today, Chinese shadow theatre. By the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), puppets played to all social classes including the courts, yet puppeteers, as in Europe, were considered to be from a lower social stratum.^[1] In Taiwan, budaixi puppet shows, somewhat similar to the Japanese Bunraku, occur with puppeteers working in the background or underground. Some very experienced puppeteers can manipulate their puppets to perform various stunts, for example, somersaults in the air.

Japan has many forms of puppetry, including the bunraku. Bunraku developed out of Shinto temple rites and gradually became a highly sophisticated form of puppetry. Gidayu Takemoto and Monzaemon Chikamatsu were two noted banraku puppeteers. By 1730 it three puppeteers were required to operate each puppet in full view of the audience.^[1] The puppeteers, who dressed all in black, would become invisible when standing against a black background, while the torches illuminated only the carved, painted and costumed wooden puppets.

Chinese Shadow Puppet (Beijing Style)

Chinese Stick Puppets

Sanbaso Bunraku Puppet, Tonda Puppet Troupe, Japan

Wayang topeng or wayang gedog or wayang wong

An act in the wayang wongperformance.

Wayang wong also known as Wayang orang (literally human wayang) is a type of theatrical performance with themes from the kingdom of Jenggala, in which the players wear masks known as wayang topeng or wayang gedog. The word "gedog" comes from "kedok", which, like "topeng" means "mask". The main theme is the story of Raden Panji and Candra. This is a love story about princess Candra Kirana of Kediri and Raden Panji Asmarabangun, the crown prince of Jenggala. Candra Kirana was the incarnation of Dewi Ratih (goddess of love) and Panji was an incarnation ofKamajaya (god of love). Kirana's story was given the title "Smaradahana" ("The fire of love"). At the end of the complicated story they finally can marry and bring forth a son, named Raja Putra. Panji Asmarabangun ruled Jenggala under the official names "Sri Kameswara", "Prabu Suryowiseso", and "Hino Kertapati". Originally, wayang wong was performed only as an aristocratic entertainment in four palaces of Yogyakarta andSurakarta. In the course of time, it spread to become a popular and folk form as well.

Wayang wong has fixed patterns of movement and costume:

For male performers:

Alus: very slow, elegant and smooth movement. For example, the dance of Arjuna, Puntadewa and all other slimly built Kshatriyas. There are two types of movement, lanyap andluruh.

Gagah:
- Kambeng: a more athletic dance, used for the roles of Bima, Antareja, and Ghatotkacha.
- Bapang: gagah and kasar for the warriors of Kaurawa.
- Kalang kinantang: falls somewhere between alus and gagah, danced by tall, slim dancers in the roles of Kresno or Suteja.

Kasar: a coarse style, used in portraying ogres and demons.

Gecul: ponokawan and cantrik
- Kambeng dengklik: for ape warriors, such as Hanuman.
- Kalang kinantang dengklik: for ape warriors, such as Sugriwa and Subali.

For female performers: Kshatriya noblemen. Costumes and props distinguish kings, Kshatriyas, monks, princesses, The movements known as nggruda or ngenceng encot in the classical high style of dance consist of nine basic movements (joged pokok) and twelve other movements (joged gubahan and joged wirogo) and are used in portraying Bedoyo andSrimpi.

Today, the wayang wong, following the Gagrak style of Surakarta, is danced by women. They follow the alus movements associated with a Kshatriya, resembling Arjuna. Following theGagkra style from Yogyakarta a male dancer uses these same Alus movements to depict princes and generals. There are about 45 distinct character types.

WAYANG

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:59:37 +0100

Wayang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Wayang kulit)

Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) in Wayang Purwa type, depicting five Pandava, from left to right: Bhima, Arjuna, Yudhishtira, Nakula, and Sahadeva, Indonesia Museum, Jakarta.

Wayang is an Indonesian word for theatre (literally "shadow").^[1] When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theater, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali.

UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet theater and the best known of the Indonesian wayang, as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return of the acknowledgment, UNESCO demanded Indonesia to preserve their heritage.^[2]

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[edit]History of Wayang Kulit

Wayang shadow-puppet (Bali, early 20th century)

Wayang is a generic term denoting traditional theatre in Indonesia. There is no evidence that wayang existed before Hinduism came to Southeast Asiasometime in the first century CE brought in by Indian traders. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE which says "si Galigi mawayang," or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bhima from the Mahabharata.

Wayang Kulit is a very unique form of theatre employing the principle of light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen.

Wayang Kulit plays are invariably based on romantic tales, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, "The Mahabarata" and "The Ramayana". Some of the plays are also based on local happenings (current issues) or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or "Tok Dalang" to decide his direction.

A Dalang performing Wayang Kulit in Java, circa 1890.

The Dalang is the genius behind the entire performance. It is he who sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a resonant melody and its conventional rhythm, the Dalang modulates his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Invariably, the play climaxes with the triumph of good over evil.

Hinduism arrived in Indonesia from India even before the Christian era, and was slowly adopted as the local belief system. Sanskrit became the literary and court language of Java and later of Bali. The Hindus changed the Wayang (as did the Muslims, later) to spread their religion, mostly by stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. Later this mixture of religion and wayang play was praised as harmony between Hinduism and traditional Indonesian culture. On Java, the western part of Sumatra and some smaller islands traditionalists continued to play the old stories for some time, but the influence of Hinduism prevailed and the traditional stories either fell into oblivion or were integrated into the Hinduistic plays.

The figures of the wayang are also present in the paintings of that time, for example, the roof murals of the courtroom in Klungkung, Bali. They are still present in traditional Balinese painting today.

When Islam began spreading in Indonesia, the display of God or gods in human form was prohibited, and thus this style of painting and shadow play was suppressed. King Raden Patah of Demak, Java, wanted to see the wayang in its traditional form, but failed to obtain permission from the Muslim religious leaders. As an alternative, the religious leaders converted the wayang golek into wayang purwa made from leather, and displayed only the shadow instead of the figures itself.^{[citation needed]} Instead of the forbidden figures only their shadow picture was displayed, the birth of the wayang kulit.^{[citation needed]}

The figures are painted, flat woodcarvings (a maximum of 5 to 15 mm thick -- barely half an inch) with movable arms. The head is solidly attached to the body. Wayang klitik can be used to perform puppet plays either during the day or at night. This type of wayang is relatively rare.

Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang, who command extravagant fees and are international celebrities. Some of the most famous dalang in recent history are Ki Nartosabdho, Ki Anom Suroto, Ki Asep Sunarya, Ki Sugino, and Ki Manteb Sudarsono.

[edit]Wayang kulit

Wayang kulit as seen from the shadow side

Wayang kulit, shadow puppets prevalent in Java and Bali in Indonesia, are without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian wayang. Kulit means skin, and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.

The stories are usually drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Serat Menak.

There is a family of characters in Javanese wayang called Punakawan; they are sometimes referred to as "clown-servants" because they normally are associated with the story's hero, and provide humorous and philosophical interludes. Semar is the father of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and Bagong(youngest son). These characters did not originate in the Hindu epics, but were added later, possibly to introduce mystical aspects of Islam into the Hindu-Javanese stories. They provide something akin to a political cabaret, dealing with gossip and contemporary affairs.

The puppets figures themselves vary from place to place. In Central Java the city of Surakarta (Solo) is most famous and is the most commonly imitated style of puppets. Regional styles of shadow puppets can also be found in West Java, Banyumas, Cirebon, Semarang, and East Java. Bali produces more compact and naturalistic figures, and Lombok has figures representing real people. Often modern-world objects as bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and ships will be added for comic effect, but for the most part the traditional puppet designs have changed little in the last 300 years.

Historically, the performance consisted of shadows cast on a cotton screen and an oil lamp. Today, the source of light used in wayang performance in Java is most often a halogen electric light. Some modern forms of wayang such as Wayang Sandosa created in the Art Academy at Surakarta (STSI) has employed spotlights, colored lights and other innovations.

The handwork involved in making a wayang kulit figure that is suitable for a performance takes several weeks, with the artists working together in groups. They start from master models (typically on paper) which are traced out onto kulit (skin or parchment), providing the figures with an outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut (such as for the mouth or eyes). The figures are then smoothed, usually with a glass bottle, and primed. The structure is inspected and eventually the details are worked through. A further smoothing follows before individual painting, which is undertaken by yet another craftsman. Finally, the movable parts (upper arms, lower arms with hands and the associated sticks for manipulation) mounted on the body, which has a central staff by which it is held. A crew makes up to ten figures at a time, typically completing that number over the course of a week.

The painting of less expensive puppets is handled expediently with a spray technique, using templates, and with a different person handling each color. Less expensive puppets, often sold to children during performances, are sometimes made on cardboard instead of leather.

[edit]Wayang topeng or wayang gedog or wayang wong

Félicien Trewey

Félicien Trewey, born Félicien-François Trevey (May 23, 1848 - December 2, 1920), was a French magician, mime, comedian, vaudevillian, tightrope walker, balance artist, dancer, musician, chapeaugraphist and shadowgraphist.^[1]^[2] The principal of Trewey's entertainment was balancing tricks, which at the time he was a grand master.^[3] He was a great card-thrower, scaling cards at great distances. He gave musical entertainment with instruments of his own invention. He had great skill in the uncommon art of writing any words selected by his audience backwards and was an exceptional lightning sketch artist. King Edward VII had witnessed Trewey on many occasions and the Emperor of Austria, Baron Rothschild, as well as many others, have on more than one occasion sent for him to come perform for them.^[4] He has also played in several films directed by his good friend Louis Lumière of The Lumière Brothers, including Chapeaux a Transformations (1895), The Photographe (1895), Danseuses des rues (1896), and was uncredited in the 1895 film Partie de cartes ("Card Game"; US title: The Messers. Lumière at Cards).^[5]^[6]

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[edit]Life and career

Trewey was born in a workshop in the paper-making town of Angoulême in France. His father was a machinist who worked at one of the manufactories and lived on the premises.^[7]Although his father wanted him to become an engineer at the manufactory, Trewey made up his mind what he wanted to do at seven years old. He was taken to a circus in Marseilleand saw a conjurer. He immediately began practicing juggling and magic tricks. His performances were accepted and encouraged by his schoolmates. He set up a "rough proscenium" at a back window of his dad's house where he performed the ever-so-popular Punch and Judy by draping rags over his hands.

At the age of ten, his father tried yielding his love of conjuring by sending him to a seminary to become a priest. There he would practice his love in the gymnasium. He did very good in the school plays there and always tried being the comic man.^[8] After three years at the seminar, his parents went to Marseille for a short holiday but decided to stay. As he was kept at home, engineering boosted and he went to work in the factory daily. It was actually a delightful change and he could go see all the conjurers and jugglers at the circus. He worked around a lathe which could make conjuring items and being surrounded by items he could balance (i.e. hammers, vices, anvils) he practiced and progressed his skills rapidly.

At fifteen years old, and after practicing since he was seven, he decided he could perform publicly and being near expert he went on to his professional career after running away with a not-much-older professional acrobat. The two traveling boys were fairly successful while performing at cafes around the neighborhoods, but at times they found themselves tired and hungry.^[9] Sometimes they had to rely on borrowing objects from the owner of the cafe for juggling and balancing feats such as knives, bottles, forks and such. After a year on the road, his reputation grew and landed him in a Marseille music hall, making tenpence (a coin worth ten pennies) a day. He took part in comedy and pantomime every night. The audience appreciated the performances by throwing money onto the stage, which Trewey got a good share of. He saved up enough money to buy himself two new costumes. He was able to command himself an engagement at the Alcazar, a principal place for amusement in Marseille, where he found himself his first great success.^[10] He was now seventeen years old and his success was constantly improving, as was his skills. He soon became a favorite performer in popular towns South of France for the next three to four years. He then went back to being a peripatetic and became a proprietor of a traveling caravan pantomime and variety company. During their travels, Trewey would play many parts, including Pierrot and Cassandre, the clown and pantaloon of French pantomime. He also danced the "Clodoche", a grotesque quadrille^[11].

Trewey was most successful in Bordeaux, performing new feats of balancing, a new and original style of entertainment at the time. It was a style he became identified with and "Treweyism" became a household word. His appearance of "the clown de Salon" consists of a black skin-tight costume, a chalked face, and a white powdered periwig. He was offered a performance at the Concert des Ambassadeurs in Paris and it was there his success was complete. Since then, he was never without any gigs. He stayed in Paris for nine years, performing at all the principal places of entertainment. Afterwards, he toured in many places around Europe (i.e. Austria, Belgium, Spain, Russia, Germany, England) with great success. His success was so great in Spain, matchboxes were sold bearing his portrait. His portrait (with political and social significance) appeared in well-known papers all across Europe, including Journal Illustre, Illustrationa Spana y America, Der Wostellung Zeitung, La Campana de Gracia, La Bombe, Le Jeune Garde, La Caricature, The Entr'acte, The Looking Glass, and The Northern Review. In 1889, when Trewey was around 40 years of age, he joined Alexander Herrmann in New York. Then in the later half of 1920, after living a long successful, eventful and strenuous life, Trewey died at an advanced age (72); the same year his book The Art of Shadowgraphy: How it is Done was published.

Shadowgraphy

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:56:01 +0100

Shadowgraphy (performing art)

Performing arts
Major forms
Dance · Music · Opera · Theatre ·Circus Arts
Minor forms
Magic · Puppetry
Genres
Drama · Tragedy · Comedy ·Tragicomedy · Romance · Satire ·Epic · Lyric

Shadowgraphy or ombromanie is the art of performing a story or show using images made by hand shadows. It can be called "cinema in silhouette". Shadowgraphy is not to be confused with shadowgraphy associated with radiographs or the broad topic of "shadowgraphs". It should also not be mixed-up with shadow puppetry or shadow play--shadows formed using cutouts, puppets and other articulated figures. Performers of the art are often called a shadowgraphist or shadowgrapher.

The art has declined since the late 19th century when electricity became available to homes because light bulbs and electric lamps do not give off good shadows and also because cinema and television was becoming a new form of entertainment. Shadows are greatly defined by candlelight and therefore hand shadows were common in earlier centuries.

The modern art of hand shadows was made popular by the French magician Félicien Trewey in the 19th century.^[1] He popularized the art by making silhouettes of famous personalities.

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[edit]Origin

Since shadows have existed since the existence of objects obstructing light, it is hard to say when the art was first used by humans for entertainment. It could have been practiced by ancient or later humans, but it probably originated in the Far East.^[2] It was very popular in Europe in the 19th century. It was also prominent in France where it was called Ombres Chinoises which means "Chinese shadows".

[edit]Prevalence

Though the art is popular amongst different kinds of entertainers it seems prominent amongst magicians, because it was popularized by a magician and inspired many other magicians. The French magician Félicien Trewey was inspired by the ancient art of shadow puppetry and popularized the art by making hand shadows of famous personalities.^[3] He perfected the widely known elephant, bird, and cat hand shadows^[4] and had even created some of his own, such as The Volunteer, Robinson Crusoe, The Jockey, The Rope Dancer and more.^[5] In 1889 he joined with Alexander Herrmann who most likely learned it from Trewey. David Tobias Bamberg most likely learned it from Alexander who then passed it down to his son Okito(Tobias Leendert Bamberg) who then passed it down to his son Fu Manchu (David Theodore Bamberg). Other magicians who used hand shadows in their act includes David Devant,Edward Victor, and the duo Holden and Graham in which Max Holden was famous for his "Monkey in the Belfry" shadow.^[6] The magician well known today in shadowgraphy is the Australian Raymond Crowe whose hand shadow act performed to the song "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong has become extremely popular, especially on YouTube.

[edit]Tools

[edit]Hands

The hands are usually exercised and different finger positions are practiced to help aid in forming the shadows.

[edit]Light source

The light source to be used should be small and bright. The best shadows come from light proceeding from the smallest possible point.^[7] Albert Almoznino suggests to use a candle, a flashlight (with the lens and reflector removed) or any very small light. If a bulb is used, it should be clear. J. C. Cannell suggests in his book, Modern Conjuring For Amateurs, that the best source of light to be used is the electric arc, which Almoznino agrees to the small arc lamp, and the second best being the limelight (if used with a high-class jet). Trewey suggests unless the chalk for the limelight is cut in a triangular form, it will produce a gray border around the edge of the shadow. Cannell states another favourite amongst shadowgraphists is the use of acetylene gas (i.e. acetylene gas lamp or carbide lamp).^[8]

[edit]Blank surface

Albert Almoznino suggests to use a white or light colored wall or a white sheet or table cloth for a small audience such as in a private home. If a wall is dark-colored, the sheet or table cloth can be hung against it. If you're performing for a large audience such as in an auditorium or on a stage, he suggests a screen made of muslin or other thin cloth attached to a frame. In a nightclub, hall or small theater, he suggests a nylon screen on a pliable aluminum frame. It is a screen sometimes used for TV projection and is called a rear projection screen; but the light must be stronger such as a small spotlight without the projector, lenses, or diffusers, or a motion-picture projector with the front lenses removed.^[9]

[edit]Performance

The performer should sit or stand between the light source and the blank surface. The performer also has the option to perform in front of the performance surface or behind it, each with different advantages. The performer has another option to perform from the left or the right of the light source. The farther the hands are from the light, the smaller the shadows will be, while the closer the hands are to the light, the larger the shadows will be. Also, the closer you are to the blank surface, the sharper your shadows will be. Trewey suggests that the most convenient distance for the light from the hands is four feet while the hands from the performance surface should be about six feet. The performer should always watch their shadows instead of their hands.

The picture shadows should have movement to give them distinctive motions and gestures to bring them to life and give them character. Some shadows are performed with accessories attached to the hands or fingers to achieve movements or images not applicable to hands alone.

[edit]Notable shadowgraphers

Albert Almoznino
Raymond Crowe
Félicien Trewey
Prahlad Acharya
Henry Bursill
Bablu Mallick
Sati Achath

[edit]Books

Hand Shadows to be Thrown Upon the Wall by Henry Bursill (1859)
Hand Shadows - Second Series by Henry Bursill (1860)
Home Fun by Cecil H. Bullivant (1910)--contains a chapter on Hand Shadows
The Art of Shadowgraphy - How it is Done by Trewey (1920)
Hand Shadows: The Complete Art of Shadowgraphy by Lois Nikola (1921)
The Art of Hand Shadows by Albert Almoznino (1970)

Shadow Play

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 07:53:46 +0100

SHADOW PLAY

Chinese shadow theatre figures

Shadow play (Chinese: 皮影戏, pí yĭng xì) or shadow puppetry is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images. It is popular in various cultures. At present, more than 20 countries are known to have shadow show troupes.

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[edit]Chinese

[edit]Mainland China

Shadow puppetry originated during the Han Dynasty when one of the concubines of Emperor Wu of Han died from an illness. The emperor was devastated, and he summoned his court officers to bring his beloved back to life. The officers made a shape of the concubine using donkey leather. Her joints were animated using 11 separate pieces of the leather, and adorned with painted clothes. Using an oil lamp they made her shadow move, bringing her back to life.^[1]^[2] Shadow theatre became quite popular as early as the Song Dynasty when holidays were marked by the presentation of many shadow plays. During the Ming Dynasty there were 40 to 50 shadow show troupes in the city of Beijing alone. In the 13th century, the shadow show became a regular recreation in the barracks of the Mongolian troops. It was spread by the conquering Mongols to distant countries like Persia, Arabia, and Turkey. Later, it was introduced to other Southeastern Asian countries.^[3] The earliest shadow theatre screens were made of mulberry paper. The storytellers generally used the art to tell events between various war kingdoms or stories of Buddhist sources.^[1] Today, puppets made of leather and moved on sticks are used to tell dramatic versions of traditional fairy tales and myths. In Gansu province, it is accompanied by Daoqing music, while in Jilin, accompanying Huanglong music forms some of the basis of modern opera.^[3]

Chinese shadow puppetry is shown in the 1994 Zhang Yimou film To Live.

[edit]Taiwan

The origins of Taiwan's shadow puppetry can be traced to the Chaochow school of shadow puppet theatre. Commonly known as leather monkey shows or leather shows, the shadow plays were popular in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung as early as the Qing dynasty (1644-1911 A.D.). Older puppeteers estimate that there were at least a hundred shadow puppet troupes in southern Taiwan in the closing years of the Qing. Traditionally, the eight to 12-inch puppet figures, and the stage scenery and props such as furniture, natural scenery, pagodas, halls, and plants are all cut from leather. As shadow puppetry is based on light penetrating through a translucent sheet of cloth, the "shadows" are actually silhouettes seen by the audience in profile or face on. Taiwan's shadow plays are accompanied by Chaochow melodies which are often called "priest's melodies" owing to their similarity with the music used by Taoist priests at funerals. A large repertoire of some 300 scripts of the southern school of drama used in shadow puppetry and dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries has been preserved in Taiwan and is considered to be a priceless cultural asset..

[edit]Terminology

A number of terms are used to describe the different forms.

(皮影戏, pí yĭng xì) is a shadow theatre using leather puppets. The figures are usually moved behind a thin screen and is not entirely a show of shadows as it is more of a silhouette shadow. This gives the figures some color, and is not 100% black and white.
(纸影戏, zhĭ yĭng xì) is paper shadow theatre.
(中國影戏, zhōng guó yĭng xì) is Chinese shadow theatre.

[edit]France

The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries in China took it back to France in 1767 and put on performances in Paris and Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the Ombres chinoises (French for "Chinese Shadows") with local modification and embellishment, became the Ombres françaises and struck root in the country.^[3]

The art was a popular entertainment in Paris during the 19th century, especially in the famous nightclub district of Montmartre. The tradition in France dates back to at least the mid-18th century when it was brought back by travellers to the Orient. The puppeteer Dominique Séraphin first presented the spectacle in Paris in 1776, and in Versailles in 1781.

The cabaret Le Chat noir ("The Black Cat") produced a number of popular Ombres chinoises shows in the 1880s, organized by the artist Henri Rivière, using up to 20 assistants and a large, oxy-hydrogen back-lit performance area. The Ombres evolved into numerous theatrical productions and had a major influence on phantasmagoria.^[4]

[edit]India

It was claimed by Sunul Chakraborty that the ancient Indian art of storytelling with the help of pictures began with the Harappans civilization. several Harappan seals show ancient Indian traditional folk tale in a progression of scenes. This archaeological finds prove that pat, the folk painting of Bengal, exist before the arrival of the Aryans in India. Modern Indian names: Killekyata, Killikets (these two also present shadow plays), citrakathi, c[h]itrakar, patua, patidar, pat, par, para, etc. Their ancient names were: yamapattaka, mankha, maskari, and saubhika. The latter is however very controversial, a difficult word, and much disputed among scholars. There is lack of agreement on the meaning of saubhika mentioned in the ancient texts. But the majority make out the meaning as either "picture showman" or "shadow player".^[5]

[edit]Indonesia and Malaysia

Wayang Kulit shadowplay performance in Yogyakarta.

Shadow puppet theater is called Wayang kulit in Indonesia and it is particularly popular in Java and Bali. Wayang literally means "shadow" or imagination in Javanese, also connotes "spirit." Performances of shadow puppet theater are accompanied by gamelan in Java, and by "gender wayang" in Bali, and originally might last all night long. UNESCO designated Wayang Kulit from Indonesia as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.

In Malaysia (Kelantan), shadow puppet plays are known as wayang kulit. In Malay, Wayang means shadow or imagination, while Kulit means skin and refers to the leather that puppets are made from. Stories presented are usually mythical & morality tales. There is an educational moral to the plays which usually portray a battle between Malay shadow plays are sometimes considered one of the earliest examples of animation.

The puppets are made primarily of leather and manipulated with sticks or buffalo horn handles. Shadows are cast using an oil lamp or, in modern times, a halogen light, onto a cotton cloth background. They are often associated with gamelan drum music (or Pinpeat orchestral in Cambodia). Shadow plays are very popular even today. They are performed during sacred temple ceremonies, at private functions, and for the public in the villages. A performance can last all night long, sometimes up to six hours or until dawn.

shadow-play

Puppetry

Puppetry

Contents

History of puppetry

Asia

Wayang topeng or wayang gedog or wayang wong

WAYANG

Wayang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Contents

[edit]History of Wayang Kulit

[edit]Wayang kulit

[edit]Wayang topeng or wayang gedog or wayang wong

Félicien Trewey

Contents

[edit]Life and career

Shadowgraphy

Shadowgraphy (performing art)

Contents

[edit]Origin

[edit]Prevalence

[edit]Tools

[edit]Hands

[edit]Light source

[edit]Blank surface

[edit]Performance

[edit]Notable shadowgraphers

[edit]Books

Shadow Play

SHADOW PLAY

Contents

[edit]Chinese

[edit]Mainland China

[edit]Taiwan

[edit]Terminology

[edit]France

[edit]India

[edit]Indonesia and Malaysia

[edit]Thailand