LIFE

Masters of puppets

Life, Apipar Norapoompipat, Published on 22/08/2018

» To the younger generation of Southeast Asia, shadow puppetry may seem like a bygone form of entertainment. Held outdoors at night in temple compounds, rice fields or the royal court, the performance traditionally unfolds behind a stretch of white cloth illuminated by oil lamps. Puppet masters manipulate the intricate and painstakingly handcrafted puppets to local music, narrating and acting stories from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata epics peppered with improvisation in between. A shadow theatre performance, in some cases, can last up to seven hours long.