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By
: May Titthara, Picture Courtesy of the Ministry of
Culture.
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Shadow puppet
theatre is the traditional Cambodian art form of
performing narratives using the shadows cast by
figures cut out of cowhide. Some shadow puppets
have arms and legs that can be moved, or mouths
that can be opened to imitate the speech and songs
of a narrator. Shadow puppet theatre often includes
comic characters, and is usually based on stories
of ordinary life.
"The shadow puppet theatre is known by different
names in different places. The common ones are Sbaek
Doik, Ayong and Nang Thalong," said Mao Keng,
director of the Department of Performing Arts.
"Khmer shadow puppet theatre was probably derived
from Malaysia, as in the Angkorian period Malaysia
bordered the Khmer Empire," Mao Keng added.
"Some suggest that Nang Thalong puppetry originated
in a village called Malayang in Battambang province,"
he said.
"Some names of Khmer art-forms are derived
from the names of famous artists whom audiences
were fond of," Mao Keng explained. "And
some took their names from the name of the place
where the art forms were first |
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A Monk drawing intricate details
of two monkey soldiers from the Ramayana epic
on a piece of hide to make a shadow puppet.
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created,"
he said. Shadow puppet theatre is thought to have
been much influenced by performances held in a village
called Kampong Trayang in Siem Reap Province, not
far from the temples of Angkor. Since ancient times,
the inhabitants of Kampong Trayang performed 'Takkata,'
a kind of puppet theatre in which the puppets are
made of wood.
Takkata is an ancient art form that the inhabitants
of Kampong Trayang handed down from generation to
generation. Performances continued until the year
1970, when Cambodia's civil war began. |
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"It
is undecided whether Kampong Trayang village, where
the wooden puppet-theatre used
to be performed, is where the name Ayong, or 'puppet
theatre' come from," Mao Keng added. "Most
residents of Siem Reap province call leather shadow-puppet
theatre Sbaek Doik, or small leather, and rarely
use the name Ayong," he continued. "And
for comic character puppets,
which are the favorites of most audiences, most
troupes in Siem Reap province usually use the name
Apok or Asou, and ot the name Ayong."
Most shadow puppet troupes in Battambang province
call their art form Ayong, Nang Ta Long or Namtalong.
Troupes in Battambang and Siem Reap provinces are
different to those elsewhere, because the name Ayong
is commonly used in Phnom Penh and most other provinces.
One famous characteristic of Phnom Penh's shadow-puppet
theatre is a duo of comic character puppets that
are also called Ayong. One of the characters is
an old hunch-backed man with a bald head, who always
carries an axe whose name is Ayong. His partner
is called Ayao, who is a man with a bare head and
a long mouth like a beak. These two characters are
an essential part of many stories, and a favorite
with audiences. Traditionally, the duo help people
who are in difficulty, save them from harm, and
help get rid of their enemies
Because of the skill of the puppeteer at comic techniques
and at performing the character of Ayong, shadow
puppet theatre borrowed the name Ayong for the comic
puppets. So when someone says "Let's go and
see the Ayong," it means "Let's go and
see a performance of shadow puppet theatre."
"The art forms of Tukkata or Ayong, which both
mean puppet, and have been popular with Khmer people
since time immemorial. Tukkta or Ayong are inanimate
objects, such as wooden or clay figurines or plastic
dolls, which can be jerked, pulled, or
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A finished leather puppet being
tested against a screen.
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Dressed in traditional
costumes, the puppeteers act out their roles
conscientiously behind the scene.
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played
with by a puppeteer," said Mao Keng.
Shadow puppet theatre is always performed
at night. Performers use torchlight or electric
light to cast shadows of their leather puppets'
engraved designs.
The performers build a small theatre at about
head height, with a covered roof and walls.
In the front, they tie a white cotton sheet
like a screen, and put a banana stem behind
it to hold those puppets not in use in between
scenes.
Before a performance begins, the players conduct
a ceremony known as Hom Rong. The performers
offer candles, incense, flowers and |
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Puppeteers testing out
the bigger pieces against the screen.
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| food to the spirits of
the people who used to the people who used to perform
shadow puppet theatre in ancient times, and ask
them for good luck in that evening's show. The Hom
Rong ceremony is also a good opportunity for the
performers to collect their thoughts and focus themselves
before the shadow puppet show starts. |
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