Hi Guys! c u again. Now I want to share with you about the uniqueness of ‘The Shadow Play’ or in Malay we called as ‘Wayang Kulit’ which is popular at my state, Kelantan. Have you experience watch this kind of traditional drama? I’m sure most of you are not, right? I have ever watched ‘The Shadow Play’ only once in my life and it was when I was in form three. That was my valuable experience that I have because it is not easy to watch ‘The Shadow Play’ nowadays.
For your information, ‘Wayang Kulit’ is found in most but not all part of Southeast Asia. There are two forms of Malay shadow play, the Wayang Siam and Wayang Java, which despite their nomenclature (tatanama) are both Malay forms. Of the two, Wayang Siam is the more popular and Wayang Java is now almost extinct. Today, the Malay shadow play survives only in the northern state of Kelantan but in the nineteenth century it was extremely popular and performances were held in almost the state of the peninsula.
The puppeteer (dalang) is a skilled performer, who must act out all the part with each character given a distinct voice and personality. His versatility and manual dexterity as well as his memory have to be of the highest standard. An experienced puppeteer must also be able to assess his audience before the performance and attempt to choose a tale which will satisfy everyone.
The theatre (panggung) in which the performance is staged is a small structure constructed of timber and bamboo built about four feet off the ground. The screen (kelir) is made of white cotton and the shadow is cast on the screen by a lamp suspended from the roof of the theatre.
Then, the puppets are made from cow hide, goat skin and less often buffalo hide, although today the puppets portraying the minor characters are very often made from plastic or celluloid. The outline and features are traced on to the hide from an old figure chosen for the quality of its design and workmanship and then cut out. Once this has been completed the internal details of the puppet are carved out and the colours, which serve to distinguish characters whose silhouettes would otherwise be identical, are painted on.
That’s all about ‘The Shadow Play’ that I can share with you. Hope all of you get some ideas about this traditional Malay drama.
For your information, ‘Wayang Kulit’ is found in most but not all part of Southeast Asia. There are two forms of Malay shadow play, the Wayang Siam and Wayang Java, which despite their nomenclature (tatanama) are both Malay forms. Of the two, Wayang Siam is the more popular and Wayang Java is now almost extinct. Today, the Malay shadow play survives only in the northern state of Kelantan but in the nineteenth century it was extremely popular and performances were held in almost the state of the peninsula.
The puppeteer (dalang) is a skilled performer, who must act out all the part with each character given a distinct voice and personality. His versatility and manual dexterity as well as his memory have to be of the highest standard. An experienced puppeteer must also be able to assess his audience before the performance and attempt to choose a tale which will satisfy everyone.
The theatre (panggung) in which the performance is staged is a small structure constructed of timber and bamboo built about four feet off the ground. The screen (kelir) is made of white cotton and the shadow is cast on the screen by a lamp suspended from the roof of the theatre.
Then, the puppets are made from cow hide, goat skin and less often buffalo hide, although today the puppets portraying the minor characters are very often made from plastic or celluloid. The outline and features are traced on to the hide from an old figure chosen for the quality of its design and workmanship and then cut out. Once this has been completed the internal details of the puppet are carved out and the colours, which serve to distinguish characters whose silhouettes would otherwise be identical, are painted on.
That’s all about ‘The Shadow Play’ that I can share with you. Hope all of you get some ideas about this traditional Malay drama.
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