Cast and crew hold up
shadow puppets during announcement for the upcoming Nang Talung Shadow
Play Preservation Center.
Patcharapol Panrak
The Rayong Cultural Council is bringing southern puppet theater
to the Eastern Seaboard with establishment of the Nang Talung Shadow
Play Preservation Center.
Cultural commission members joined Rayong provincial administrator Thara
Pitutaecha and puppet master Somkuan Panklang to erect the poles of the
theater’s main screen in Mab Song Salueng March 23.
“Nang Talung” is one of two forms of shadow-puppet theater from
Thailand. Increasingly more popular than the northern “Nang Yai,” or
large leather puppets, Nang Talung (leather puppets of Pattalung
Province), began in the 17th century and employs translucent puppets
about 60 cm. tall. The figures are manipulated by a solo puppet master
and storyteller, called a “nang nai,” while a six-person orchestra
accompanies the performance.
Commission President Chaliew Ratchburi said the idea
for a theater emerged after recent performances of the southern art
created a buzz in Rayong. The preservation center, however, seeks to
broaden the art form’s appeal by including stories and languages from
not only the south, but the east, Issan and central Thailand.
Performances often depict religious tales, specifically of Buddhism,
family conflict, star-crossed lovers, adventures of a wandering hero,
and abandoned children seeking loved ones. Many recurring characters
appear, such as the clown, the forgetful old woman, the funny elderly
man, and the stupid joker. A common theme throughout these plays is
karma, and the underlying message of rewards and punishment.
Somkuan will oversee the Rayong performances. A native of the province,
his family hails from southern Thailand and will work to integrate
traditional theater with local and modern themes, officials said.
