Tourists are invite to the ‘Phetchaburi Harmony World Shadow Puppet Festival’ that will be held from 9-11 September, 2022, for a chance to learn about this intricate traditional art form and explore the sights of this city, reports the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
The Phetchaburi Harmony World Shadow Puppet Festival aims to showcase the world of shadow puppetry through a series of activities, exhibitions, and seminars, while also promoting Phetchaburi as a tourist destination to visit while in Central Thailand. The main venues for the event are the Shadow Puppet Museum at Wat Plabpla Chai, King Mongkut Memorial Park Phra Nakhon Khiri (King Rama IV the Great) and Kaeng Krachan National Park, and Phetchaburi Rajabhat University Convention Hall.
On each day of the three-day event, there will be shadow puppetry demonstrations, performances, and other activities related to this art form intertwined with visits to local attractions.
On Friday, 9 September, the programme starts at the Shadow Puppet Museum at Wat Plabpla Chai with an opening ceremony, shadow puppet shows from different countries, a documentary photography exhibition by photographer and artist from Australia, Constantine Korsovitis, and a reception at the Phetchaburi Old Town.
The programme continues with sightseeing of the historic riverside community before moving onto the King Mongkut Memorial Park Phra Nakhon Khiri (King Rama IV the Great Park) with sightseeing of the Park, shadow puppet making demonstration and shows, local Phetchaburi folk performances, and in the evening, unique shadow play performances from different regions of Thailand.
On Saturday, 10 September, the morning programme takes place at Phetchaburi Rajabhat University with the world Shadow Puppet Forum to be opened by UNIMA International. The Forum includes presentations from UNIMA Thailand on studying the history of shadow puppetry, Dr. Loy Chee Luen from Malaysia on the arts of shadow puppetry in Southeast Asia, Tholpavakoothu and Puppet Centre (India), and Paper Monkey Theatre (Singapore-China).
This will be followed by two seminar sessions on the history of Nang Yai, an old form of Thailand’s traditional performing arts and the history of Nang Talung and Nang Buk Tue, a traditional style of shadow puppetry from the South and Northeast of Thailand, respectively. The Forum will conclude with the seminar session on contemporary shadow puppets by Fusion Wayang Kulit from Malaysia, Anna-Maria Schlemme from Germany, and Richard Bradshaw from Australia.
In the afternoon, the programme continues at the King Mongkut Memorial Park Phra Nakhon Khiri (King Rama IV the Great Park) with shadow puppet making demonstration and shows, local Phetchaburi folk performances, and in the evening, the grand opening of the event complete with a spectacular Harmony World Shadow Puppet parade and performance, and more shadow play performances and competitions. The evening also includes a concurring Thai music performance at Wat Yai Suwannaram.
On Sunday, 11 September, the morning programme includes a visit to the Puppet Village at Kaeng Krachan and boat trip to Kaeng Krachan Dam at the Kaeng Krachan National Park, demonstrations of Thai and international shadow puppets, and painting and sculpting shadow puppets.
The programme continues in the early afternoon at Hat Chao Sam Ran with ‘Puppet on the Beach’ activities, including demonstrations of puppet making and multicultural puppet shows.
On this last day, the programme at the King Mongkut Memorial Park Phra Nakhon Khiri (King Rama IV the Great Park) starts in the late afternoon with shadow puppet making demonstration and shows, local Phetchaburi folk performances, and in the evening, shadow puppetry from Germany, Singapore, and Malaysia. The evening also includes a concurring Thai music performance at Wat Yai Suwannaram.
Meanwhile, the World Shadow Puppet Exhibition takes place from 9-11 September, 2022, from 09.00-17.00 Hrs. at the Shadow Puppet Museum, Wat Plabpla Chai. Titled, ‘A Life in Shadows’, the exhibition features a documentary photography by photographer and artist from Australia, Constantine Korsovitis. (TAT)
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