The Disappearing Asian Puppet Theatre Tradition

[In Thailand] Each hun lakon lek puppet requires the synchronised efforts of three puppeteers

The tradition of puppet theatre in Asia is long and deeply entrenched. A Chinese legend tells of a royal court magician in the first century BC who was commanded to bring Emperor Wu-ti’s concubine back to life. Faced with the do-or-die order, the magician cast the lady’s shadow on a screen using puppetry. So convinced was the grief-stricken emperor that he conversed with his “beloved” for hours.

In India, the epic poem, the Mahabharata, makes clear references to shadow puppetry in one of the poems, “Arjunawiwaha” (“Arjuna’s Wedding”). This suggests that