What Is Balinese Shadow Puppet Theater?
Balinese shadow puppet theater is a style of performance popular on the Indonesian island of Bali. The theater, also called Wayang, uses puppets attached to rods and moved behind a lit screen in a darkened room. Shadow puppet theater has a long and important history in Indonesia, with records of performance dating back to 930 C.E. The two most commonly seen types of puppet in shadow puppet theater are wayang golek and wayang kulit. Golek puppets are three dimensional, carved from wood and operated by several attached rods. These puppets are generally beautifully painted, even though the decoration is not visible through the screen. Wayang kulit puppets are more common in Bali, and are made from leather and operated with buffalo-horn rods. Making the puppets is labor-intensive, with the most intricate taking months to complete.
