The Wayang Kulit or Shadow play
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The Wayang Kulit or shadow play is an old form of storytelling, originating in the country some 250 years ago. This theatrical entertainment seems to possess strong roots in Javanese and Hindu tradition.
The Wayang Kulit is an exciting play of lighted, the master puppeteer, or 'Tok Wayang' sits behind the back lit semi transparent screen, animating his characters, each carved intricately upon buffalo and goat parchments. These characters have swiveling arms, which allow them to express themselves through their dramatic hand actions.
The Tok Wayang modulates his voice, weaving between characters, and giving birth to a myriad of captivating personalities. The silhouettes float across the screen, telling the stories told so many years ago, each time enchanting the audience, transporting them to the kingdoms of old.
Mak yong, mounted on Saturday night, are enced by Thai tradition and providing a fine balance between singing, dancing, romance and comedy - colorful enough for outsides, though hardly fast-moving. The tok dalang manipulates the puppets (made from buffalo hide and mounted on rattan sticks) and modulates his voice to create drama and suspense.
Nowadays, Kelantan government had change the way of play from story telling by not allowed the mitos story since it is not given any benefits to people otherwise it leads to “syirik” and “khurafat” for Muslim citizen. However the story telling based on giving acknowledgement is permitted and we can see nowadays many Tok Wayang had change their way of displaying the puppet and story to attract more audiences and giving them a benefited story without diminishing an original term of Wayang Kulit.
The Wayang Kulit is an exciting play of lighted, the master puppeteer, or 'Tok Wayang' sits behind the back lit semi transparent screen, animating his characters, each carved intricately upon buffalo and goat parchments. These characters have swiveling arms, which allow them to express themselves through their dramatic hand actions.
The Tok Wayang modulates his voice, weaving between characters, and giving birth to a myriad of captivating personalities. The silhouettes float across the screen, telling the stories told so many years ago, each time enchanting the audience, transporting them to the kingdoms of old.
Mak yong, mounted on Saturday night, are enced by Thai tradition and providing a fine balance between singing, dancing, romance and comedy - colorful enough for outsides, though hardly fast-moving. The tok dalang manipulates the puppets (made from buffalo hide and mounted on rattan sticks) and modulates his voice to create drama and suspense.
Nowadays, Kelantan government had change the way of play from story telling by not allowed the mitos story since it is not given any benefits to people otherwise it leads to “syirik” and “khurafat” for Muslim citizen. However the story telling based on giving acknowledgement is permitted and we can see nowadays many Tok Wayang had change their way of displaying the puppet and story to attract more audiences and giving them a benefited story without diminishing an original term of Wayang Kulit.
