Wayang Kulit free essay sample

Origin: The term Wayang is the Japanese word for shadow, or Bayang in Indonesian and Malay. In modern Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, Wayang is often associated with the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance. History: Wayang is a general term meaning traditional theatre in Indonesia. This art was imported from India or China, both of which have a long tradition of shadow puppetry and theatre in general. However, there very well may have been ingenious storytelling traditions that had a big impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. Wayang Kulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are based on romantic tales, especially the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang or puppeteer to decide his direction. The dalang is the narrator for the entire performance. He sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a melody and its conventional rhythm, the dalang changes his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama. Wayang today is both the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. Hundreds of people will stay up all night long to watch the superstar performers, dalang. Spiritual Significance The wayang kulit art form may be over 800 years old. The fact that the story is told using shadows is very important since moving shadows can be seen but never touched. One belief was that the souls of the ancestors were brought to life as shadows that provided advice and support. So wayang kulit performances have a spiritual and magical significance for Javanese and Balinese people. Everyone present at a shadow puppet performance is believed to be protected from evil influences while the play lasts. People will sponsor a performance to give thanks for someone recovering from illness. The screen represents the white universe in which people live their lives. The bright side of the screen represents the material world in which we live. The darker side represents the mysterious after-life. The oil lamp was often in the shape of the Garuda bird, and represents the rays of the sun which give life to every living thing. There may be several puppets for the one character. Depending on what the different colours to indicate its mood. Gold represents harmony, love of beauty and the finer things in life; dignity and calmness. Black represents more reflective, inward-looking characteristics, calmness and control; but sometimes anger and strength. Red represents physical strength, but a tempestuousness or fury. White represents flexible characters that are knowledgeable and full of life, as well as nnocence, youth or purity. The size and nature of the puppets depends on their character and station in life -as an ordinary person, god or demon. The puppeteer or dalang will have the good puppet characters standing in th or banana trunk to his right and the bad puppet characters to his left. This connects with the idea underlying wayang kulit that in every person there is a struggle between good and evil. The banana trunk represents the earth. Smaller puppets are closer to the dalang, and they are lined up from shortest to tallest. The puppets on both sides face in to the middle of the screen. The stories: Like most stories, including modern films, wayang stories often explore the battle between good and evil, and the problems that people face. Other stories were brought to Indonesia by traders from India. These include the great epic stories such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The performance: The play can be performed outside or inside, with the puppets being moved against a central white cloth screen that is lit up by an oil lamp or, in recent times, by an electric light. The audience can sit anywhere around the screen, but where they sit usually depends on who they are and on their social status. Explain that in our theatres too, eople can sometimes pay more for better seats. Although we often have theatres where the audience can only sit in front of the stage, some performances are done in theatre in the round or outside in venues such as parks and gardens, where the audience is free to sit where they like. A wayang performance usually takes place at night, often starting after 9:00pm and continuing until dawn as much as nine hours! This is a social occasion for the audience, and a chance to relax with friends and family. Since they often know the traditional story well, they may sleep, eat or talk during the less exciting parts. A ypical performance may be held as a celebration or major community event. Families come to the performance prepared to spend a long time enjoying each others company as well as enjoying the story. Wayang plays are performed around the world, including performances that often The gunungan: It represents the place where the gods, goddesses and demons live. It is a holy mountain where the tree of heaven grows. Mountains have been venerated in many parts of Asia since ancient times. For example, Gunung Agung is a sacred mountain to Balinese people. It is also a volcano and a powerful source of both good and potential disaster.