Transcript Wayang Kulit

Wayang Kulit
Java’s Shadow Puppetry

Wayang is a Javanese word meaning
"shadow" or "ghost" and is a theatrical
performance of living actors (wayang orang),
three dimensional puppets (wayang golek) or
shadow images projected before a backlit
screen (wayang kulit).

The wayang kulit use two-dimensional
puppets chiseled by hand of buffalo or goat
parchment; like paper dolls, but with arms
that swivel.
Wayang Orang (living actors)
brief example
Wayang Golek: Three dimensional puppets
Wayang kulit
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Central Java: probably
one of the oldest
continuous traditions of
storytelling in the world,
and certainly among the
most highly developed.
Wayang is well
integrated in Javanese
society, and it is
considered to be a
highlight of Javanese
culture.

The Stage

The screen is a very wide sheet of linen up
to eighteen feet across and about four or
five feet tall. Only the center of the screen is
actually used for action.
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Dalang is an expert
story teller, actor,
singer, and
character
manipulator.

The Dalang must enter
the area from a
particular direction at
just the right time.
Dalang
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The dalang manipulates the puppets,
sings and taps out signals to the
orchestra. He also speaks the parts
for all characters; he must be able to
render the shy sweetness in the
voice of a princess, the spiteful
whine of a lackey and the righteous
but controlled anger of a noble hero.
Demands of the job...
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Not everyone can be a dalang. A dalang
is a most extraordinary man. First of all,
he is a public entertainer.

He must:
– amuse a great number of people
– be physically strong and healthy to stand
the strain
– be seated cross-legged for nine successive
hours

He may not
– have a wink of sleep or get up from his
seat until six o'clock the next morning
– He must:

strike the kechrek (rattle) with his right foot
almost incessantly
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handle the puppets with both hands, imitate
their different voices, tell jokes at the right
times, and sing every now and then
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In addition, he controls the musicians without
anyone among the audience ever noticing it.
Puppets made of hide

Indonesian shadow
characters (wayang kulit)
are made of rawhide.

Kulit means skin, usually
from the hide of an oxen or
bull. Other materials in use
around the world include,
goatskin, cardboard, and
plastics.
Making a puppet
When?
Wayang is often performed to celebrate
weddings and births.
 Play is accompanied by a full gamelan.
 Performances start at 8 p.m. and end at
6 a.m.
 Originally men watched from the
dalang’s side and women from the
audience side.
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Dalang in the center
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Bad puppets on his
left
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Good puppets on his
right
Near the end of the show..

Three dimensional wooden puppets
(wayang golek) may appear near the
end of the show to symbolize the return
to reality from the shadow world.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUC
lJLQh5qw&feature=related
The stories are usually based on the epic stories of the Ramayana and
Mahabharata, the show is only a small part of the whole epic. In
Indonesia, people are familiar with the different characters appearing
in the stories, which can be recognized by the size, shape, color and
angle of their eyes and nose and the way they walk, talk, sing, dance
and fight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMRHi2WVoZQ&feature=related