Nang Yai Shadow Puppet Drama at Wat Khanon, Ratchaburi, Thailand
Nang Yai Shadow Puppet Drama performances possibly already existed during the Sukhothai era. Certainly they were a leading form of entertainment during the Ayutthaya era. This typical Thai performing art remained popular throughout the early Rattanakosin era till at least the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).
The Nang Yai Shadow Puppet Drama at Wat Khanon was first established during the reign of King Chulalongkorn. It now is the only important location for this form of entertainment in Thailand. However, the puppets are still meticulously maintained and produced, and the performers retain their high standards. The drama group from Wat Khanon performs throughout Thailand. The most popular drama performed is the Ramakien.
To perform a puppet drama, the essential constituents are : a suitable venue (transparent screen and lighting), puppet figures, a musical ensemble, narrators and recitors, and of course the puppeteers and the story line.
Creating the puppet figures is an artform all by itself. Most of the puppets are created from cowhide. The more important figures however require skin of other animals such as leopard skin, bear skin etc.
Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi province now also houses a nicely constructed Nang Yai Exhibition Hall. In an attractive way, quite a few puppets are on display. You can judge by the pictures here that they are truly exquisite works of art.
The information provided on this page has been sourced from leaflets distributed at the temple. Nang Yai Shadow Puppet Drama can be contacted at 03-223 3386, if you want to inquire about performances.
Origin of Nang Yai
The word "Nang Yai", or shadow play, literally means "big hides" because the shadow figures sometimes reach a height of 2 metres. Nang Yai, a rich cultural heritage, is among the oldest forms of theatrical arts ever performed in Thailand. It can be traced back to the times of King U-thong of Ayutthaya (1350-1369).
It was very popular during the reign of King Rama II of the Chakri dynasty (1809-1824). At that time there was a Nang Yai episode called Phra Nakhon Wai which was a real hit. The shadow figures created for the episode were meticulous works of art, vivid in form and colour. They were kept in the National Theatre Building as part of Thai cultural heritage. Unfortunately, the later generations of the Thai people have no more chance to see the shadow figures for they were destroyed together with the theatre building in a fire in 1960.
Later in King Rama V's reign, two troupes of Nang Yai -- Nang Yai Wat Sawang A-rom, Sing Buri province and Nang Yai Wat Khanon, Ratchaburi province were founded.
At present, public performances of Nang Yai are rare. They are staged occasionally for demonstration purposes. At Wat Khanon in Ratchaburi province, every Saturday at 10.00 hrs., a Nang Yai performance is shown. This is one of the three troupes existing in Thailand. The other two are Nang Yai Wat Sawang A-rom, Sing Buri province and Nang Yai Ban Don, Rayong province. In this issue of Thaiways, only Nang Yai at Wat Khanon will be dealt with.
Nang Yai Overview
Before Nang Yai is staged, there must be a ceremony of worshipping teachers (or wai khru in Thai). This is done to pay respect to teachers both humans and gods. Also, it is believed to bless the performers with success at the show. Throughout the ceremony, traditional Thai music is played.
When Nang Yai is staged, one or more shadow figures are held by performers before the white screen. All performers are male as they must be strong enough to hold shadow figures, some of which weigh up to 7 kg, during the time they are on stage. The figures have no moving parts but they are changed as the plot develops. The ones in motion are the performers who, while lifting the figures high, must move their body in unison in accordance with the plot and the rhythm of the music.
Nang Yai Ancient Shadow Play mostly performs episodes from the Ramakian epic which is a story about the battle between vice (represented by Thotsakan) and virtue (represented by Phra Ram).
Nang Yai: A blend of various art forms
Nang Yai was a high-class entertainment in former times, being a combination of several art forms as follows:
1. Handicraft art The meticulousness and the exceptional workmanship in making fine shadow figures.
2. Literary art The poetical beauty of the narration and dialogues.
3. Oratory art The art of narration and the dialouges that make a lifeless shadow figure look lively and real.
4. Musical art The Thai Classical ensemble or Wong Pi Phat is required to provide musical accompaniment that best suites the episodes.
5. Performing art The performers must manoeuvre the shadow figures with agility in accordance with the figure characteristics.
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