Freeze Frame

Magic marionettes

Behind the scenes at the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre

By Paniti Boonma
Photographs by Paniti Boonma

Did You Know : One of the earliest records of puppetry is from the 5th century BC, when a Greek scholar wrote about small, historical figures operated by strings.

Bringing the puppets to life requires three performers per puppet.

Founded by renowned artist Sakorn Yangkiawsod more than 40 years ago, the Joe Louis Theatre is the only small-puppet troupe in Thailand. Originally based in Nonthaburi, the theatre has had a permanent home at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar since 2002, although it had a rocky ride for some years due to lack of financing.

Luckily, public sympathy and a revival of interest in traditional Thai culture helped breathe life into the troupe, which was recently renamed �Natayasala� by Her Royal Highness Princess Galayani Vadhana.

EPIC PERFORMANCES

The puppet theatre troupe regularly performs shows based on Thai literature, such as the Ramayana or Phra Apaimanee. Characters like Rama, Hanuman and Tossakan spring to life at the hands of the performers.

Each puppet requires three people to operate it � one person for the head and one arm; one person for the other arm; and another person for the feet. Of course, all the three puppeteers have to work in harmony to deliver a smooth and elegant performance bringing the elaborately dressed puppets to life.

Until December 2, 2004, Natayasala is staging Suek Maiyarap (Maiyarap War) at 7 pm every day. Then, from December 3, 2004 to April 2, 2005, it will perform Kamnoet Tossakan (The Birth of Tossakan). For more information or ticket reservations, call 02 252 9683-5.

Exercise

Sakorn Yangkiawsod with his Hanuman puppet.

There are some words and phrases in this story that you may not know. However, you should be able to guess the meanings from the context. Here are some of the words and phrases with explanations � but they�re all mixed up. Match each word or phrase with the best meaning.

Word/phrase                   Meaning

- rocky ride                  - money or funds

- financing                     - working as a team

-  revival                       - not certain to continue

-  spring to life              - being made popular again

-  in harmony                - start doing something

Lastly, look at the headline for this story. What do you think marionettes means?

Vocabulary

A scene from the Ramayana.

renowned (adj): famous and respected
troupe (n): a group of actors, singers, etc. who work together
permanent (adj): lasting for a long time or for all time in the future
sympathy (n): the feeling of being sorry for somebody; showing that you understand and care about somebody�s problems
epic (n): a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a nation�s history
literature (n): pieces of writing that are valued as works of art
elegant (adj): (of people or their behaviour) graceful and attractive
elaborately (adv): detailed, often in a way that is beautiful