WAYANG KULIT KELANTAN
The traditional "Wayang Kulit" or Shadow Puppet Plays of Malaysia is practiced by troupes in the northern states of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Terengganu. It had its roots from the neighboring country of Thailand but has since evolved into part of Malaysia’s own heritage. Essentially, "Wayang Kulit" provided stage entertainment in the form of age-old story telling in the old "kampungs" or villages in old Malaysia. Being two-dimensional and with voices and music, this was very much like watching television, except that the television was invented hundreds of years later.
A "Wayang Kulit" play is performed by a "Dalang" or Showmaster who performs with varying voices behind a 7 ft x 12 ft illuminated screen, handling multiple shadow puppets. From behind the screen, he is able to roll in and out his puppets whilst at the same instance narrating, animating and singing along to music accompaniment. With his professional handling and meandering of his puppets, the screen is filled with projected colorful shadows of differing puppet characters. He captivates his audience with thrilling expressions and connotations in as many as 13 different voices. This is a master storyteller at work.
The Showmaster/Dalang is supported by five musicians. Arrangement of music is based on the Showmaster’s inspiration blended to suit the story. These include "Lagu Pembuka Pentas" (The Stage Overture), "Lagu Berjalan" (The Strolling Tune), "Lagu Gergasi Berjalan" (Tune of the Walking Giant), and "Lagu Perang" (The War Tune). The Showmaster would adeptly interpolate and improvise stories, and simultaneously sing along to the rhythm of Malay and even Hindi songs to entertain the live audience.
The Dalang’s task is not an easy one, even off stage. He also has to acquire the skill in creating his own puppets for his play. Every single puppet he creates has to be artistic in form to suit the story to be presented, and every creation has to be blessed by incantation to conform to age-old traditional customs.
The puppets are hand-made from cow or goat hides. The Dalang is confronted with a test of skill and creativity in carving and piercing through the hides to shape the required puppets according to the parts they perform in a story. Bamboo stakes are used as supports and tied firmly to the puppets. To allow "live movements", stringed-joints are used to anchor the lips, the hands and other parts of the puppet from bamboo operating stick.
Traditionally, wayang Kulit plays legendary stories like "Tongkat Sakti" (The Magic Cane), "Harapan Kecewa" (Crestfallen Hope) and "Seri Kinda" with focus on characters like kings, princesses, demons and monsters.
The Malay Shadow Puppet Theater consists of four types of Wayang Kulit found throughout Southeast Asia, the most widely performed in Malaysia is the Wayang Siam (also known as Wayang Kulit Kelantan) originating from Kelantan.
Its musical repertoire numbers 35 pieces, performed by a percussion dominated ensemble of up to a maximum of 10 players. The melody is provided by the serunai, with various types of drums providing rhythmic textures of various timbres and various types of gongs marking time.
A Shadowmaster(Dalang) and his puppets
The puppets are hand-made from cow or goat hides. The Dalang is confronted with a test of skill and creativity in carving and piercing through the hides to shape the required puppets according to the parts they perform in a story. Bamboo stakes are used as supports and tied firmly to the puppets. To allow “live movements”, stringed-joints are used to anchor the lips, the hands and other parts of the puppet from bamboo operating sticks.