Among the traditional Thai performance arts, puppetry is probably one of the most underrated and undernourished. While khon (masked play), nang ta lung (shadow play), likay (folk theatre) and others have been diligently preserved and promoted, the once-popular puppet performance, especially traditional folk performance, is often overlooked, making the dying art even more endangered without the proper bearers to pass it on.
However, the preservation effort headed by a researcher from the Institute of Thai Studies has found a way to extend the live puppet performance with the simple yet effective use of technology.
According to Dr. Ratchaneekorn Ratchatakorntrakoon, Ph.D, expert researcher at the Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University, who has been studying the sustainability of puppet performance in Phetchaburi, the biggest challenge in the preservation of the…
