shadow play
Backlit puppet theater
Shadow play is a form of theatrical entertainment in which flat puppets or cutout figures are held between a light source and a translucent screen, casting silhouettes that the audience watches from the other side.
This ancient art form originated in Asia, particularly in China and Indonesia, and traditionally depicts folklore, mythology, or religious stories.
The term also applies figuratively to deceptive maneuvering or behind-the-scenes scheming: The negotiations were just shadow play while the real decisions happened elsewhere.
Performer controlling jointed figures
- screenDisplay or barrier
- backlightIllumination behind a display
- silhouetteFilled-in outline shape
- narrationVerbal account delivery
gamelan · dalang · manipulation · storytelling · projection · lamp · lantern · curtain
Outline or numeral
- cutoutShape removed from material
- leatherTanned animal skin
- hideConceal or pelt
- jointedHaving flexible connections
articulated · rod · stick · translucent · painted · perforated · intricate · handcrafted
Something that extends outward
- light sourceWhat gives off illumination
- opacityImpermeability to light
- transparencyState of being see-through
- distanceSpace between two points
scale · movement · gesture · voice · synchronization · timing · rhythm · layering
puppeteer
Performer controlling jointed figures
- screenDisplay or barrier
- backlightIllumination behind a display
- silhouetteFilled-in outline shape
narration · gamelan · dalang · manipulation · storytelling · projection · lamp · lantern · curtain · orchestra
figure
Outline or numeral
jointed · articulated · rod · stick · translucent · painted · perforated · intricate · handcrafted · carved
projection
Something that extends outward
- light sourceWhat gives off illumination
- opacityImpermeability to light
- transparencyState of being see-through
distance · scale · movement · gesture · voice · synchronization · timing · rhythm · layering · depth
epic
Impressively grand in scope
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
fable · moral · allegory · parable · hero · villain · deity · battle · romance · comedy
wayang kulit
Indonesian leather puppet theatre
ceremony · heritage · ancestral · folklore · mythology · sacred
- pretend playmake believe, pretend, dress-up, dollhouse, dress up
- Chinese cultureConfucianism, Chinese calligraphy, Beijing, Chinese New Year, Daoism
- puppetryhand puppet, hand puppets, puppet shows, puppet show, marionette
- folk artstribal art, folk opera, folk theater, Celtic knotwork, Navajo weaving
- illusionsmirage, optical illusion, hallucination, illusion, afterimage
- performance artsmime, mimicry, impressions, celebrity impression, drag performance
shadow playmarionette theater
Venue for string puppetry
string puppets · Bunraku · ventriloquism · glove puppets · bunraku
shadow playmime
Wordless expressive performer
physical theater · dance performance · stand-up comedy · one-man show · kabuki
shadow playcinema
Motion picture theater
light show · holographic display · pageant · spectacle · diorama
play, shadow, shadowy, playing, played, shadows, plays, overshadow, shadowed