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Sbek Thom



Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre that only takes place on particular occasions three or four times a year. It is dedicated to the divinities and features two-meter high, non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. This form of Cambodian theater dates back to the Angkorian period and evolved from a ritual to an art form after the fall of Angkor in the fifteenth century while retaining its ceremonial dimension. To make the puppets, a single piece of leather is prepared in a special ceremony. Each character represents a god or goddess. The hide is dyed using a solution made of the bark of the Kandaol tree. The character is then drawn and tanned on the hide, cut out, and painted before being attached to two bamboo sticks. Two Sbek Thom troupes were active in the first half of the twentieth century. They were in Phnom Penh and Battambang. Performances were traditionally held in the evenings, beside a rice field or pagoda, with a big white backdrop hung between two tall bamboo screens. A large fire was held in front of the shadows of the puppets’ silhouettes. Nowadays, a projector is used. The animators perform specific dance steps to bring the puppets to life. There is also an orchestra and two narrators during the performance. The performances are based on the Reamker, a Khmer version of the Ramayana. Sbek Thom has one "sister" form: the Nang Yai of Thailand. Both have been employed in temples and as part of ceremonial events. How these two traditions are related is not known. There is a possibility that Thai Nang Yai is related to the Khmer traditions as they were adopted by the Thais along with other elements of the Khmer culture. There is, however, a slight stylistic difference between the Thai and Cambodian Nang Yai. The Khmer Rouge regime nearly destroyed shadow theatre, almost eradicating the art. Since 1979, performances of Sbek Thom have been revived by a few surviving artists. Three shadow theatres have emerged from their ashes, passing on the skills and knowledge, including those related to puppet making. Nowadays, Sbek Thom is often combined with other forms of theatre and dance, both in innovative productions and to attract tourists.

References

(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sbek-thom-khmer-shadow-theatre-00108) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_play#Cambodia) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Cambodia#Shadow_Theatre) (https://www.soundsofangkor.org/english/dance-theater/sbek-thom-va/)


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