The Enchanting Craft of Cambodian Shadow Puppetry Has Delighted Audiences for Generations

As a child, you might have gathered around a flashlight or candle during sleepovers or nighttime play with siblings, creating playful shadow shapes like ghosts and turkeys on the wall as you fell asleep.

However, some nations have elevated this simple shadow play into a sophisticated art form, deeply rooted in ancient religious and cultural traditions.

Shadow theater has thrived for centuries across Asia and Europe, with notable traditions in Indonesia, Turkey, Thailand, China, Egypt, and India. Some research, including a 2003 study published in the journal JSTOR, suggests the practice may have originated in Central Asia or India, while others argue for its beginnings in China. The spread of shadow theater across the steppes of Eurasia and maritime routes likely connected these diverse regional traditions.

Cambodia, a Southeast Asian nation, has gained global recognition for its mastery of shadow puppetry.

The History of Shadow Puppets in Cambodia

Jennifer Goodlander, an associate professor of comparative literature at Indiana University and president of the Association for Asian Performance, shares insights in an email interview. Goodlander, author of "Puppets and Cities: Articulating Identities in Southeast Asia," highlights Cambodia's two prominent shadow puppetry forms: sbeik thom (large shadow puppets) and sbeik touch (small shadow puppets).

These puppets are crafted from a single piece of leather, with performers manipulating them using bamboo sticks around 3 feet (1 meter) tall, creating dynamic shadows through movement and dance.

Sbeik thom (also spelled sbek thom) translates to 'large leather,' while sbeik touch (alternatively written as sbek thom, sbeak touch, or sbek touch) means 'small leather.' Both forms frequently depict stories from the Reamker, the Khmer (Cambodian) adaptation of the Indian epic, the Ramayana.

The earliest documented evidence of large shadow puppet theater dates back to a 1458 Thai royal court record. Due to the close cultural ties between Thailand and Cambodia, the exact origin of the practice remains debated. Some historians suggest that Thai forces may have introduced the art form to their homeland after capturing the Cambodian capital, Angkor, in the 15th century.

Goodlander explains the historical development of shadow puppetry in Cambodia over a thousand years and its transformation in more recent times.

"Shadow puppetry stands as one of Cambodia's most ancient performance arts, with records of sbeik thom performances tracing back to the Angkor era (9th century B.C.E.). These large, non-articulated puppets were integral to all-night ceremonies and royal court events," explains Goodlander.

"The smaller puppets, sbeik touch, are believed to be a more modern creation, often used in traveling village performances to educate communities on health-related topics."

The Performance Element of Shadow Puppets

As noted in UNIMA's World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Art, large shadow theater was traditionally a royal entertainment. Narrators recount the tales while dancers, holding the puppets, perform behind a screen, accompanied by music. The puppets depict a variety of characters, from princesses and peasants to demons and monkeys.

In contrast, small shadow theater occurs in a booth with a cloth screen, where an external light casts the puppets' shadows. Operators seated behind the screen manipulate the puppets, which may tell stories from the Reamker, as well as tales featuring farm animals, or contemporary educational themes like the AIDS crisis or domestic violence awareness.

Goodlander elaborates on the distinctions between the two performance styles. "While sbeik thom maintains a stronger tie to religious and traditional practices, sbeik touch offers more flexibility and creativity," she explains. "Though sbeik touch occasionally draws from the Reamker, it is less rigid and more innovative. I once witnessed a sbeik touch show at a Siem Reap restaurant [a tourist hub near the ancient city of Angkor], performed by students from a local school for the blind."

The small shadow puppet theater is often accompanied by a captivating pinpeat orchestra, featuring instruments like xylophones, cymbals, gongs, and the oboe-like sralai.

"The pinpeat is a classic Cambodian musical ensemble that enhances sbeik thom performances, as the puppets are danced to its rhythms," Goodlander notes. She adds, "There are also segments with only narration, devoid of music."

Eric Bass, director of the Sandglass Theater in Vermont, collaborated with Phnom Penh's Sovanna Phum theater company from 2001 to 2006. In an email interview, Bass shares his personal experiences performing with Sovanna Phum, clarifying that his observations are his own interpretations and not those of his Cambodian partners:

"Our approach is gentle and receptive, whereas Cambodian shadow puppetry is bold and energetic. It is fundamentally a dance form. Cambodian puppeteers channel their energy into the ground, allowing the earth's force to animate the puppets."

Shadow Puppetry in Recent Times

The emergence of the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot's dictatorship and the genocide from 1975 to 1979 severely impacted artisans, including shadow puppet makers and performers, who were targeted by the regime. Approximately 80 to 90 percent of the nation's artists perished due to torture, starvation, forced labor, and other atrocities.

"The Khmer Rouge eradicated Cambodia's performing arts, including most artists. Puppetry suffered greatly — most puppeteers and many puppets were destroyed," Goodlander states. Survivors of the genocide faced a long road to reviving Cambodia's arts and cultural traditions. She highlights the efforts of a performance troupe at Wat Bo, a Siem Reap Buddhist pagoda, where puppet shows continue to this day.

"Wat Bo was established in 1992 by Venerable Preah Moha Vimalakdharma Pin Sem (Venerable Pin Sem), who declared, 'We believe the arts are the spirit, soul, and wealth of nations, for all nations worldwide,'" Goodlander shares.

While residing in a Thai refugee camp in 1992, Venerable Pin Sem recognized the decline of small puppet theater arts. Determined to preserve this vital part of Cambodian heritage, he dedicated himself to its revival.

"Artwork inside the wat, combined with childhood recollections, offered clues about how sbeik thom was traditionally performed. In 1993, Venerable Pin Sem invited 25 fellow monks to join him when the group moved to Wat Bo temple," Goodlander explains.

"In the past, performances could span seven nights, but now, no one retains the knowledge to perform the extended versions."

While Cambodian shadow puppetry primarily attracts foreign tourists during local festivals and holidays, efforts are underway to reconnect Cambodian audiences with this unique art form. Organizations are collaborating to explore ways to enhance promotion and make performances more accessible to locals through affordable ticket pricing.

"Locally, the performances struggle because Cambodian audiences have grown distant from this cultural heritage," Goodlander notes.

In 2005, UNESCO recognized shadow theater by adding it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. However, interest in the art form has declined since its designation.

A few groups in Cambodia continue to practice shadow puppetry, including cultural and theater organizations dedicated to preserving Khmer heritage, such as Cambodian Living Arts, Sovanna Phum Art Association (also called Sovannaphum), Bambu Stage, and Bonn Phum, which strives to sustain this performance art through social media and an annual festival.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 severely impacted arts and performance groups globally, including those in Cambodia. Reuters reported that the pandemic forced Sovanna Phum — a 26-year-old troupe led by renowned artist Mann Kosal — to temporarily shut down.

If Cambodia can preserve its artistic traditions in today's post-COVID world, the nation might experience a cultural revival akin to the pre-Khmer Rouge "Golden Age" of the 1960s.

"Before the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia boasted a vibrant and diverse performance scene ... and I believe it will return," Goodlander states.