New Light on Shadows: Wayang Kulit

Workshop description
Participants will learn how to integrate the teaching of emotional literacy and Wayang Kulit into their theatre space through storytelling improv. The workshop will cover the brief history of Southeast Asian puppetry and the politicalization of the dying art; creating lesson plans around the materials and building a DIY Wayang Kulit set for a restorative class performance, focusing on themes that are personal and critical.

Learning outcomes

Participants will:

• experience the whole process from creation to play
• be able to use Wayang Kulit as a tool for socio-emotional learning and be informed about the psychoanalysis aspect of playing Wayang
• learn how to stage a Wayang using simple materials, which can easily be adapted in a classroom
• gain some insights on diversifying their teaching tools by applying shadow puppetry into their lessons
• take on the role of practitioners and contribute in reviving the Southeast Asian art of Wayang Kulit by practising it with the younger generation

Target audience: All theatre teachers
Level: Introductory

Illya Sumanto

Currently based in China, I am a theatre director and a Spoken Word educator who has worked with youth in Asia, Europe, and Africa. I founded a virtual EQ school, Empathy For Youth Academy, to focus on the learning and teaching of empathy and communications through the arts.

I believe that my role as a theatre practitioner is to also bridge cultures and traditions so that our younger generation can be exposed to different artistic expressions- in order to authenticate their own.

My forte and passion include Southeast Asian shadow puppetry (Wayang Kulit), Spoken Word/Poetry Slam, Theatre of the Oppressed, as well as the Balinese traditional and Senegalese Sabar dance.

Event coordinator
Keriann O’Rourke keriann@ista.co.uk

Workshop timings

Region 1: Asia & Europe
Thursday 10th February 2022
8:00 am – 9:30 am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
9:00 am – 10:30 am Central European Time (CET)
4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Singapore Standard Time (SSS)

Region 2: Americas & Europe
Thursday 10th February 2022
9:00 am – 10:30 am Eastern Standard Time (EST)
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm Central European Time (CET)

The workshop will take place on Zoom.
Joining instructions will be emailed to participants 24 hours before the event.
Some familiarity with Google Drive, Google Docs etc. would be helpful, but is not a requirement.

Places are limited to 25 participants

The cost of this session is GBP £35 per person for ISTA members and GBP £40 per person for non members.

Please note that once booked and invoiced the registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable as per our event terms and conditions.

Any materials shared with you prior to the workshop, such as the workbook.  Illya has shared an instructional video for building a simple shadow screen ahead of the workshop in the hopes that participants will have their individual screens ready to use in the session.  See below for basic materials if you want to start gathering in advance.

Light options: any one of the following

• Light bulb on a stand
• Torch/flashlight
• Smartphone light
• Table lamp with a clip (example below)

Screen

• Big cardboard box (tv size)
• Very thin white cloth/ white shower curtain/ butter paper/ baking paper (test with light first to confirm favourable shadow outcome)
• Masking tape

Puppets

• 2 chopsticks or similar sized wooden rods
• 2 A4 (8.5 x 11) sheets of paper/cardboard/poster board
• scissors/mat knife

Space requirements
If possible, please try to have a small amount of space near to you for any practical work.