Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:20:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Richardson <zenchops59-AT-yahoo.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Risks/The Malaysian Situation


  Liz,
   
        I live in Mississippi, not Malaysia ( sometimes there are parallels.... ). I try to keep up on what goes on in that area between India and Indonesia just because I've lived there on grants, and continue to go there to work on projects and hang with my friends.
   
        Exposure to wayang theatre changed my life as a puppeteer, as I started out as a marionette player in Baltimore. I've written before in this blog that I took off about a decade from our art, for personal/economic reasons. During that "slumber " I started dreaming about this thing  you might call, an American Wayang, because the types of content that are carried in the Asian contexts  are so broad in its scope. 
         My first instinct 23 years ago was to make children's productions using the medium, which I still love doing. These days, I'm trying to transition into more experimental work, with a distinct desire to attempt some things that one might indeed call risky. ... such as this play I'm working on now about some of the events related to the Civil Rights struggle here in this area. Klan rallies, lynchings, blown up churches... all of this is being cut out right now in Yogyakarta for eventual release back here. In schools, if you can believe it !
   
      I have found your comments about various topics to be eloquent, compassionate, and wize. Keep up the good work !
   
    Michael 
  Red String Wayang Theatre
  
Liz Evans <liz-AT-etherboy.com> wrote:
  Michael,

Thank you for sharing the climate in Malaysia. You're right, often the
the Pupcrit threads are very western based. I think because
it is so heavily used by Puppeteers of the Americas. Most
of us know that performing in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa is
very different than the US, Canada, or even South America. The 
perception of the the Art form's importance is very different, even in
Canada and South America, than it is here in the US.

I do not envy you the Political attention, but I do get a little green
that your Shadow puppetry is to well respected and accepted as a 
legitimate art form.

Thanks again for reminding us all that this list is a world list, not
just an American list.

Best,
Liz
-- 
K. Elizabeth Evans, President & Artistic Director
Renaissance Artist Puppet Company
http://www.RenArtPuppetCo.com
610-630-4259
Company performing -AT-
The Montgomery County Cultural Center
208 DeKalb Street, Norristown, PA

Renaissance Artist Puppet Company's
mission is to promote excellence in puppetry as a
Theatrical art form and as an Educational tool by incorporating
historical and cultural diversity along with quality performance
techniques to tell our stories.
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