PLAYING WITH SHADOWS
A shadow play master fuses traditional Balinese wayang with contemporary styles to tell stories of indigenous people, writes Sulyn Chong
ALARGE white screen lies on the floor of the hall, while an overhead structural crane moves up and down stealthily. People busy themselves measuring tarps and trimming rope. They’re all working like a well-oiled machine, while one man stands guard near the entrance like a hawk. His only movements are when he’s barking intermittent instructions. “No, no... It’s easier this way,” Larry Reed interjects as he pulls out his trusty mini Swiss army knife and proceeds to puncture a hole on the white screen. With one swift move, he runs a string through and ties it up. With a proud smile, he turns to me and says: “This is my major tool for building a shadow theatre because it has a little scissor and a little knife. That’s all I need.”
Reed is a shadow play theatre master who’s been called upon to impart his know-how in setting up his art at a newly reinvigorated bungalow at Bukit Tunku, soon to be home to Masakini Studio. This refurbished home will be the stage for a new form of Wayang (shadow theatre) which Reed is renowned for.
CONTEmPORARY CAsT
Wayang traditionally involves one light source, a dalang (master), a 50-piece gamelan (traditional Indonesian instrumental set) and a multitude of hand puppets. Reed’s brand of wayang, however, incorporates modern dance weaved with theatre acting, voice-overs, contemporary compositions and intricate light source management instead.
“I keep to the traditional techniques of Balinese shadow theatres as much as possible, but I don’t hesitate in injecting other styles based on my understanding of filmmaking that can be used to express any culture,” he explains.
One of Reed’s specialties is his use of multiple light sources. “Differently positioned light sources allow me to portray the shadows in different positions and I can switch from one light source to another to create a live montage or live editing,” he says, noting the different layers in front of the light sources give the theater play a more three-dimensional image.
“Each layer is important to the storyline. There’s a panel of scenery that changes from scene to scene placed right in front of the light. In front of that are the puppets and in front of that, the actors. With these combinations, it makes my shadow theatre more visually than verbally–driven, like in traditional shadow theatres,” he enlightens.
Another aspect where Reed’s form of wayang differs from the traditional, is in the number of people that make up his production team. He has a team of five to six people. “It’s a small team but we make it work,” he claims, adding: “Usually, in each production, people who are specific to that culture will be part of it.”
This, Reed feels, gives his plays a more authentic significance. “But if I’m doing a production in another country, probably it’ll just be me and one other person — like now, and then I’ll train everyone else.
fiRsT EXPOsuRE
Born and raised in the US, with parents who have no connections to the world of theatre and arts, Reed’s journey has been an unconventional one. His first exposure to this art form began with the Balinese shadow puppet back in the