Mandalay Marionettes Theatre, Myanmar (Burma)

http://ozoutback.com.au/ The Mandalay Marionettes Theatre opened in 1986 by two female founders, Ma Ma Naing and Naing Yee Mar and since then hour-long performances are given in a small theatre. Five traditional musicians sit on the floor before a small stage. They play drums and the "Hneh", a kind of oboe. The show starts with a musical prelude, including a performance on the "Saung", a traditional harp with a boat-shaped hollow base and sixteen strings. This is followed by puppeteer performances: a medium, paying respect to the guardian spirits (The Nats or good spirits) of the area by offering coconut and bananas; Zaw-Gyi, a demigod, an alchemist clad in red, full of vigour, who lives in the forest, carrying a magic stick, he dances about and does acrobatics and he even sits on his magic stick; this is followed by an old bachelor and an old spinster performing a humorous romance dance to the sound of the four musicians. It is said the puppets could make human dancers so envious, that there emerged a form of marionette dance created by human beings themselves. The girl dances, pretending she is controlled by the puppeteer. This is followed by a Prince, back from this studies, bringing his love to the palace to present her to his parents. Two clowns, who make jokes, accompany them to entertain when they are tired. This is performed by the best puppeteers and is the climax of the performance. For photos of Theatre Performances in Mandalay please visit http://ozoutback.com.au/Myanmar/theat....    • Mandalay Marionettes Theatre, Myanmar (Burma)