Wayang Shadow Puppets

Also known as Wayang kulit

Wayang kulit is the shadow theatre of Java and Bali. A single puppeteer, the dalang, moves cut and painted buffalo-hide figures behind a lit cloth and speaks every voice, while a gamelan orchestra plays beside the cloth.

Play the preview About this tradition

Wayang Shadow Puppets: photograph by FaizAttariqi — Photo: FaizAttariqi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Wayang Shadow Puppets: the game in attract mode

Live previewPlay

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How to play

Watch each scene as the shadows play it on the lit screen.
Tap a choice, or press its number, to decide what happens next.
When the old farmer asks a riddle, pick the answer you think is right.
Wit, goodwill and water build as you choose; your ending gives one to three stars.

Rules at a glance

The tale branches several ways and has three possible endings.
Patient, kind and clever choices earn wisdom points; shouting and shortcuts earn none.
Some choices make you late or unkind, and those cannot be undone.
The riddle is answered once; a wrong answer is not fatal but costs wit.
Three stars need wit, goodwill and no delays.

About the tradition

Wayang kulit has been performed on Java and Bali for many centuries and is recognised internationally as a masterpiece of living heritage. Puppeteers, musicians and puppet-makers keep it alive, often within families. This tale is an original village story in the style of its clown-servant comedies.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Southeast Asia and the Islands.

Credits

Tale and artwork: World Heritage Games (original)
Photo: FaizAttariqi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.

Sources

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pertunjukan_Wayang_Kulit.jpg

Get the app

Wayang Shadow Puppets is one of 10 stories and theatre games in the Story & Theatre of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.

See all 10 stories and theatre games in the app

In review on theApp StoreIn review on theGoogle Play

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