Wayang Stages then and now

Posted by noelbynature under Lifestyle, Traditions
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The traditional Chinese Wayang doesn’t seem to have changed much… or has it? yg takes a closer look at the wayang stages today and blogs about how things have remained the same, and how things are different.

You’ll be surprised to learn how much of the traditional wayang has remained, even with the breakneck speed of progress that Singapore has seen in the last 40 years:

“if you compare the wayang stage in the 80s - or for that matter, in the 60s, with the wayang stage of today, you will realise that things have remained more or less the same. they still use bakau wood for the frame and tarpaulin for the roofing and the sides. in the very early years, they could have used attap sheets for the roofing.

the horn loud-speaker - seen on the left of the stage - used about 40 years ago is still in use today. i am sure the props have also survived all those years of use. the floor of the stage is constructed using planks, just like in the good, old days. the musicians would be seated on the two sides, at the front of the stage.

if you look at the dimensions, they have neither grown nor shrunk over the years; they are still the same in size. the raised stage is still six feet or, in today’s unit of measurement, about 1.80m above the ground.”

But if you take a closer look, yg will point out some of the small changes that has taken place in the wayang stage over the years. You’ll also read about some of the theatrical conventions used in the Chinese Wayang in his post, the chinese wayang.

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