Wayang Kulit | Semarang Cultures

As the name implies, shadow puppets are made from skins of animals (buffalo, cow or goat).
Shadow puppets are used to demonstrate the play is the play of the Chronicle Purwa Mahabharata and the Ramayana, is therefore also called Wayang Purwa. Until now a puppet show in addition to entertainment facilities is also one part of traditional ceremonies such as: clean village, ngruwat and others. To perform a puppet show in full required approximately as many as 18 people supporters.

One person as a puppeteer, 2 people as waranggana or sinden, and 15 people as gamelan wiraswara concurrently. The average performances in
one night is 7 to 8 hours, from 21:00 hours until 05:00 hours in the morning. When done in the daytime show usually starts from 09.00 to 16.00.
Place puppet show performances arranged by using abstract concepts.Arena stage consists of a screen of white cloth as a means of technical and placed beneath banana stem to stick puppets.
In the puppet show, the number of scenes in a play can not be determined. The number of these scenes will vary based on the play that was shown or hanging behind it.

As the pre-spectacle is tetabuhan that has nothing to do with the main story, so just be a heated atmosphere or introductory course to get into the actual show. As a guideline in presenting the puppet show is usually a mastermind will use the standard form of puppetry puppetry books. But there is also the mastermind who uses records from the old puppeteers whose knowledge is acquired through heredity. Nevertheless, a puppeteer also given the opportunity to improvise, because the grip of puppetry is actually only contains the core of the story subject.
To further liven things and make the show more interesting, improvisation and creative mastermind is a very important role.

Color makeup in leather puppets have symbolic meaning, but there is no general rule here.
The color red makeup for the face for example, most exhibit rage, but the figures Setyaki that have the color red is not a character make-up rage. So the puppet character is not determined by the color of makeup, but also determined by other elements, such as shape (patron) puppet itself. Arjuna figures, both of which have a black face and yellow colors, is still Arjuna with properties that we already know. Face color difference like this only to distinguish the appearance of space and time.

Arjuna with the color yellow face for a scene staged in the palace, while Arjuna with the color black face showed that he was on his way. Similarly, the figures Gatotkaca, Krishna, Werkudara and others. This puppet face the color difference will not be known by the audience who saw the show from behind the screen. Lighting equipment used in a puppet show from the past to the present has undergone many changes according to technological developments. In its original form lighting equipment used on the puppet show is blencong, then evolved into a kerosene lamp (keceran), petromak, now many use electric lights.

Wayang kulit is the traditional art of Indonesia which is mainly developed in Java. Puppet comes from the word Ma Hyang means toward the almighty one,. Shadow puppets played by a puppeteer who is also the narrator's dialogue puppet characters, accompanied by gamelan music played by a group of nayaga and song sung by the singer. Puppeteer behind the puppet play screen, the screen is made ​​of white cloth, while the electric lights flashed behind him or lamp oil (blencong), so that the spectators who were on the other side of the screen can see the shadow puppet who falls into the screen. To be able to understand the story of wayang (the play), the audience must have knowledge of puppet characters whose image appears on the screen.

In general, the puppet took the story from the Mahabharata and Ramayana manuscript, but not be limited only by the grip (standard), the ki can also play the play puppeteer carangan (composition). Some of the stories taken from the Panji stories.
Puppet show has been recognized by UNESCO on November 7, 2003, as a work of astonishing cultural narratives and stories in a beautiful and valuable heritage (Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity). Shadow puppets are more popular in central and eastern Java, while the puppet show is more often played in West Java.