WAYANG KULIT COLUMBIA MARIONETTE THEATRE

Wayang Kulit is a traditional theater form of Southeast Asia, which is characterized by intricately carved shadow puppets and is generally linked to gamelan music. As part of Asian Arts Week 2008, the Columbia Marionette Theatre has developed a contemporary Wayang Kulit production in response to the music of Gamelan Galak Tika. The narrative is based on the  Mahabarata,  an epic tale originating from India that was introduced to Indonesia in the first century A.D. when Hindu kings conquered Java.  It was modified to incorporate pre-existing Indonesian gods and changed again with the introduction of Islam.  In this production, Prince Bima goes on a journey to comprehend the meaning of life and on the way fights a giant, a sea serpent, and swims to the bottom of the ocean. March 28, 6:30 PM Columbia Museum of Art Columbia Marionette Theatre