Asian Transformations in Action - Api-fellowships.org

INTERMINGLING OF CONTINUITY AND DISCONTINUITY81thus, the wings of the stage are comparatively large.Aside from schools, families have also been institutionalbases in sustaining the life of theater. Many artistscome from families of artists and have been broughtup in the art environment. Ajahn Rewadee Sayakom,who is a master in the performance of the male rolesin the squad drill scenes of Hanuman and author ofa handbook on the art of Thai dance, is the daughterof Ajahn Akom Sayakom. Ajahn Akom Sayakom hasbeen recognized by the King through the wai khruceremonies. The ceremony is performed for a masterartist who has exhibited excellence in the practiceof his/her craft. Many other artist teachers from theSrinakarinwirot University belong to families of artists,as well. Families of artists can also be found in othertraditional theater forms such as likay, as well as the noraor manora dance found in the southern part of Thailandand lakhon chantree, performed by traditional artists inPetchaburi province in Central Thailand. In the case oflikay performing troupes, families are evolved as troupesdevelop filial relationships with their co-actors.In addition to the help from schools and families inproviding venues for training and learning for artists,other institutions have helped create markers of theaterin Thai society. Massive statues of the main charactersof the Ramayana stories lord over the Wat Phra Kaewtemple, also known as the Temple of the EmeraldBuddha. Wat Phra Kaew also houses massive Ramayanamurals, which have been carefully preserved usingtraditional paints and materials according to MadameSukanya Kamthakrae, head of the mural restorationproject. Conservation and restoration teams, composedof conservation scientists headed by Dr. ChirapornSuranyanark, conduct restoration projects for theaterartifacts such as puppets books and publications.Librarians at Thammasat University have expendedmuch effort in raising funds to rehabilitate books thathave been damaged through time using the technologyof book paper reconstruction using “sa” (mulberry)paper. The National Theater uses the age-old technologyof sun and air to preserve costumes. Boxes have beendesigned to house special masks used for performances.It is, however, important to mention that although thedisplays in the puppet museum section at the NationalMuseum were plentiful, they were poorly annotated.Contemporary theater groups and artists have initiatedthe development of new forms to veer away fromthe traditional Ramayana in an effort to explore newapproaches to dramaturgy. While state-supportedinstitutions have preserved and conserved theirtraditional theater practice through the help of thegovernment, contemporary theater groups have createdavenues for performances such as festivals, small cafeperformances in the Bang Lampoo area and public parksto make their mark in the theater scene. Contemporaryartists such as Nut Nualpang, Nikorn Saetang andKamron Gunitilaka have taken pains to document theirwork through video. The Bangkok Theatre Season, themost recent of which was held in November 2006,was a showcase of new works by young artists rangingfrom works of well-known contemporary artists toexperiments of budding artists and performanceexhibitions of traditional theater such as the manoradance. A number of contemporary artists have takenthe initiative in writing re-interpretations of traditionalforms. Pichert Klunchung’s writings chronicle thesources of dance and movement motifs from traditionaldance forms, tracing their roots to the natural imagesof flora and fauna in Thailand and the deep reverenceof the people for their King, whom they believe to bethe reincarnation of the god Rama. He notes, though,that he may find it hard to have his book publishedsince it runs against traditional concepts of dance andtheater form. Other contemporary artists like Kage andSineenadh Keitprapai, both from the Crescent MoonTheater company, have kept journals and illustrations oftheir preparations for productions. Kage, a butoh artistand director, chronicles his preparations and thoughtprocesses through his personal collection of illustrationsand sketches while brainstorming about his production.Sineenahd Keitprapai, on the other hand, keeps acollection of journals and drawing booklets containingher verses, sketches and notes of her preparations forroles that she has performed. Her notes make her awareof her development as an actor and help her identifyareas for improvement.Individual artists have also taken pains to keepdocuments and archival materials about their work.National Artist for Likay, Boonlert Najpanich, has acollection of musical instruments and scripts that hewrote in his personal museum in his house. He saidthat it has always been his practice to keep notes of hisexperiences by keeping a file of his works so that he isable to share them with younger people who want tolearn the art of likay. While providing jobs for artists,he also keeps the interest in likay alive by trainingyoung students. Musician Ajarn Manop Wissuttipat ofSrinakharinwirot University has written a book aboutThai music notation and hopes to translate his workinto English. Other members of the faculties of schoolsand universities are also driven to write about their workas artist-teachers through journal articles and researchreports, which they are required to submit regularly.Asian Transformations in ActionThe Work of the 2006/2007 API Fellows