Chinese shadow performance (“Pi Ying Xi”) has a history going back 2000 years. This theater tradition uses beautifully carved and colored animal-hide figures, manipulated behind cloth screens in order to portray vivid episodes from history, literature and folktale.
In this workshop, we examine the world history of shadow theater through playing with puppets from around the globe and learning techniques for designing, building, and operating shadow puppets. Workshops can focus on traditional on-screen shadow theater, contemporary OP (overhead projector) shadow theater, or a mixture of the two.
Past presenters include: Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asia Society, China Institute, New York University, as well as public schools and libraries across the country. CTW has also presented these workshops online through presenters including the Chicago International Puppet Festival, University of Connecticut Puppetry Arts Program, and Atlas Obscura.
