Wat Bo Troupe prepares to head to Malaysia!

Anders Jiras

For the last week, Cambodian Living Arts’ emerging Large Shadow Puppet troupe from Wat Bo, Siem Reap has been going through intensive rehearsals to prepare for their performance at the George Town Festival in Penang, Malaysia on July 7th, 2012. The troupe is performing a version of the 3rd episode of the Reamker (Khmer version of the Indian epic Ramayana), Sau Neakabas. The episode tells the story of a major battle between evil giant-king Krong Reap's son Indrajit, and the brother of good king Preah Ream, Preah Leak, in which Indrajit shoots Preah Leak with an arrow that releases thousands of serpents on impact. This is the troupe's first performance outside of Cambodia, and we are so excited to have the chance to show the Sbaek Thom form to new ASEAN audiences. Many of the local community came to watch the final rehearsals, which happened outside in the grounds of the Wat. The festival piece will be lit in the traditional way, using fire burning in coconut shells. We would like to thank Air Asia and George Town Festival for facilitating this opportunity.

The George Town Festival in Penang, in early July, is a month-long celebration of art, music, theater, dance, opera and film to commemorate George Town's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage listing on 7 July, 2008. The unique appeal of the festival lies in its well-balanced blend of local cultural performance and events with cutting edge international performances. For more information check out the festival's website.