Cultural Center brings shadow puppetry performance to children

Hamish Fletcher

The Macau Cultural Center (CCM) will be holding a shadow puppet show titled “Slapdash Galaxy” this weekend. The show is for children aged six and above, and is part of the “ARTmusing Summer” series of CCM.

The show uses shadow puppetry, which is a traditional storytelling and theatre method that originated in Asia. The puppets in the show will be made from recycled materials such as old boxes, drinking straws and bubble wrap. They will be projected on a backlit white screen to create the shadow. The puppeteers will adjust the light and distance of the puppets, moving and manipulating the puppets to create a vivid dramatic effect.

The show has various characters that are all played by one puppeteer, Hamish Fletcher. Fletcher spoke to the media yesterday at a press conference.

Fletcher stated that the show is very visual and physical, noting that part of the story is the form of the piece; watching the puppeteer make the story out of things and materials he has.

“The form of the theatre is part of the story. The children will see us with all the puppets, they see the light shining through. It’s open. They see the whole process,” he explained.

Fletcher also stated that not everything in the show makes use of shadows.

“We also do a little bit of backlight theatre which is using a corridor of light to show the space adventure.”

Having been on tour around the world, Fletcher mentioned that the interaction with the children in different countries varies.

“Most of the times in Australia, I improvise a lot. But here, I can’t do that because the language is a barrier. But I found it useful to be more physical and visual,” he said.

He also added that he would take a member of the audience to join the show to play the bad guy in the story.

The show depicts the story of two brothers, Sam and Junior, who go on a space adventure to find a new home because their planet is in trouble. On their journey, they meet monsters and warriors that they have to face, including a scary toothed animal, a spider and an extraterrestrial duo.

Fletcher is part of a company called Bunk Puppets, an Australia-based company that creates performances for children and families to enjoy. “Slapdash Galaxy” was created by Fletcher and the company’s founder, Jeff Achtem, and has recently been shown in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

There will be three performances this weekend, each lasting approximately one hour.