Wayang puppets originate from South India.
Their story repetoirs stem from the epic poetry from the Sanskrit, Ramayana and Mahabharata languages.
A favorite resource is the Panji-cyclus. Panji being a public hero figure.
Some shows are known to go on all night long.
The Indonesian word for puppeteer is "Dalang".
There are special schools where to learn how to become a Dalang of the Wayang puppetry.
There are differrent types of Wayang puppetry:
Wayang Kulit (shadow-show or phantasmagoria) using the flat wooden Klitik puppets behind screens in Wayang community theatres.
These rarer Klitik puppets are the most famous and carved from buffalo hide with a sharp, chisel-like stylus and then painted by the village artists.
During a Wayang Kulit puppet show the leaf-shaped "Kayon", representing the tree or mountain of life, is used to end scenes and is also made of leather.
Wayang Golek is a show where the wooden puppets are three-dimensional, rounder in shape and found around the island and region of Bali.
Cardboard versions of Wayang puppets are often used in the "Kampungs" (poorer Indonesian neighbourhood) and shows for the general public.
Topeng Malang is a show where the actors wear masks while dancing.
These shows are accompanied by instruments.
The Wayang Gedog is accompanied by the 7 tone Pelog Gamelan, whereas the Wayang Slendro is accompanied by the 5-tone version of the instrument.
