Grace Leong and Matthew Foo from NAFA–UAS guided about 200 students over a decade in a learning journey across 9 Southeast Asian countries, documenting the vibrant puppetry tradition in the region that breathes life into the epic stories of Ramayana. Puppetry has long served as a powerful teacher of morals and values, cultural expression, and artistic innovation.
Performance: Thursday 21 March 2024, 6.30pm
In conjunction with the exhibition and its workshops, NAFA commemorated World Puppetry Day on 21 March 2024 with a captivating showcase of puppetry presentations and performances. Inspired by Hindu epic Ramayana, close to 30 students brought their own stories and narratives to life using puppets they created themselves. This presentation came after a dedicated workshop in February led by master puppeteers Wanlu Lunaria (Philippines), Insisiengmay Lattanakone (Laos), and Benjamin Ho (Singapore) that took place in February 2024. Concluding the evening, was an enthralling performance by selected students from NAFA’s School of Theatre who captured the imagination of the audience, as they executed perfectly, a scene depicting Rama’s meeting with the monkey army from the Ramayana. Their performance was met with rousing applause from the 150-strong audience, which included faculty, staff, and alumni.