Synopsis

A myth. An insatiable desire for blood. A beautiful-looking woman with supernatural abilities to detach her head.

Inspired by the spine-chilling South-East Asian folklores of Krasue and Penanggalan, The Finger Players and Joe Louis Theatre Company present The Finger Players x Joe Louis Theatre Company Puppetry Season 2023.

This marks the beginning of a three-year collaboration between local puppetry theatre company The Finger Players, and its traditional Thai puppetry counterpart Joe Louis Theatre Company.

The collaboration will unfold in three phases:
Phase 1 (2023): Work-in-progress (WIP) Puppetry Presentation, accompanied by a Puppetry Masterclass
Phase 2 (2024): Scriptwriting and Workshop (Thailand)
Phase 3 (2025): Finale production (Thailand)

Phase 1 (2023) will bring forth the distinct artistic voices of both companies as they showcase their local interpretation of the infamous folklores Krasue and Penanggalan in a WIP puppetry presentation, happening on 21 September 2023, 8pm, at 42 Waterloo Street. The Finger Players will present Here, written by Chong Tze Chien; and the Joe Louis Theatre Company will present กระสือ (Trick or Treat).

We promise, it will be absurd, horrifying, and beautiful.

ABOUT JOE LOUIS THEATRE COMPANY

Joe Louis Theatre Company, also known as the Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre, is a puppetry troupe in Thailand that serves to preserve and propagate the art form of the Thai Classical Small Puppet theatre (Hun Lakhorn Lek) within and beyond Thailand. 

The company creates diverse classical stage shows and musical performances, both traditional and contemporary in nature. It is founded by Master Sakorn Yangkhiawsod who inherited, revived, and innovated the art form of Hun Lakhorn Lek in 1995.

Hun Lakhorn Lek was first invented by Master Krae Saptawanit in the reign of Rama IV (1910-1926). He established a troupe, where Master Sakorn Yangkhiawsod’s parents performed as puppeteers. From there, Master Sakorn grew up with the art form. After the Second World War, the art form was banned, and thus disappeared from Thai society for almost 50 years. Master Sakorn revived it in 1995 by innovating it to suit the modern era and passing on the techniques to his direct descendants.

Thus began the conservation and propagation of Hun Lakhorn Lek by Joe Louis Theatre Company. Master Sakorn was later honoured as a National Artist in Performing Arts in Thailand in 1996. In the 2000s, the company received Royal Patronage by the late Royal Highness Princess Galvani Vadhana, who later named the company the Traditional Thai Puppet Theatre (a.k.a. Joe Louis Theatre Company).

Today, Joe Louis Theatre Company’s influence reaches far within and beyond the country. It is widely known and admired amongst its Thai audience and foreign visitors to Thailand, and has also been honoured to perform on significant occasions for various organisations in government and private sectors. Abroad, the company has received international acclaim from The World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague for The Best Traditional Performance Award (2006) and The Best Performance Award (2008).

The Finger Players

Playwright / Director
Chong Tze Chien (Singapore)

Puppet Designer
Daniel Sim (Singapore)

Puppet Fabricator
Prop-erly

Performers / Puppeteers
Jamil Schulze (Singapore)
Myra Loke (Singapore)
Tanya Ang (Singapore)
Yazid Jalil (Singapore)

Joe Louis Theatre

Director / Puppeteer
Surin Yangkeawsod (Thailand)

Playwright / Puppeteer
Yupin Kulanitya (Thailand)

Project Manager / Production Manager/ Conceptualiser
Chanunya Mychy Choonak (Thailand)

Conceptualiser
Wannasak Sirilar (Thailand)

Producer / Consultant
Pisutr Yangkhieosod (Thailand)

Props / Puppeteers
Saliltip Ruedet (Thailand)
Thirapong Kitisakol (Thailand)

Music Editor / Puppeteer
Paramet Phetchana (Thailand)