The Java Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet)

As the name implies, shadow puppets made of animal skins (buffalo, cow or goat). Shadow puppets are used to demonstrate the act of the play chronicles the Mahabharata and Ramayana Purwa, therefore also called Wayang Purwa. Until now puppet show in addition a means of entertainment is also one part of traditionalceremonies such as: clean village, ngruwat and others. To perform a puppet show full required approximately as many as 18 people supporters. One person as a puppeteer, two people as waranggana or sinden, and 15 people as gamelan wiraswara concurrently.

The average performances in one night is 7 to 8 hours, from 21:00 hours until 05:00 hours in the morning.

When done in the daytime show usually starts from 09.00 until 16.00.Place of puppet show stage set up with the concept of abstract.Arena stage consists of a screen of white cloth as a means of technical and placed beneath banana stem to stick puppets.

In the puppet show, the number of scenes in a play can not be determined. The number of these scenes will vary based on the play that was shown or hanging behind it.

As the pre-spectacle is tetabuhan that has nothing to do with the main story, so just be as heated atmosphere or introductory course to get into the actual show.

As a guideline in presenting puppet show usually a puppeteer will use the standard form of puppetry puppetry books.But there is also the mastermind who use the records from the old puppeteers whose knowledge is acquired through heredity.

Nevertheless, a puppeteer also given the opportunity to improvise, because the grip of puppetry is actually only contains the core of the story subject.To further liven things and make the show more interesting, improvisation and creative mastermind is a very important role.

Makeup colors on leather puppets have any symbolic meaning, but there is no general rule here.

The color red makeup to the face for example, most indicate the nature of insolence, but the figures Setyaki that have the color red is not a character make-up rage.

So the puppet character is not determined by the color of makeup, but also determined by other elements, such as shape (patron) puppet itself. Arjuna figures, both of which have a black face and yellow colors, is still Arjuna with properties that we already know. Face color differences like this only to distinguish the appearance of space and time.

Arjuna with the color yellow faces in a scene staged for the court, while Arjuna with the color black face showed that he was on his way.Similarly, the figures Gatotkaca, Krishna, Werkudara and others.This puppet face the color difference will not be known by the audience who saw the show from behind the screen.Lighting equipment used in the puppet show from the past to the present has undergone many changes in accordance with technological developments.

In its original form lighting equipment used in the puppet show is blencong, then evolved into a kerosene lamp (keceran), petromak, many now use electric lights.