Thai puppet shows are something of a Thai tradition and never heard of them until now. This is one of must-see performance in Bangbok. The twice best performance awards from the World Festival of Puppet Arts assure the worth of the performance.

          Thai traditional puppet show used to be the popular performance in the old day. When the world changes to the modern life that the modern entertainments are abundant, the old style of local entertainment dramatically decrease, not except the traditional Thai puppet. Then how does it survive among the modern exciting entertainments?

          But Joe Louise nowadays is trying to answer this challenge question because it's only one of the puppet troupes that continually perform with a strong intention to encourage the traditional puppet arts and sustain itself with its dignity.

          Sakorn Yangkiaosod, nick named Joe Louis, restored this performance art from his ancestor and transferred to the new generation of his family. Until now, the puppet performance art is not limited only in the Yangkiaosod heir, but spreads out to the public. Many traditional dancers come to practice dancing and performing at the puppet playhouse.

          Another challenging is how to survive in business arena to firm the troupes and all staffs in their way of artist life that their mind hardly conforms to the business competition, while they have to push the people from the modern entertainment to see their show. So they have to synchronize the traditional artistic and performing innovation to amaze the audiences. The most beautiful puppets have to be created. The story must be interesting. The show must be rich of exciting special effect in nice proportion but the authentic performing must remains.

          Whereas the puppet playhouse is the center of a conservation of traditional performing arts, here is the business unit that consists of hundred of members with loads of expenses. It has to self-define what it should be in either way of traditional arts or commercial arts because it recognizes that only the theatre is not enough to survive.

          Hoon Lakon Lek, a small puppet, is a 1 meter height full body puppet with arms and legs similar to Hoon Luang, royal court puppet. Hoon Lakon Lek is a local performance that imitate to Hoon Luang in appearance but extremely different in the puppet mechanic and performing.

          Date back to 1901, Kru Krae built local puppets and founded the puppet show in Ayutthaya . There were about 200 puppets that alternate shows in many Thai popular tales. The World War II was a turning point of all aspects. After the war, the old way of local entertainment slightly decreases whereas a new way of life grew instead. Hoon Lakon Lek of Kru Krae was no longer popular then he threw many puppets to the river. The left puppets were just dead ones without any performing.

          A half century later, Hoon Lakon Lek was restored once again by Sakorn Yangkiaosod. New puppets were built like Kru Krae's puppets which had beautiful enough to set the show but they were incomparable to the present most beautiful puppets in esthetic and mechanic. Hoon Lakon Lek has a complicated mechanic that supports a beautiful movement of traditional dancing as human does. This reason makes Hoon Lakon Lek performance needs three skilful puppeteers.

          It takes at least few months to build a puppet by many craftsmen and costs about 6,000 USD. A general show requires at least 10 puppets so that means only puppet cost is around 60,000 USD.

          New scrupulously built puppets haven't just boasted their results of much craftsmanship, but they have supported a new way of performing technique which is outstanding development of the Sakorn's puppet show.

          The most important of puppet performing is a transferring an emotion from three puppeteers to their puppet. Their hearts should be melted become one to make the puppet express feeling to audiences. In the same time they have to move themselves along with the puppet.

          In early stage of Sakorn's puppet show, puppeteers performed puppet behind a screen like as other general puppet plays. Later, Sakorn initiated a performing without hiding screen so that the audience could see movements of both puppet and three puppeteers. This way of performing in front of a screen has destroyed limitation of the show so it could perform in anywhere and anytime, while movements of puppeteers has been design resemble to the puppet.

          Kuramavatarn, a new show of the present troupes was showed in the second World Festival of Puppet Arts in Prague and won the winner prize again. This show was more special than the first one in the previous year. Khon (Mask theatre) and Nang Yai (Traditional royal shadow plays) were brought to mix in the show. In addition, a computer graphic screening also was used as colorful background of the stage.

          In 2007, Joe Louis Puppet playhouse foundation was accepted to under the patronage by Princess Kalaya (King's older sister) and became puppet arts performance institute and has continually progression from its previous traditional performing.

          Hoon Lakon Lek reputations attract Thais and foreigners to see this lively national heritage and inspire all new Thai classical troupes and other science experts to participate the institute.

The fascinating puppet show in the most beatiful playhouse

          The new home of puppet playhouse in Bangkok is at the King Power Complex - conveninently located downtown. The 578-seat Aksara Theatre bills itself as "Thailand most beautiful playhouse".

          The new theatre boasts elaboratedly designed and ornate walls and ceiling with depictions of mythical Siamese figures. But the most important is that the last row isn't far from the wide stage. There are no bad seats in the house. And the leather seats are comfortable with ample legroom.