“Sbek Thom”—— Khmer Shadow Theater

The Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre featuring two-meter high， and non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. Dating from before the Angkorian period， the Sbek Thom， along with the royal ballet and mask theatre， is considered sacred. Performances， dedicated to the divinities， could only take place on specific occasions， three or four times a year， such as the Khmer New Year， the King’s birthday or the veneration of famous people. The shadow theatre was weakened after the fall of Angkor in the last century. However， it has evolved beyond a ceremonial activity to become an artistic form， while retaining its ritualistic dimension.

“斯貝克—托姆”高棉皮影戲臺上的傀儡由透孔皮革制成，約2米高。遠在吳哥時期之前，“斯貝克—托姆”皮影戲便與皇家舞劇、化裝舞劇都被認為是神圣的藝術形式。一般來說，祭神的表演只在一些特殊時刻舉行，一年只表演3到4次。比如，在高棉新年、國王生日或敬奉名人時表演。然而，在上個世紀吳哥王朝衰敗后，皮影戲也隨之被削弱，但它已經演化為一種保留著儀式規范的典禮性藝術形式。

The puppets are made from a single piece of leather in a special ceremony for each character. Shiva and Vishnu， for example， are cut from the hide of a cow， which died accidentally or naturally. The hides are dyed with a solution made from the bark of the Kandaol. The artisan draws the desired figure on the tanned hide， then cuts it out and paints it before attaching it to two bamboo sticks which enable the dancer to control the puppet.

The performances traditionally take place at night in the open air beside a rice-field or pagoda. A large white backdrop is held between two tall bamboo screens in front of a large fire or， nowadays， projectors. The shadow of the puppet’s silhouette is projected onto this white screen. The animator brings the puppet to life with precise and specific dance steps that produce a range of movements. The performance is accompanied by an orchestra and two narrators. Performances from the Reamker， the Khmer version of the Ramayana， might last several nights and require up to 160 puppets for a single session.

在特殊儀式中，每個角色的傀儡都由整片皮革制作。例如濕婆與毗濕奴，采用的是意外或自然死亡的母牛皮，牛皮以Kandaol（樹名）樹皮溶液染色。工匠們將想要的形象畫在曬制后的牛皮上，然后將它剪出、上色，再系到兩根竹棍上，以便舞者操作。

依照傳統習慣，表演在夜晚舉行，地點在戶外的谷場或寶塔旁邊，將夾在兩根高大竹板間的大白幕布安置在一大堆篝火或今天的照明燈前面。傀儡的影像投影后，如同白色屏幕上的中國皮影。有著精確奇特舞步的操縱者賦予這些傀儡以生命，動作豐富。表演由一個樂隊伴奏，并伴有兩個講述人。“Reamker”，高棉語譯本的《羅摩衍那》，可能持續幾個晚上，每場就需多達160件傀儡。