Shadow theater is based on the creation of optical effects.
A show that consists of the creation of certain optical effects is known as shadow theater . To develop shadow theater, you need a lamp or other lighting source and a smooth, clear surface (which can be a wall or a screen ).
The person must place their hands or a puppet in front of the lamp so that the shadow is projected on the wall or screen. According to the position of the hands and the movements, you can create figures: animals, human beings, etc.
Origin of shadow theater
It is believed that the origin of shadow theater is found in Prehistory , when the caveman made shadows with fire. In Asian countries such as India and China , puppets also began to be used behind canvases for the development of shadow theater.
There are many stories and legends that have revolved around shadow theater. However, one of the most significant is the one told by what is believed to be the origin of said art in China. Specifically, it seems that everything goes back to the moment when Emperor Wu-Ti loses his wife (Wang), which plunges him into deep sadness.
All the members of the court try to get him to cheer up and return to what he was, but they don't succeed. Minstrels, comedians and all kinds of artists pass by trying to make him smile again, but without success. However, one day a man named Sha-Wong shows up, who says he is able to revive the beautiful Wang.
Therefore, he places the emperor in front of a cloth held by two poles at a certain distance and tells him that he cannot move no matter what he sees. He accepts the deal and soon begins to see how behind the fabric, in shadows, he can see the silhouette of his beloved, which fills him with happiness. And so it happens day after day until Wu-Ti on one occasion, tired of not being able to touch his wife, approaches the cloth and pulls it down, discovering that everything has been a deception, that, in reality, everything It was the result of the shadow play that Sha-Wong played with a lamp and a figure of a woman.
To develop shadow plays, puppets are usually used.
Chinese shadows
The practice of creating figures with the shadows of the hands is currently known as Chinese shadows or Chinese shadows . The concept of shadow theater is generally applied when marionettes or puppets are used as part of the show.
There are those who maintain that shadow theater is the antecedent of cinema : it was the first experience based on the reproduction of movements and actions on a screen. Of course, both techniques are very different, although they share this particularity.
Another type of art that is linked to shadow theater is the so-called black theater of Prague , which consists of playing shadow and light games with flashlights on a dark stage.