8 July
A new marionette theatre was formally opened on Sunday in Mandalay as part of efforts to sustain and revive the traditional art in Myanmar.
The new theatre is located near the two big lion statues at the entrance of the Mandalay Hill in Aungmyethazan Township.
At the opening ceremony, Daw Ma Ma Naing, the chairperson of the Myanmar Marionettes Committee, stated the purpose behind launching the new theatre, saying it is expected to draw more international visitors.
Daw Ma Ma Naing, whose father U Thein Naing wrote and published a book on Myanmar Puppet Theatre in 1966, frequently conducts modern educational puppet shows at local schools to disseminate knowledge about the traditional art and help revive it.
Puppetry is the most popular art in Myanmar. It is usually performed at pagoda festivals. Local puppeteers are continuing to bring the art back to life even as the older traditional marionette generation has almost faded away.
Maung Pyithu (Mandalay)
(Translated by Khaing Thanda Lwin)
