Thai performance/dance is culturally unique but still encompasses similar components of other cultural expressions from other nations as well. Specifically Thai Nang is a performance that utilizes puppets, like Javanese puppet theatre. They both use the effect of shadows cast by the two dimensional characters and many stories are derived from the epic text Ramayana. Southeast Asia has preserved puppet theatre and has been performing with puppets for the past five centuries. One interesting component of the reading is the differentiation between high and low brow theatre. Thai li-khe is a ritual-drama performed at festivals and is the most popular style of performance in Thailand but it is highly politicized and specifically for an intended audience. This would be more of a ‘low-brow’ art form because it was not performed in courts for royalty rather these performances have highly nuanced political messages not apparent to individuals who are not extremely knowledgeable about the politics of the region in which the performance occurs. Khon and lakhon are considered more ‘high-brow’ performance that are performed for the courts and royalty of the area. These art forms, because they are performed for the ruling elite, run the risk of pandering. The li-khe performances are politically critical of their leaders but khon and lakhon performances cannot be critical because of their intended audience. Lakhon and khon performances must be gracious to the leaders thus the performances are not critical and only contain folklore and tradition rather than the nuanced political commentary embedded in li-khe performances.  Li-khe performances are a dying art but most similar to Western performance because it resembles Greek dialogic performances. Another ‘high-brow’ performance is called lakho lek which means little theater and is reserved for the courts. This style again primarily focuses on folk tales and uses marionettes instead of shadow puppets. But like many art forms the lakho lek is no longer performed and the skill of Thai marionette performing was not preserved and has been lost. Interestingly, despite the trade routes that move through Thailand the West has had little influence on Thai drama. China, India, Cambodia, and Malaysia have had much stronger influence over Thai performances, mostly because political power transitions which may explain why the ‘high-brow’ performances that occurred in courts have died out faster than the ‘low-brow’ art that still performed at festivals with their hidden political critiques.

Travis Williams