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Wayang: Javanese Shadow Puppet Play and Music
Sun, Dec 13
|Epiphany Center for the Arts
A performance years in the making, Friends of the Gamelan brings an outstanding performance of Javanese shadow puppetry to Chicago.
Time & Location
Dec 13, 2026, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607, USA
About the event
Admission is free; RSVP here or here:
https://link.dice.fm/k26ff72484eb Experience the mesmerizing world of Wayang Kulit, the centuries-old Javanese art of shadow puppetry. Nearly 20 years after FROG’s last wayang performance in Chicago, this special presentation brings together FROG's Javanese ensemble and an extraordinary group of master artists from Java for The Clash of Gathutkaca and Boma, a dramatic tale drawn from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata.
Master dhalang (puppeteer) Ki Midiyanto brings intricately carved leather puppets to life against a glowing screen, transforming shadow into an epic tale of power, pride, duty, and honor. He is joined by master musicians Wakidi Dwidjomartono and Darsono Hadiraharjo and world-renowned vocalists Heni Savitri and Peni Candra Rini, with live translation and contextualization by wayang scholar Kathryn Emerson.
While wayang performances in Java can unfold for eight hours, this extraordinary four-hour drop-in-as-you-like performance offers Chicago audiences a rare opportunity to experience the music, storytelling, philosophy, and humor of this living tradition, recognized by UNESCO as…