SHADOWS
CHAPTER I
The Mystery of the Shadow
The life of primitive man was full of peril. Out of the struggle to survive the dangers which threatened him on every side came fear and superstition. He developed a great regard for shadows which he could not understand. They were mysterious, they moved and changed, appeared and disappeared. They eluded him and yet pursued him. The shadow became for him a living thing. Gradually he came to look upon his own shadow as his very soul. He felt that he must shield and protect it. Consequently he would permit no one to step upon it, or even to touch it.
Stories of regard for the shadow come from many lands. The natives of Nias, an island in the Dutch East Indies, greatly feared the rainbow, because to them it was a powerful net set by a great spirit to catch their shadows, and to destroy them.
Savages of Wetar, a neighboring island, believe that a man can be made ill unto death if his shadow is stabbed, while the Ottawa Indians believed that a man will die if certain figures are drawn upon his shadow, and the Bushmen of Australia never allow their shadows to fall upon dead game. They are confident that bad luck will follow them if they do so. When a Malay builds a house, he takes the greatest care to prevent his shadow from falling into the hole that is being dug for the center post. If, by chance, his shadow should fall into the hole, he feels certain that sickness and trouble will follow him.
Here is a curious tale that comes from India. A priest named Saukara disagreed with the grand lama. In order to show his supernatural powers he soared far up into the sky, his long shadow falling on the ground. When the lama saw this shadow moving along on the ground, he drew out his sword and struck it. Saukara fell to the earth.
In Africa, the natives believe that even trees must guard their shadows. This is especially true of the trees that have medicinal leaves. A Kaffir doctor runs up very quickly to one of these medicinal trees and tries to avoid stepping on its shadow lest the shadow inform the tree of his coming and give it time to withdraw the healing properties of its leaves into the trunk.
One of the strangest customs that has existed since the time of the Greeks is still practised in southeastern Europe. It is that of measuring a strong man’s shadow and then of building the measuring line into the foundations of a building. The people believe that the strength of the man goes into the structure. In Roumania one frequently hears when passing a building under construction this warning cry: “Beware lest they take thy shadow.” There are certain people who go about stealthily measuring the shadows of strong men. They sell these shadow measuring lines to the architects.
Gradually the superstitious fear of shadows passed. In the place of this fear came an interest in using shadows for entertainment. This may have been suggested by the shadows that fell on the walls of the sacred tent while the priests within were performing the holy rites.
Shadow plays originated in the Orient and are known in every Eastern country. Here is a tale of their Chinese origin. An emperor grew angry with his two court fools, and ordered their heads cut off. When his anger cooled, he began to feel that life was dull. He then ordered his grand vizier to bring his fools back to life. At this command, the vizier was almost at his wit’s end for he knew that he would lose his own head if he could not fulfil the royal command. One day he met a fisherman with two great fishes. It suddenly occurred to him that he might take the skins of these fishes, dry them, and cut out from them two figures that would look like the two jesters. He succeeded in doing this, and after much thought and labor, he was able once more to show the Emperor his fools, this time as shadows against a lighted curtain, acting for his entertainment. These shadows seemed to please the Emperor even more than the living jesters.
In all Eastern countries the people usually prefer flat shadow figures to round marionettes. Such shadow figures are made from the carefully prepared skin of a goat or buffalo. After it has been stretched and dried, a clever artist takes the translucent skin and cuts out from it figures which represent the gods and heroes of the people. The illustration shows a characteristic Javanese shadow figure. The elaborate pattern is made by means of many small holes of different shapes and sizes. This figure is further enriched with transparent colors and gold. The arms are jointed at the shoulder and the elbow. Slender rods of wood, bone, or ivory are then fastened to the body and arms. The puppeteer manipulates the figure by means of these rods which extend below the figure. The shapes of the figures are most interesting, as you can see, with their strange headdresses, long noses, thin arms and legs. Their gestures are so grotesque and fascinating that they are like the strange people one meets only in dreams.
The theaters in which these shadow figures are shown are often no more than an angle of two walls before which is hung an opaque curtain in which there is a small opening with a bit of very fine linen stretched over it. This is lighted from behind. Here the showman sits with his figures all about him. And a very clever fellow he must be! Think of all the things he must do. First, he must know by heart all the stories that the people may wish to see acted, then he must know how to make the proper speech for each of his puppets, as well as how to make it act its part with the proper feeling and gestures. Further, he must be able to direct the orchestra of several men playing tomtoms, to manage his lights, and to shuffle his feet when that is necessary.
Can you guess how many puppets belong to his set? Count the characters in your favorite plays. If you take a long play like Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and include a great band of fairies, there will scarcely be more than fifty characters. This showman has from sixty to one hundred and twenty shadows in his set. He must know just where every one is placed so that he can put his hand upon it the moment it is needed. He must also please people of many different tastes, therefore he must be able to give serious plays; plays about the gods, about giants and dragons, elves and fairies. Besides all of this he must know a great many hero plays, for it is through his art that the great heroes are kept alive.
Omar Khayyam, the Persian poet, compared life itself to a shadow-show.
For in and out, above, about, below,
Life’s nothing but a Magic Shadow-show.
Play’d in a Box whose Candle is the Sun,
Round which we Phantom Figures come and go.
The shadow figures of Oriental countries differ widely. For example, those of China are as beautiful in pattern and in color as those of the Javanese but are much less grotesque. The Turkish shadow figures are less beautiful than the Chinese and Javanese figures. They are very cleverly articulated, however, and so skilfully manipulated that they furnish the most common and popular form of dramatic entertainment. Black Eye or Karagheuz is the rogue hero, and is known throughout Turkey and the whole of northern Africa. The Karagheuz shows are the usual attraction of Greek and Turkish coffee houses.
Among the many things that came to Europe through trading with the Orient were Chinese shadow figures. They probably reached England early in the XVIth Century.
We know that the clever showman, Powell, used motions or shadows in his Old Creation of the World with the Addition of Noah’s Flood, in 1641. More than a century later Chinese shadow plays came under royal favor in France. There they have been changed and adapted in many ways. The modern French shadow plays are pretentious, with many scenes and numerous characters. All the countries of Europe have made some use of the cut-out shadow figures.
Recently cut-out shadow figures have found a rival. This has come about through the growing appreciation of the dramatic possibilities of the human shadow figure. Modern lighting has done much toward this end, because it has made possible a clearly defined silhouette on the shadow screen.
Upper: Scene from cut out shadow play, "The Traveling Musicians of Bremen."
Lower: Behind the scenes in a cut out shadow play, given by eighth grade pupils of Fairmount Junior High School, Cleveland, Ohio.
The art of the human shadow is not limited. It uses acting, dancing, music, the voice, and color. With a sense of design and arrangement, a beautiful picture is created before the audience every moment. The human shadow play is a new challenge to imagination, taste, and ingenuity.
CHAPTER II
Making a Shadow Play
It is not at all difficult to make a shadow play if one knows what the requirements are. The first requirement of either a cut-out shadow play or a human play is that its story shall have action. In this it is like a movie. You will recall how keenly you enjoy the action in such movies as Robin Hood and the Black Pirate. The second requirement is a dramatic plan or problem. This is necessary in order to hold the attention of the audience. For example, the dramatic plan or problem in the Black Pirate is the struggle of the hero to free himself from the pirates. Your attention is held by this struggle. The third requirement is the selection of the most important and interesting characters in the play. Since the success of a shadow play depends upon interesting silhouettes, each character must have individuality. No two silhouettes should be alike, either in appearance or size. As an illustration of this, notice that the shadow figures at the top of page 215 are of different appearance and height. Lastly, the settings of a shadow play should be very simple and suggestive and help to tell the story.
Nursery rhymes and fables, folk and fairy tales are delightful material for cut-out shadow plays. They are vivid, humorous, and fanciful. They are full of direct conversation which can be carried on by the puppeteers behind the screen or by a reader in front of the screen. In the following list you may find a story to turn into a cut-out shadow play. Nursery rhymes such as: Little Bo Peep, Old King Cole, The Knave of Hearts, A Frog Who Would A-Wooing Go, and The House That Jack Built. Fables such as those of Æsop, La Fontaine, and Bidpai. Folk and fairy tales, such as: Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, The Elves and the Shoemaker, Seven at a Blow, Snow White and the Dwarfs, The Three Bears, Red Riding Hood, Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp, Sleeping Beauty, The Mermaid, Just-So Stories, Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Traveling Musicians of Bremen, and The Pied Piper of Hamelin Town. Bible stories can be turned into beautiful shadow plays. For example, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lion’s Den, Jonah and the Whale, and Joseph and His Brethren.
Tales of heroism and adventure, ballads and poems, stories of Christmas and Easter, Bible stories and stories of the lives of the saints are appropriate for human shadow plays because they have great human interest and give opportunity for dramatic interpretation. The following list may be a guide to you in choosing your play: William Tell, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Roland and Oliver, Hiawatha, The Cid, Joseph and His Brethren, The Story of Moses, David and Jonathan, David Before Saul, The Good Samaritan, The Story of Ruth, The Story of Queen Esther, The Story of St. Francis of Assisi, The Nativity, The Christ-child Legend, Where Love Is There God Is. Also, and Christmas carols such as: Good King Wenceslaus, We Three Kings of the Orient Are, Here We Come A Wassailing, and Little Town of Bethlehem.
Boys and girls who have originality and a gift for writing will find great pleasure in making their own shadow plays. These can be done either in prose or in verse. They can do this easily, if they keep in mind the requirements—action, dramatic interest, individuality of characters, and a simple, harmonious setting. It is worth trying.
Scenes from the cut out shadow play, "The Traveling Musicians of Bremen."
CHAPTER III
Producing Cut-out Shadow Plays
When you were very young you probably were quite skilful in making shadow rabbits, ducks, and donkeys on the nursery walls. With a friend you may have cut out paper animals and people and fastened them to sticks and then made a shadow play with their shadows on the wall.
Your interest in shadows may have led you to stretch a sheet across the upper part of a doorway and cover the lower part with a shawl. Here you stood concealed from your audience while you moved your shadow figures back and forth in a lively fashion as you spoke the lines of a favorite nursery rhyme or improvised a play.
The next step was converting the old three-part screen into a shadow booth.
The frame (A), upon which is fastened the translucent paper or cloth (B), slides in and out of the standard at the grooves C, C.
When one wishes to use scenery with cut-out shadows some sort of frame is necessary to hold the screen. Here is a plan for a very simple and inexpensive standard. You can see that you can have any number of screens for this kind of standard, because it allows the screens to be slipped in and out in a moment. The materials required other than the lumber are unbleached muslin or cheap white window shades and black showcard colors, and a few brushes of different sizes. The muslin should be stretched and tacked to the frame. If you use a window shade it will not be necessary to stretch it and it provides an excellent surface on which to paint the scenery.
Making a shadow play is jolly good fun. First, make a list of the most important incidents in the story. Second, decide upon the number of scenes that you think necessary for your play. Third, decide upon the number of characters required for these scenes. You will be surprised to find how few characters and incidents are needed to tell your story. Choose only those which are most important. Know your story well before you begin. Let us choose the traveling musicians of Bremen for our play. The list of important incidents are as follows:
Incident I— Donkey on the road Incident II— Donkey meets Dog Incident III— Donkey and Dog meet Cat Incident IV— Donkey, Dog, and Cat meet Cock Incident V— Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Cock seek shelter for night in the wood Incident VI— Cock sees a distant light Incident VII— Donkey looks through the window of the robbers’ house Incident VIII— Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Cock break through the window Incident IX— Robbers flee with fright Incident X— The animals devour the robbers’ feast Incident XI— The animals settle themselves for the night Incident XII— One of the robbers returns Incident XIII— He is scratched by the Cat Incident XIV— He is bitten by the Dog Incident XV— He is kicked by the Donkey Incident XVI— The Cock calls “Cock-a-doodle-doo”
These four scenes require twelve characters: Donkey, Dog, Cat, Cock, Four Robbers, Witch, Demon, Giant, and the fateful spirit. Each character must be analyzed, for both disposition and general appearance.
Shadow figures require careful planning, because they present but one silhouette throughout the play. Naturally this silhouette must be the most characteristic one. The shape of the nose, chin, and head, of the hands, the feet, and the body, all must be closely studied. Let us see how a shadow figure is made. Let us begin with the Donkey. He looks old, thin, and neglected, but he still has spirit enough to start out into the world. His thin body and neck show that he is old and misused. His strong jaw shows his will and determination. Before you draw him on a piece of paper you should decide on his size. The scale is determined by the size of the shadow screen. Let us suppose that this is 21 inches by 28 inches and that your scale is two inches to the foot. The Donkey is made about 8½ inches high by 10 inches long, the robbers 11 and 12 inches high, the Dog four inches high by 4½ inches long, and the Cock 3 inches high by 4¼ inches long. After you have drawn the Donkey to scale, cut him out and hold him behind a sheet of paper near the light and study his silhouette. Are you satisfied? If not, draw another donkey.
Moving parts are pivoted with paper fasteners (a). Wires running up the sticks (f) to move the tail, neck and jaw are looped through the eyelets (c). Thumb tacks (b) or glue may be used to fasten the figure to the sticks. Pivot points should be eyeletted before inserting the fasteners; for greater ease in working, it is sometimes well to let the head of a fastener come between two parts as at (e). The movement of the jaw piece blinks the eye which is cut at (d).
What is the Donkey expected to do? Move his jaw when he talks, move his tail and ears and his legs when he walks. How can this be done? The illustration may look very complicated at first. Study it carefully and follow the directions and your donkey will be able to walk, open and close his mouth, blink his eyes, and move his tail and ears. The materials that you will need are black construction paper or any heavy paper, thin sticks about 2 inches long and ⅜ inch wide, eyelets, and long-pronged brass paper fasteners, thumb tacks, and light-weight wire.
Not all shadow animals are as complicated as this donkey. Here are a deer, a cock, and a dog, each made of just three pieces of paper. The illustrations of the farmer, fairy queen, and elf (see end of chapter) will show how the human figures are made.
When you have finished constructing the cut-out shadow figures, your next problem will be making the scenery. Composition and pattern are extremely important in shadow pictures, for nothing in the world reveals the fascination of dark and light more than the shadow play. If you can recall the beauty of the landscape in a heavy winter snowstorm when the branches and trunks of the trees are velvety black against masses of white, you can appreciate this. Every tree has a characteristic silhouette which everyone recognizes. A shadow pine tree must suggest the silhouette of the pine, likewise the oak, the elm, and the poplar, must suggest their silhouettes. So, too, with flowers and grasses. The wide prairies were suggested by the coarse prairie grass in the Indian and the Oki. Summer meadows were suggested by the flowers and slender grasses in The Shepherdess.
When you have finished the plans for a scene take crayon or soft pencil and draw it in outline on one of the screens. Use black showcard color to fill that part of your scene which is to be dark. For a black silhouette paint both sides of the screen. Distant hills and trees should be painted on one side only.
For lighting use a lantern or an extension light. Place it about six feet directly behind the screen. Color can be thrown on the screen by placing a sheet of colored gelatine in front of the light. Experiment with the light and color until you get the effects you wish.
If you use tracing cloth, such as the architects use, for your screen, you may paint on it directly, with transparent water colors. When the light comes through this screen, if you have kept your colors clear, brilliant, and well related, the effect will be charming.
Behind the scenes in the human shadow play, "The Indian and the Oki." Here you can see the well-stretched sheet on its large frame, the beaver board trees (left), great rock (right), bristol board foliage, grasses, and flowers, the bridge resting on 8″ horses. Notice that the actors stand very near the screen. The two actors on the right concealed by the great rock from the audience are manifesting the pair of fighting sparrows. The girl on the left is manifesting the rabbit which is shown in Scene I.
The shadow figure is manipulated from below. This means that you must stand below the screen so that your own shadow will not be cast upon the screen. As you bring your shadow figure forward, you will notice that as it approaches the screen it grows smaller and smaller. To prevent the figure from varying in size it should be held close against the screen.
Unlike the marionette that moves forward and backward as well as to the right and left, the shadow figure can move only to the right or left. With this limitation, however, it is surprising to find how many movements and gestures are possible. Suit the action to the word. Avoid jerky gestures and repetition of the same gesture.
The lines of the shadow play can be given by the puppeteers or by a reader or readers in front of the screen. If the puppeteers are to speak the lines they should sit down together and read the play again and again, until they can speak the lines naturally and without hesitation. When they can do this, they are ready to begin rehearsals with the shadow figures. Do not hurry. Every word should be clearly spoken.
If two or three short plays are being given in a program, two readers, one standing at the left and one at the right of the screen, can read the lines alternately.
The shadow play is a delightful kind of entertainment for young and old. It is appropriate for the home, the school, the settlement, and the Sunday school. It has the advantage of requiring very little time to produce, the materials are inexpensive, and it is an artistic means of expression.
CHAPTER IV
Producing Human Shadow Plays
Did you ever feel about your shadow as Robert Louis Stevenson did, when he wrote:
“I have a little shadow,
That goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him,
Is more than I can see.”
If you ever took part in a shadow game, you discovered many surprising uses for your shadow. You may remember how you stretched a sheet in a doorway and played the game of guessing silhouettes. This was highly entertaining, and somewhat difficult when familiar faces were disguised by unusual noses and chins. Then there were the shadow charades and the game of guessing book titles.
If you wish to give a shadow play with scenery and several actors performing at one time, then a large shadow screen becomes necessary. This can be made from 2-inch strips of wood, strengthened in the corners as shown in the illustration. The size of this screen will be determined by the width of the sheeting which is to cover it. The screen used at the Cleveland Museum of Art for the shadow plays The Indian and the Oki and The Shepherdess was 7¼ feet high by 12 feet long, and was covered with sheeting 90 inches in width. Great care was used in the stretching of the sheet. The tacks were placed about two inches apart.
The reason for choosing The Indian and the Oki for a shadow play was that it had action and characters that were very individual, such as would be easily recognized when they fell on the shadow screen. Another reason for choosing this story was that its scenery could be suggested by silhouettes. The group of boys and girls who gave this play selected important incidents of the story and re-arranged them and added incidents wherever they found it necessary. The following twelve incidents made up the first act:
1. Rabbit wiggles ears, hops across stage.
2. Sparrows scrap upon rock, first gently, growing furious.
3. Eagle swoops across and down upon rock; birds leave.
4. Wild cat moves slightly, winks eye, raises tail, arches back ready for spring as
5. Scandawatti peeps from rock, then disappears, then Indian lad appears, with bow and arrow and shoots at wild cat, hits bear.
Scenes from the human shadow play, "The Indian and the Oki"
6. Bear bounds forward, pulls out arrow from shoulder with teeth, eyes flash, rushes forward as lad attempts to climb rock, misses hold at top, slips, almost falls backward, bear ready to pounce.
7. Achilles appears at right side, shoots quickly, bear rolls over, Scandawatti leaps to feet, looks in surprise from bear to Achilles, comes forward, examines gun.
8. Chief enters from right slowly, approaches boys, lad tells him of escape.
9. French trapper enters from left, approaches, lays hand on Achilles, hears story. Scandawatti leads way to Chief Iliol. Trapper gives pistols to both boys who admire them. Chief nods satisfaction. Both trapper and chief leave together to right.
10. Boys examine, admire, and handle pistols.
11. Red Deer sneaks from behind rock and looks jealously at weapons, moves hands and body as if eager to possess prize, disappears.
12. Curtain closes as lads pledge friendship and prepare to leave.
The incidents chosen for the second act were:
1. Squaw stirs stew in the kettle that hangs over the fire.
2. Trapper and Chief Iliol enter and sit down. Squaw brings the pipe of peace. They smoke.
3. An indian enters and dances to the tomtoms. The trapper, chief, and dancer leave.
4. Scandawatti enters with a basket full of fish and Achilles with a game bag full of rabbits and ducks. They give these to the squaw.
5. Scandawatti and Achilles sit on the ground and play with their pistols.
6. Red Deer peers from behind bushes.
7. Squaw gives each boy a bowl of the stew. They eat greedily.
8. Boys undo bundle in which there are knives and beads. Achilles holds up the Oki or false face.
9. Scandawatti, alarmed, jumps up and runs. Achilles runs after him, carrying the Oki.
10. Red Deer enters, stealthily, and reaches for the pistols.
11. Achilles lifts up the Oki from behind a rock. Red Deer drops the pistols and flees.
12. Scandawatti and Achilles enter laughing, pick up weapons, wrap themselves in blankets, and lie down to sleep.
For the third act they chose the following:
1. A turkey runs across the stage.
2. Red Deer follows with Scandawatti. He binds him to a tree, then runs after the turkey.
3. Red Deer returns with dead turkey. Builds a fire and places the turkey over it.
4. Red Deer dances about, mocking Scandawatti.
5. Achilles peeks from behind rock. Motions to Scandawatti to have courage. Then sticks up the Oki and waves it about in the air.
6. Red Deer flies in terror.
7. Achilles frees Scandawatti.
8. They devour the turkey.
9. The trapper and Indian chief appear and all rejoice.
Shadow plays require just as careful character analysis as any other kind of play. Here is the character analysis.
Scandawatti, brave, loyal, fun loving.
Achilles, courageous, loyal, resourceful.
Red Deer, treacherous and superstitious.
Chief Iliol, trustworthy and dignified.
Squaw, stolid and good-natured.
Trapper, just and reliable.
Dancer, lively.
The story included the bear and turkey, the rabbit, wild cat, hawk and birds were added for the sake of the picture. The illustrations show how the turkey, wild cat, and birds were made.
The scenery consisted of tree trunks, branches, and a big rock cut from beaver board, and foliage, flowers, and grasses cut from light-weight bristol board.
The properties needed were a tripod and a kettle, a stick for the fire, a basket of corn, bowls and a ladle, pistols, strings of beads, a game bag filled with paper game, a fish basket filled with paper fish, bow and arrow, gun, rope, two blankets, and a peace pipe.
The costuming of a shadow play is quite a different problem from the costuming of any other kind of play. A costume may look quite right to the eye and yet be ineffective as a shadow. It requires ingenuity and much experimenting to produce satisfactory silhouettes. Scandawatti, Red Deer, and the dancer wore loin cloths, head band, and feathers. The Indian chief wore headdress and blanket. The squaw wore a fringed curtain, head band, and beads. The trapper and Achilles wore trappers’ costumes and coon-skin caps. A boy took the part of the bear in a bear costume made from outing flannel.
The profiles of the children were not in the least Indianlike. It was necessary to provide them with characteristic Indian noses and this was done by glueing on flat cut-out paper noses.
The producing of a shadow play requires a director and two assistants, as well as the group of actors. The director is responsible for the production of the play which will probably require five or six rehearsals. During the first rehearsal he stays behind the screen, working out with the group each incident of the play. He and the group decide upon the entrances, positions on the bridge, the exits, and those who are to manipulate the shadow animals receive their instructions. The reader should be present at the first rehearsal, in order to observe the development of the play. At this rehearsal the actors need not be in costume. Each actor begins by interpreting his part as he feels it should be done. The Director should inspire and encourage his actors to do their best and guard against being too critical at this time, since everyone is feeling his way—becoming familiar with properties, and with this new kind of acting in one plane.
It was in the first rehearsal of The Indian and the Oki that the boy who took the part of Scandawatti discovered, as he was trying to escape from the bear, that it would look more natural if he got out of the bear’s reach by climbing the rock, rather than by dodging behind it. When a stepladder was placed behind the beaver-board rock, the boy, after much practice, was able to make it appear to the audience that he was really climbing the rock. He was finally able to give a little slip as he reached the top, just as the bear was about to overtake him. This gave a real thrill to the young spectators.
At the second rehearsal the Director takes his position in front of the screen. He watches every movement and gesture of the actors. He guides the actors who cannot see their shadows, because they are so close to the screen. If he understands pattern and rhythm he can direct their movements so that every movement of the shadow play will be beautiful. The reader begins his part at the second rehearsal. He can give an introduction and carry the story on between the acts, or he can read as the play is being given. The reader may be a girl or a boy and should be chosen for a rich, well-modulated voice, dramatic sense, and ability to enunciate distinctly. The reader should be appropriately costumed.
Introducing a dancer in a shadow play presents a problem. In the second scene of The Indian and the Oki you can see in the illustration how the height, and bulk, and dignity of the Indian chief on the left and the curved line of the trapper’s body on the right were used to frame the space for the rhythmic movements of the dancer. The dancer also had his problems. The first was that of keeping a characteristic Indian silhouette on the screen at all times. The second problem was that of varying his movements to show his veneration for his chief and his adoration for the Great Spirit. The beating of the tomtom gave the tempo for the steps of his dance. A teacher who understood folk dancing coached the boy who took this part outside of the regular rehearsals, so that he might gain confidence and skill.
More scenes from the human shadow play, "The Indian and the Oki."
By the fourth or fifth rehearsal, if the actors can interpret their part naturally and convincingly, they will be ready to put on their costumes. Here many surprises await them. As an illustration of this the shepherdess in the play by that name made, for herself, a very correct little bodice. When she appeared on the shadow screen her silhouette was very disappointing. In order to give the right effect, a short length of cheesecloth was slashed six or seven times at the ends, and then drawn tightly around her, and the slashed ends were tied together down the front. You can see her in the illustration, as she kneels on the bridge manipulating one of the fighting sparrows in the first scene of The Indian and the Oki. The long heavy braids of this shepherdess were made of yarn.
Any ordinary lantern or an electric light with a reflector may be used for lighting the screen. A screen 7 by 12 feet will require a 400-watt light placed about eighteen feet behind it. If you have very little space behind your screen, your lantern may throw a large disk of light. You can avoid this disk by fastening to the front of the lantern a piece of asbestos with an opening cut to the same proportions as the screen.
There are many possibilities of using color in a shadow play. A safe rule to follow is either to use color throughout a play or not to use color at all. A sheet of colored gelatine placed in front of the light will diffuse color over the entire screen. The time of day can be suggested by color: pink for early morning, yellow for noon, yellow-orange for the late afternoon, blue or blue-green for night.
In the second scene of The Indian and the Oki, yellow-orange gelatine was used to indicate the late summer afternoon. Under the cardboard kettle a red bulb, partly concealed by sticks and twigs, suggested fire.
The depths of the sea can be suggested by covering the light with green gelatine and using cut-out shells, seaweeds, and water plants as scenery. Water sprites and fanciful sea creatures would be at home in such a setting.
Music is a beautiful accompaniment for shadow plays, especially for Christmas and Easter celebrations. Imagine a shadow play in six scenes built about the Nativity according to the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke.
Scene I—The Annunciation
“The angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, ‘Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women.’” (St. Luke, I: 26, 27, 28.)
Scene II—The Angel and the Shepherds
“And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward men.’ And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.’” (St. Luke, II: 3–16.)
Scene III—The Adoration of the Shepherds
“The Shepherds came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.” (St. Luke, II: 17.)
Scene IV—The Coming of the Wise Men
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him.’” (St. Matthew, II: 1, 3.)
Scene V—Simeon and the Young Child
“And behold there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him, and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by Spirit into the Temple: and when the parents brought the Child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.’” (St. Luke, II: 25, 33.)
Scene VI—The Flight into Egypt
“And the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, and take the young Child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy him.’ When he arose he took the young Child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’” (St. Matthew, II: 13, 11.)
These incidents, so simple, vivid, and beautiful when reverently interpreted as shadow plays, seem to carry something of the age-old mystery of the shadow.
Scenes from the human shadow play, "The Shepherdess."
In the East, shadow plays are an intimate part of the everyday life of the people. In the Western world they have, so far, meant very little. European artists have already discovered their possibilities and are even carrying the shadow into the world of the movie, revealing new fields as a challenge to our creative efforts.
