Friday, October 24, 1997
The University Daily Kansan
Section A • Page 7
Water puppets make waves at Lied Center this weekend
This is one of the many intricate water puppets that are used by the Thang Long Water Puppet Theater which is appearing Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Lied Center. A total of 12 puppeteers control the puppets as they perform on the water. Photos by Laurie Fletchall/KANSAN
By Emily C. Forsyth Kansan staff writer
A shimmering stage sets the backdrop for intricately carved, colorful wooden puppets that frolic and splash about to the rhythm of skillfully executed percussion music.
An occasional series of firecrackers add to the magical dynamic of this art form — water pumpetry.
The Thang Long Water Puppet Theater will perform this weekend at the Lied Center, bringing an ancient Vietnamese tradition to life at a 15,000-gallon tank of water which measures 27 feet by 27 feet and is three feet tall. In preparation for the performances, 63 tons of water were piped into the tank on the Lied Center stage. Bleachers have been set up on the stage so the audience can look down into the tank. 300 seats are available for each show.
Lee Saylor, Lied Center technical director, said that this show involved quite a bit of preparation.
"One of the things we had to do before we could have the water puppet show was to call engineers and decide whether the stage could handle the load," Saylor said.
The show opens at 7 tonight and continues through the weekend with show times tomorrow and Sunday at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for KU students, $19 for senior citizens and $20 for the public.
Le Van Ngo, artistic director of the Thang Long Water Puppet troupe from Hanoi, Vietnam, spoke about the historical aspects of water puppetry.
Ngo said the folk art form origi.
nated in the 11th century in northern Vietnam, when the waters of the Red River delta flooded the land. Local villagers began the performances as a form of recreation that echoed themes of everyday life, history and farming. The art was passed down from one generation to the next and eventually reached worldwide audiences. Ngo said that water puppetry could be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Ngo said the troupe had to select acts to perform from 100 traditional stories.
Members of the Thang Long troupe attend the School for the Arts in Hanoi for four years, where they learn about the historical, musical and stage aspects of water puppetry.
The puppets they use, carved from fig wood, are about three feet tall and can weigh up to 35 pounds each. Puppeteers float the puppets around the tank and manipulate strings to create gestures. Executing one move of a puppet can take the coordination of several people. Musicians play a variety of traditional instruments including large, small and cylindrical drums, wood and bamboo xylophones, gongs, horns and shells.
TV spotlight beckons students
KUJH tryouts draw 29 hopefuls for chance in front of camera
By Jeremy M. Doherty Special to the Kansan
However, not everyone who turned out hopes to become the
With the possibility of appearing on campus television beckoning them, 29 KU students turned out earlier this month to audition for KUJH-TV's on-air staff.
Students auditioning were videotaped while reading from a script. They also were encouraged to present any show concepts they had.
"it helps if the person has their own clear idea," Nilson said.
Jason Fleischauer, a Lawrence freshman in pre-business, said he had an idea for a program that would use his theater experience.
"I'd like to do on-location interviews," Fleischauer said. "I could put on a fine arts calendar that would list things going on in the
n e x t
T o m
Brokaw or Diane
Sawyer.
A third of the students
w h o a u d i .
"We're looking for people who can carry their presence on the screen to the viewer."
That's the plan for economics major J.J. Wenrich, Andale sophomore. Although he dabbled in sportscasting in high school, his work in front of the camera has been limited, he said.
"I thought it might be a good experience to be on television and to work with a production," he said. "Maybe 20 years down the road, I'd like to be on CNN as an economist."
Eva Nilzon kujh production director
comi g ing week at the high school, the art center or at
tioned were not even broadcast majors.
Combined with the 10 hopefuls who had tried out for positions in late September, the station has a pool of 39 students from which to develop its staff of 10, said Eva Nilzon, Härnösand, Sweden graduate student and KUJH production director.
"Everyone has a good chance to get on the station," she said. "But we do have a limited amount of air time."
Others, like Lili Lewis, Kansas City, Mo., sophomore, considered KUJH''s offer as an opportunity to bone her communication skills.
the Lied Center."
"This is part of the educational experience here," she said. "The people who work on a show get experience that can help them do great things in the workplace."
Nilzon said the staff at KUJH hoped that people who did get some time in front of the camera could later use the experience in their careers. She said this was directly related to the station's goals.
"This could help me with my speaking ability," said Lewis, a business major. "I'll probably have to give presentations in my career, especially if I have my own business."
Conceding that narrowing the field will be a tough job, Nilzon said that a panel of faculty and KUJH staff was evaluating the auditions, looking for people who had a strong voice and positive energy.
Final cut decisions should be reached by next week. Already, five of the 10 needed staffers have been selected.
"We're looking for people who can carry their presence on the screen to the viewer," Nilzon said. "That's hard to stretch out."
"We give them a foundation here," Nilzon said. "It's up to them if they want to put up the effort into it."
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