A Thai traditional small puppet (hun lakorn lek) troupe won a best performance prize at the 10th World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague yesterday.

The festival's committee awarded the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre the "The Best Cultural Performance" award from competitors from 40 countries. The award was announced at the National Black Light Theatre.

The troupe won the prize with its performance of "The Myth of Rahoo and the Lunar Eclipse", a lively tale based on Thailand's ancient belief that a lunar eclipse is caused by a demon who swallows the moon.

"We tried our best to show Thai art and culture to the eyes of the world and this prize made us proud of what we did and also proved that our work was recognised at the international level," said Pisutr Yangkeawsot, managing director of the theatre.

Pisutr said "The Myth of Rahoo and the Lunar Eclipse" was a full version of the performance, which the 30 troupe members had taken a long time to practise before the show in Prague.

During the show, three puppeteers manipulated each of the puppets, which stand 115 centimetres high. The troupe was sponsored by the Office of the National Cultural Commission (ONCC) for their trip to Prague.

"This was the first time Thailand has sent a puppet performance to join the World Festival of Puppet Art, and the Joe Louis Theatre was among 42 from 230 troupes selected for the world festival," said Thanarat Thanaputti, the Thai ambassador to Prague.

The ambassador said the Thai theatre show impressed the foreign audiences and helped promote cultural and diplomatic ties between the Czech Republic and Thailand.

"We also took [the occasion to win] the prize as part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession on the throne," said Thanarat.

Hun lakorn lek performances were practically non-existent in Thailand before national artist Sakorn Yangkeawsot, also known as Joe Louis, founded the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre in 1985.

The theatre has become an important symbol of Thai culture and performance and its founder received the National Artist Award in Performance Art (Lakorn Lek) in 1996. Ironically, the theatre almost collapsed in 2004 due to poor management and lack of local interest. It was saved when a public outcry raised sufficient funds to pay the rent on its venue at Bangkok's Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

In his experiences with Kohn (mask dance), Lakorn, Ligay and Hun Lakorn Lek, Sakorn passed on all his knowledge to his nine sons and daughters, from singing and acting to dancing. They help run the theatre today.

"To share experiences and prepare for the next international competition, we are thinking about inviting other troupes in Thailand and from other countries to perform shows at Suan Lum Night Bazaar," said Sakchai Yangkeawsot, one of Sakorn's sons.

Pakhamas Jaichalard

The Nation