[ 柬 埔 寨 ]
- Cambodia -

There are two major forms of Cambodian shadow theatre: sbaek thom, the large leather shadow puppetry, and sbaek touch, the small leather shadow puppetry. Sbaek thom originated in the Angkorian period. There is one argument that sbaek thom was taken home by the Siamese after their invasion of the Khmer empire in 1431, but there is no documentation to prove the origin of sbaek thom. Another argument claims that sbaek thom was from Siam. In addition, Cambodian shadow theatre is also associated with Indian culture. Its most famous play, Reamker, is an adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana.

Puppets of sbaek thom are in large size of which the length and width both exceed one meter, and its weight is over eight kilograms. A puppet is usually controlled by 10 to 12 people, and the projection screens are mostly over 10 meters long. Most performances were staged consecutively for seven to 10 days in the past. Even till now, most shadow theatres are held for a few days and use around 160 puppets.

Different from sbaek thom, the small leather shadow theatre, sbaek touch, often tours around villages. The performance of sbaek touch has more flexibilities, compared to sbaek thom. Characters in the plays are mostly comedic, and the themes are also diverse, including local mythologies and folk stories. Recently, sbaek thom is often used as a tool for the prevention of diseases, domestic violence, and the education of environmental issues.

Cambodian shadow theatre, as well as other traditions, were harshly impacted during the Khmer Rouge, and sbaek thom almost became extinct. It was until much later that the performance tradition was revived, and gradually became more robust. The most renowned performance troupes of sbaek thom are located in Krong Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. The performing arts department of the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh has also been continuously training talents, and passing down related knowledge and skills.