Garima Dahiya

Mahindra United World Collegeof IndiaTheatre Research Investigation“What are the construction and characterization techniques through which the puppet character of Chủ Tếu is portrayed for a Mua Rồi Nước performance in the scene Avoid Stealing Antique Objects”

Word Count: 1009 words

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Contents

Title Page Page 1

Contents Page 2

Subject Essay Page 3-5

Bibliography Page 6

Critique of Sources Page 7-12

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Mua Rồi Nước literally translates to “water puppet dance”. The

origins of traditional water puppetry are contested1; the

earliest reference to Water Puppetry in Vietnam was found at two

inscriptions at the Long Doi Son Pagoda2 that describe the

popular tale of The Legend of the Restored Sword3. Traditional

performances contained twenty to thirty scenes from a possible

repertoire of one hundred and thirty four. Performances today are

shorter4 (Foley, 2001, p. 136). As the name implies, the theatre

performance is executed through puppets on a water body. The

appearance and movements of the puppets are crucial to the

execution of a character though puppets, hence it is vital to

investigate the appearance of puppet characters when studying

this theatre tradition. Secrets of the meticulous puppetry and

designing techniques of Mua Rồi Nước were fiercely guarded by a

small set of villagers who knew these skills. It was only in 1983

that villagers began teaching other troupes about these secrets

upon persuasion from the Government. (Phillips, 1999) This essay

will address the question “What are the construction and characterization

techniques through which the puppet character of Chủ Tếu is portrayed for a Mua Rồi

Nước performance in the scene Avoid Stealing Antique Objects”. This research

will first explore the general aspects of Mua Rồi Nước and then

1 It is argued that the water puppetry originated in China during the reign of Emperor Ming-ti (227-239 C.E.). On the other hand, scholars believe that there are great differences between water puppetry (Gaboriault, 2009, p. 20) and that Mua Rồi Nước originated in the Red Delta in Northern Vietnam. (Company)2 A Buddhist Pagoda in the Sốc Trang province of Dồng Bằng Song Cựu Long (Red River Delta) in Northern Vietnam. (Gaboriault, 2009)3 A golden turtle asks a king to return the magical sword that helped win a battle. (Gaboriault, 2009)4 for example, performances of The Tháng Long Theatre troupe of Hanoi comprise of seventeen scenes that makes up a show of roughly an hour

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steer focus to the appearance and execution of Chủ Tếu in the

said scene.

All Mua Rồi Nước performances share a significant number of

characteristics. Initially, water bodies were traditional ponds

or rice paddy fields in villages where a staging area has been

constructed. 20th Century Mua Rồi Nước has specialized buildings

with constructed pool stages, even a portable tank for travelling

performances. (Foley, 2001, p. 130) Around eight-ten trained

puppeteers stand behind a bamboo scrim controlling the brightly

painted puppets. The slits in the scrim enable the puppeteers to

make sure the puppet choreography is executed properly. It is

interesting to observe how the water is kept dark and cloudy to

conceal the puppetry techniques and deceive the audience into

believing that the puppets are moving themselves. The stage has

two doorways on each side- “the door of life” and the “door of

death” from which puppets enter and exit respectively

(Gaboriault, 2009). Each scene tells a different story, however

eventually some if not all scenes connect with each other by a

common theme (Gaboriault, 2009, p. 31). All Mua Rồi Nước scenes

are based on Vietnamese folk tales that contain one or more

morals and values. The scene Avoid Stealing Antique Objects is based on

the folk tale The Toad Sues Heaven. “In this scene, village members

are gathering near the water to clean Buddha’s statue, however,

under the cover of darkness, a thief steals Bodhisattva Kwan

Yin’s statue. Chủ Tếu and a group of animals search for the

statue to no avail. Pleading for help, the toad asks the kitchen

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God to tell the Jade Emperor what has happened. The Emperor sends

a fairy with a magical telescope and statue is retrieved.”

(Gaboriault, 2009, p. 40). The puppet Chủ Tếu appears universally

throughout almost all performances. He is seen as a kind of comic

master of ceremonies, commenting on stories, on corruption and

rejoicing with the couples in love stories. (Gaboriault, 2009, p.

33)

Fig1: A Mua Rồi Nước stage of the Thang Long troupe56

Since, puppets are such important elements to a Mua Rồi Nước

performance, a great deal of attention is paid to their

construction and characterization. The wooden puppets are carved

in a sophisticated way of polishing and decorating. They are

decorated with different colors in order to enhance the beauty

and personality for each character (My). The puppets are usually

5 There are currently six water puppetry troupes in Vietnam. The Thang Long and Central puppet troupes are two main ones, which perform internationally as well.6 http://vnteg.com/where-to-go/thang-long-water-puppet-theatre.html

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chiseled out of fig trees that are abundantly found in Vietnam,

and have a perforated core. Additionally, they are coated with

resin to make them waterproof. The only moveable parts are the

head and arms that are attached to strings. The manner in which

puppets are controlled depends on the size and complexity of the

puppet. Small, simple puppets are fastened to bamboo poles that

are then controlled from behind the bamboo scrim by puppeteers.

The length of the bamboo poles varies with the dimensions of the

pool. Bigger puppets also incorporate circular wooden disks as

floatation bases. Furthermore, highly complex characters such as

the dragon use an amalgam of poles, floatation bases and strings

(Gaboriault, 2009, pp. 27-28).

Fig2: Puppets in a Mua Rồi Nước performance7 Fig3: A dragon

puppet8

This brings us to Chủ Tếu, a character that is most common and

considered the most versatile and entertaining in Mua Rồi Nước

performances. The character of Chủ Tếu is used as an “attention

grasper” at the beginning of the play. Chủ Tếu’s character is a

variant creation of a Pan-Southeast Asian god-clown. He is

7 http://talkvietnam.com/2014/01/wednesday-january-15-2013/#.UxcjzPmSxyM8 (Gaboriault, 2009, p. 27)

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crafted as a fat puppet and his hair is painted as unkempt. Some

authors describe him as having two-childish pony tails as well

(Foley, 2001). He is made to wear a loincloth that exposes his

fat belly. This makes him look immature and unworthy of his

title. His face, however, is painted a rosy complexion, which

shows him cheerful. This combined with crude looks and humor,

makes Chủ Tếu an important asset to every performance. The

execution of Chủ Tếu’s character make his audiences enjoy him- he

flails his arms around and taunts them, all of which is a

refreshing diversion from the serious tone of the performance

(Gaboriault, 2009, p. 33).

Fig4: A Chủ Tếu puppet9

In conclusion, a truly successful Mua Rồi Nước performance would

take into account the complexity of construction and

characterisation of each puppet in each scene along with an

appropriate design of the stage and in the case of Mua Rồi Nước

since the 20th century, the lighting and sounds. The sculpting,

9 http://khanhhoathuynga.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/t%C6%B0%E1%BB%A3ng-chu-t%E1%BB%85u-va-mua-r%E1%BB%91i-n%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc/

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costumes, the colours of the costumes and the way puppets are

painted are vital to best portray the characters through wooden

sculptures. It is also necessary to acknowledge that puppeteers

undertake years of rigorous training for this art form (Phillips,

1999). Even today there is not much literature on Mua Rồi Nước

since it was kept secret by its fore fathers. This makes it a

worthwhile topic to do further research into. “Regarding a puppet

show he saw King Trần Thái Tông wrote: “Everybody sees clearly

that wooden puppets rely on mechanical means and use strings to

create movements. They are able to move and dance as living

creatures. They would come to a standstill if the strings were to

be dropped” (Vietnamese Theater 57). Although people understand

the puppets do not move on their own, this fact is often

overlooked and forgotten once a masterful puppeteer begins his

manipulation.” (Gaboriault, 2009)

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Bibliography

Published Sources:

1. Foley, K. (2001). The Metonymy of Art: Vietnamese Water

Puppetry As a Representation of Modern Vietnam. MIT Press.

2. Gaboriault, D. (2009, January 4). Vietnamese Water Puppet

Theatre: A Look through The Ages. Honors Capstone

Experience/Thesis Projects. Western Kentucky University.

Online Sources:

3. Company, T. K. (n.d.). Múa rối nước. Retrieved March 5,

2014, from Lich Su Vietnam:

http://www.lichsuvietnam.vn/home.php?

option=com_content&task=view&id=929&Itemid=65

4. My, T. (n.d.). Rối nước – loại hình nghệ thuật độc đáo của

Việt Nam. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from SIU Review:

http://review.siu.edu.vn/san-khau-dien-anh/roi-nuoc-loai-

hinh-nghe-thuat-doc-dao-o-viet-nam/334/422?page=2

5. Phillips, R. (1999, February 5). A unique form of art".

Retrieved March 5, 2014, from https://www.wsws.org:

https://www.wsws.org

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Critique of Sources

Published Sources

1. Foley, K. (2001). The Metonymy of Art: Vietnamese Water

Puppetry As a Representation of Modern Vietnam. MIT Press.

“The Metonymy of Art: Vietnamese Water Puppetry As A

Representation of Modern Vietnam” is one of main sources for this

investigation as it itself was a detailed study of Water Puppetry

in Vietnam. This article provided with useful information on the

history and conventions of Vietnamese water puppetry that helped

me put my research into context. Kathy Foley is Chairperson and

Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of California, Santa

Cruz. She serves as Southeast Asia editor of Asian Theatre

Journal. Her exhibit on puppets of South and Southeast Asia was

shown at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta and the East

West Center in Hawaii (2ooo). Her writing on Southeast Asian

theatre can be found in the Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre

edited by James Brandon (Cambridge University Press, 1993). It is

obvious from Foley’s qualifications stated that she would a

credible source of information that can provide with in-depth

insight of Mua Rồi Nước. Even though this research was a valuable

reference, it could not provide material as detailed about puppet

crafting and characterisation as it did about the history and

current status of the art form.

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2. Gaboriault, D. (2009, January 4). Vietnamese Water Puppet

Theatre: A Look through The Ages. Honors Capstone

Experience/Thesis Projects. Western Kentucky University.

This source is a senior thesis by Derek Gaboriault for Western

Kentucky University and was another main source of information

for my research. This thesis was a historical catalog for water

puppetry across Asian cultures, out of which I used Chapter 4 and

5 which focused on Mua Rồi Nước. A lot of information in this

article overlapped with that in Foley’s article, however there

were bits and pieces of information that Foley had not included

(or didn’t feel necessary to include) that I used. Gaboriault has

carried out extensive researches on Vietnamese water puppetry,

including visiting Vietnam and watching water puppetry

performances himself for his thesis. This is a university level

thesis which has been approved by senior professors and hence

makes for a credible source. He has incorporated both primary and

secondary data in this research. The only possible glitch in this

source could be that since he has used a lot of data from

personal experience, his might have written his thesis from a

perspective of 21st century Vietnamese puppetry and less from one

of traditional one.

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3. Company, T. K. (n.d.). Múa rối nước. Retrieved March 5,

2014, from Lich Su Vietnam:

http://www.lichsuvietnam.vn/home.php?

option=com_content&task=view&id=929&Itemid=65

This source has not contributed to my essay as much as the two

above have. Lich Su Vietnam is a local Vietnamese review website

that has resources on Vietnamese history. The website is

sponsored by the National University HCMC Central Library, HCM

City Department of Culture and Information, Ministry of

Information and Communication Licensing Organization. The source

was taken because local sources, especially on topics of their

country, tend to be reliable. However, on the other hand, they

can be biased. E.g. the source has not presented the fact that

Mua Rồi Nước has contested origins; it simply states the fact

that Mua Rồi Nước originated in Northern Vietnam. It is also

necessary to keep in mind that the source was originally in

Vietnamese and I have used Google Translate to use it or my

essay. Thus, some essence of the content of the article could

have gotten lost in translation.

4. My, T. (n.d.). Rối nước – loại hình nghệ thuật độc đáo của

Việt Nam. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from SIU Review:

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http://review.siu.edu.vn/san-khau-dien-anh/roi-nuoc-loai-

hinh-nghe-thuat-doc-dao-o-viet-nam/334/422?page=2

This source is similar to my source above. It is local

Vietnamese review website and hence holds the same

disadvantages and advantages that the above source does.

This source again was initially in Vietnamese and has been

translated by Google Translate for use for this essay. I

took translation help from a native Vietnamese speaker to

translate the third paragraph of this essay since the

translation from Google Translate was not comprehensive.

5. Phillips, R. (1999, February 5). A unique form of art".

Retrieved March 5, 2014, from https://www.wsws.org:

https://www.wsws.org

This source is an interview of Le Van Ngo, the artistic director

of Vietnam’s Thang Long Water Troupe of Hanoi from the World

Socialist Web Site that writes about Economy, History, Science

etc. It is published by the International Committee of the Fourth

International (ICFI). The source was chosen because information

from someone who is directly involved in Vietnam’s water puppetry

industry is valuable and credible. I have used this source to

study personal experiences of Ngo, who has grown up with water

puppetry in Vietnam. The source, however, is from the year 1999

and could be outdated. I personally did not conduct the

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interview, hence there could be information that the interviewer

missed out or did not feel necessary to include which could have

been used for my research.

Image Sources:

1. Fig1 :

http://vnteg.com/where-to-go/thang-long-water-puppet-

theatre.html This image of a Thang long puppetry stage has been taken from

the Vietnamese tourism website, VNTEG.com. The website has

sources about Cuisine and Entertainment in Vietnam as well.

Since Mua Rồi Nước is such an integral part of Vietnamese

culture, local Vietnamese websites enable me to see Mua Rồi

Nước in the best possible light, especially in pictures. These

pictures however, are vey recent and over the years Mua Rồi

Nước has assimilated aspects from various other cultures as

well, including western cultures; as Gaboriault said in his

article when he talks about how Mua Rồi Nước has incorporated

elaborate lightning, sounds and stage techniques that did not

exist in traditional Mua Rồi Nước.

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2. Fig2:

http://talkvietnam.com/2014/01/wednesday-january-15-

2013/#.UxcjzPmSxyM

This image is also from a local website called talkvietnam

that has general information about Vietnam for tourism

purposes. It is a very recent article; it was written in

January 2014. Hence, its advantages and disadvantages are

similar to the source above. A distinct positive for this

source, however, is that it publishes information in English,

French and Vietnamese. Hence, I did not have to have to use

Google Translate to access information from this source. Thus,

there is less of a possibility of essence of content being

lost in translation.

3. Fig3 :

(Gaboriault, 2009, p. 27)

This picture, unlike all my image sources so far, has not

been taken from an online source. It is from Gaboriault’s

thesis that have referenced many a times in this article.

The picture is used to show a dragon puppet, one of the most16

complex characters in Mua Rồi Nước performances in terms of

puppetry. This picture is credible because Gaboriault took

it himself in one of the Mua Rồi Nước performances he

attended as part of his research. I have already discussed

the credibility of Gaboriault in my first source critique.

This image does not help with information about the scene of

Avoid Stealing Antique Objects specifically, but does when

gathering general information about Mua Rồi Nước.

4. Fig4 : http://khanhhoathuynga.wordpress.com/2009/07/18/t

%C6%B0%E1%BB%A3ng-chu-t%E1%BB%85u-va-mua-r%E1%BB%91i-n

%C6%B0%E1%BB%9Bc/

This image has been taken from a Wordpress article in

Vietnamese about Mua Rồi Nước. Wordpress is a free and open

source blogging tool used widely on the Web. This particular

article was written in 2009 by Thang Bay, a blogger on the

website. Like all local, online image sources I have

discussed so far, the pictures are credible because they are

the personal experiences of a Vietnamese. This particular

image is of a statue in a Vietnamese Museum. Hence, the

picture is credible because museums preserve valuable items

from traditional culture. In addition, the image fits the

description of Chủ Tếu studied in other references. However,

it is ambiguous whether this picture was taken by the

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blogger himself or simply taken from a website. If the

latter case is true, the legitimacy of the image is reduced.

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