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Larry Reed (puppeteer)

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This article is about the puppeteer. For other people with the same name, see Larry Reed (disambiguation).

Larry Reed (born June 21, 1944) is an American shadow puppeteer. He is among the earliest Western artists trained in traditional Balinese shadow theater and is considered a Dalang or Shadow Master.[1]

Larry Reed
Born Larry Reed

June 21, 1944 (age 80)


Los Angeles, California

Education Yale University (1965) San Francisco Art Institute (MFA.,1971)
Occupations
Board member of ShadowLight Productions

Early life

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Larry Reed was born on June 21, 1944, in Los Angeles, California. In 1965, he studied French theater at Yale University. The following year, he worked as a theatre director for Costa Rica University and National Theatres before getting his Master of Fine Arts at the San Francisco Art Institute.[2]

In the 1970s, Reed traveled to Bali to study traditional shadow puppetry, where he was instructed to first learn the accompanying music.[3] He traveled back to San Francisco and joined the American Association for Eastern Arts, now known as the Center for World Music. The American Association for Eastern Arts was founded in 1963 in San Francisco by Samuel and Luise Scripps, with Balasaraswati and Ali Akbar Khan as its first two artist-teachers.[4]

Career

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ShadowLight Productions

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In 1972, Reed founded ShadowLight Productions with the goal of introducing shadow theater to a wider audience.[5] Reed began expanding his works by integrating traditional shadow theater techniques with a modern theater style. His live animation films were produced using shadows and performed behind 15 by 30 feet (4.6 m × 9.1 m) screens. Each show featured puppets, actors, and cutouts illuminated by multiple light sources for live effects. In the 1990s, Reed developed a method of casting shadows that integrated techniques from cinema, modern theater, and dance. Reed's shows featured unique masks that looked different from various angles, allowing for a single, unchanging mask to appear dynamic.[6] ShadowLight Productions had a crew of actors and featured live music played by musicians.[7][8]

Major works

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Shadow Master (1979)

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Shadow Master is a documentary directed by Reed that has been shown on both PBS and the Discovery Channel. It is about a family of performers in Bali. It shows an inside view of Balinese life, which includes cultural context on theater, music, and dance on the island. The film takes place over two years with Reed living and studying with a dalang, I Wayan Wija, and his extended family.[9]

In Xanadu (1993–1997)

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In Xanadu is a Mongolian fantasy written by Zara Houshmand and Reed. The fantasy follows Kubilai Khan and his wife, Chabui, who were inseparable partners. The film includes techniques from Tibetan, Chinese, and Indonesian theater techniques. In Xanadu was featured at the 1997 Henson International Festival of Puppetry in New York City and the Spoleto/USA Festival in Charleston, SC. The film was awarded the UNIMA-USA Citation for Excellence, puppetry's highest award.[10][11][12]

The Wild Party (1995–1996)

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The Wild Party is a shadow theater work by Reed, based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March written in 1926. It includes jazz music from Bruce Forman. The poem centers on two vaudeville performers, Queenie and Burt, who lead an daring and decadent lifestyle. They host a party for their friend, which leads to an evening filled with alcohol, drugs, and sex. The film integrates modern shadow techniques with traditional Asian shadow theater.[13]

Mayadanawa (1996)

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This is the first Shadow Light giant screen shadow production by Reed, Jaime Kibben, and Nyoman Catra. Created in Bali, musicians, dancers, and shadow casters from the village of Pengosekan, Ubud, performed in the 1996 Walter Spies Festival. The film tells the tale of a powerful demon, Mayadanawa, who demands Balinese people to only worship him. Because he creates havoc among the people, they appeal to Indra, king of all gods, to chase him away.[9]

Ambrosia of Immortality (1998)

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Ambrosia of Immortality, or Tirtha Amertha, is from the Mahabharata, the great Hindu myth cycle interpreted by Reed and renowned Balinese puppeteer, Wayan Wija. The story is about Hindu culture, focusing on a story of the gods' coming of age, gaining immortality, and rising above the world of demons. The gods possess immense power and engage in war against demons who seek to reclaim it. Together they churn the Milky Ocean to create the elixir of immortality but struggle over who will possess the powerful ambrosia of immortality.[14]

Coyote's Journey (2000–2001)

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Coyote's Journey is a traditional Native California Karuk tale told through shadow theater. The performance uses both Karuk and English story telling. It features a Karuk elder, "Red Hawk" Thom, a hereditary ceremonial leader, spiritual teacher, and storyteller. The show shows Coyote's adventure and his initiation into the ways of the world.[15]

7 Visions (2002)

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7 Visions is written by Octavio Solis, an award-winning playwright and directed by Reed. It explores the roots of Latino heritage and celebrates the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. It has music from Richard Marriott, performed by Cascada de Flores, and is designed by Victor Cartagena. On a mission called Dolores, a man named Encarnacion is confronted by his future self, an irreverent skeleton, or calaca which leads Encarnacion on a vision quest of self-discovery.[16]

Monkey King at Spider Cave (2006–2007)

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Monkey King at Spider Cave, directed by Reed and Chia-yin Cheng, is performed by both American and Taiwanese artists. It is inspired by Journey of the West, a 16th-century novel from the Ming Dynasty. The story follows a Buddhist High Priest and his animal disciples on a quest to retrieve Buddhist Scriptures for China, while facing mythical demons and monsters including the demonic spider women and an evil alchemist. Journey to the West remains popular in operas and cartoons across Asia.[17][18]

Filmography

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Title Year Role
Conquest of Mexico 1986 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Dream Shadows[19] 1991 Original Shadow Theatre Works
The Wild Party[13] 1995 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Sidha Karya[20] 1995 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Mayadanawa[9] 1996 Original Shadow Theatre Works
In Xanadu[21] 1997 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Wayang Listrik[22] 1998 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Coyote's Journey[15] 2000 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Kawit Legong[23] 2001 Original Shadow Theatre Works
7 Visions[16] 2002 Original Shadow Theatre Works
A (Balinese) Tempest[24] 2005 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Ghosts of the River[25] 2009 Original Shadow Theatre Works
The Good-for-Nothing Lover[26] 2010 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Poro Oyna: Legend of Ainu Rakkur[27] 2012 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Poro Oyna: The Myth of the Aynu[27] 2014 Original Shadow Theatre Works
In Visible Light Cinna: The Clemency of Augustus 2017 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Shadows for Carlos Villa[28] 2020 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Drupadi[29] 2020 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Shadows for Carlos Villa[28] 2020 Co-director
Dewi Sri[30] 2019 Director
The Dark Light[31] 2019 Director
In Visible Light[32][33] 2017 Director
The Science Fiction Project 1&2[34] 2016 Director Shadow Sequences
Feathers of Fire[35] 2015 Collaborator
Finding KUKAN[26] 2015 Director Shadow Sequences
Butterfly Lovers 2014 Director
Bandung Project 2013 Director
Jana and Baladoor[36] 2012 Director Shadow Sequences
Magic Flute[37] 2011 Director Shadow Sequences
Silk Road[38] 2007 Director Shadow Sequences
We are All In this Together 2007 Consultant
Ethnic Dance Festival[39] 2007 Director Shadow Sequences
Ain’t Necessarily So[2] 2001 Shadow Effects Design
Whale 1999 Shadow Effects Design
Power of Saturn 1999 Shadow Effects Design
Blood Wine, Blood Wedding[40] 1997 Shadow Effects Design
Ramayana 2007 Consultant
The Tempest[41] 1996 Shadow Effects Design
Bima's Journey[42] 1994 Director
Pan 1992 Shadow Effects Design
MahabharAnta 1992 Shadow Effects Design
Orfeo[43] 1990 Shadow Design
Body Cak 1990 Projection Design
A (Balinese) Tempest[24] 2020 Producer, director
Ghosts of the River[25] 2013 Producer, director
Kawit Legong[23] 2012 Producer
On Wayang[44] 2011 Producer, director
Monkey King at Spider Cave[45] 2009 Producer, director, Original Shadow Theatre Works
Mayadanawa[9] 2007 Producer, director
Explorations of the Shadow World[44] 2006 Producer, director
Shadow Master[9] 1982 Producer, director

References

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  1. ^ "Larry Reed". World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. ^ a b "Larry Reed". 12 July 2016.
  3. ^ Tleimat, Lana (2023-08-12). "People We Meet: Larry Reed, shadow artist". Mission Local. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  4. ^ "Reunion Celebrates World Music Anniversaries By GRAEME VANDERSTOEL Special to the Planet. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com.
  5. ^ "Larry Reed". ShadowLight Productions. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  6. ^ February 27, Lily Janiak; March 1 (February 27, 2023). "Bay Area theater supergroup unites playwright, composer and shadow puppeteer". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2025-05-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "About". ShadowLight Productions.
  8. ^ "Behind the Scenes at a Shadow Theater". Christian Science Monitor. October 27, 1998.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Movies' reviews" (PDF). News and Reviews (33, Fall 2009).
  10. ^ "45 Years of Citations". UNIMA-USA.
  11. ^ "In Xanadu". ShadowLight Productions.
  12. ^ Harvey, Dennis (November 14, 1994). "In Xanadu".
  13. ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (August 7, 1995). "The Wild Party".
  14. ^ The ambrosia of immortality. June 2, 2006. OCLC 123365291.
  15. ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (January 2, 2001). "Tales from Native California: Coyote's Journey".
  16. ^ a b Hurwitt, Robert (October 29, 2002). "Latino history dances, frolics in '7 Visions' / Dia de los Muertos shadow play at Brava". SFGATE.
  17. ^ Ayres-Frederick, Linda (2 November 2006). "Monkey King at Spider Cave" (PDF). San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  18. ^ "Monkey King At Spider Cave". ShadowLight Productions.
  19. ^ "Evolution of a Shadow Master". UNIMA-USA.
  20. ^ Berata, I. Dewa Putu; Catra, I. Nyoman; Susilo, Emiko Saraswati; Reed, C. L; Cowell Theater (San Francisco, Calif.); Sekar Jaya (Musical group); ShadowLight Productions (Firm) (1994), Sidha Karya, San Francisco, Ca.: ShadowLight Productions, OCLC 42940092, retrieved 2021-07-26
  21. ^ "In Xanadu". 14 November 1994.
  22. ^ "In the Shadows". San Francisco Bay Guardian (September 9, 1998).
  23. ^ a b "Spreading moral messages in modern-day 'wayang'". The Jakarta Post.
  24. ^ a b "A (Balinese) Tempest" (Playbill). University of Hawaii. 2008. hdl:10125/57901.
  25. ^ a b "Ghosts of the River: Out of the Shadows". 11 July 2014.
  26. ^ a b "Shadowlight Productions Begins Collaboration with FIINDING KUKAN | Finding KUKAN". 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  27. ^ a b "In light and shadow".
  28. ^ a b "Carlos Villa (1936-2013)" (PDF). Asian Art Museum. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  29. ^ "Drupadi". ShadowLight Productions. 14 March 2020.
  30. ^ Agung (19 November 2019). "Kisah Larry Reed, Sutradara dan Seniman Asal Amerika yang Jatuh Cinta Pada Wayang". KRJogja.
  31. ^ "The Dark Light". 飛人集社劇團 Flying Group Theatre. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  32. ^ "In Visible Light".
  33. ^ "San Francisco International Arts Festival".
  34. ^ "Science Fiction Project: Installment 1 + 2".
  35. ^ "Feathers of Fire | A Persian Epic Shadow Play For All Ages". Kingorama.
  36. ^ "AROUND AND ABOUT THEATER: Iranian Playwright & Director Bahram Bazai, St. Marks Playreading, A Folkie Bard On Disk .... Category: Arts & Events from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com.
  37. ^ "THE MAGIC FLUTE". STEPHEN MILLS. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  38. ^ "Take a stroll down the Silk Road in Taipei - Taipei Times". 16 March 2007.
  39. ^ "Original Works".
  40. ^ "Blood Wedding".
  41. ^ "The Tempest at American Conservatory Theater Geary Theater 1996". www.abouttheartists.com.
  42. ^ "National Gallery - Search the Collection". searchthecollection.nga.gov.au.
  43. ^ "OPERA REVIEW : Music Center Borrows a Jumbled 'Orfeo'". Los Angeles Times. 5 October 1990.
  44. ^ a b "On wayang: My life with shadows". 2011.
  45. ^ "Monkey King at Spider Cave = Xi you ji". 2009.
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