The Puppet

Water Puppet

Puppet originating in Vietnam. In water-puppet theatre, the puppets perform on the surface of a pool or pond. The puppet, carved from wood, is attached to a wooden base which acts as a float or buoy. Water puppets are controlled with long horizontal bamboo poles which can measure up to ten meters (33 feet) in length. Some puppets have a system of strings which allow more complex movements. The puppeteers stand in water up to their waists, hidden by a curtain of bamboo, inside a small stone or bamboo enclosure built on the body of water.