In Indonesian, Wayang is a word for theater. The term is used to describe the traditional theatres which are kinds of puppet theaters, existing all over Java, including the Sunda region of West Java, in Bali, Lombok, Sumatra, and Kalimantan.

​

Wayang forms involve in all shapes, sizes, and mediums. For instance, picture scrolls, shadow puppets, rod puppets, masked figures, and puppets twice human height are all included in the wide variety of Indonesian theatrical forms.

​

Wayang refer to three different meanings based on varied usage.

​

The first term usually used in the genre: Wayang defined as a form of traditional theater with or based on puppets.

​

The second term used to describe the characteristics of puppet: Wayang indicates the utensil or puppet type such as wayang beber (scroll paintings), wayang golek  (three-dimensional rod puppets), wayang kulit(animal skins), and wayang wong (human puppets). Additionally, wayang wong (Javanese) also be called wayang orang (Indonesian: "human wayang" in literature). Wayang involves in theater not only puppets but also human actors. According to the record, the traditional human theater is designed from the puppet form, that is, the puppetry is regarded as the elder and precious art.

 

The third term usually used in the phrase : Wayang nominating the representative of a story cycle includes wayang purwa (the Hindu epics the Ramayana and theMahabharata) , wayang menak (the meaning is “aristocratic” in Islam), or historical chronicles of the East Javanese prince Panji, the grasscutter-turnedprince Damar Wulan, and the wali (saints).

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Additionally, music and dance are essential elements in wayang performance, whether the performers are puppets or humans. The traditional wayang performances are accompanied by gamelan orchestra, or specific gamelan instruments, and the human voice.

​

Overall, Wayang could refer to a lot of usages and we will focus on Wayang Kulit on the next part.