The Guidelines for Creating Performance from folklore

Abstract

               This article is a partial study of the thesis named The Creating Performance from Folklore. Funding awarded research from grants for graduate students by Chulalongkorn University. which intended to explore     1) the development of the folklore based performance and 2) the guideline for creating folklore based performance. As this article emphasized on the second the second mentioned objective, the researcher consequently employed the qualitative researching methods consisting of literature review, interviews, and observations in order to collect the data.The data was descriptively presented to the scope limited to the performance inspired by the folklore called “Mahajanaka” B.E. 2540 to the recent performance called “Mahajanaka the Phenomenon Show”.

                    The result of the study revealed that the performance based on the folklore called Mahajanaka which was written by H.M. the King Bhumibhol. The king had listened to the Buddhist sermon in B.E. 2520, it inspired him to explore the moral teachings from the Tripitaka. With the intention to teach the morals to Thai citizens, the King started to write the story of Mahajanka and eventually completed this literary work in B.E. 2539. After that, Gen. Chawalit Yongchaiyuth, the Prime Minister of Thailand at that time assigned Master Seree Wangnaitham to create the performance based on this royal literature. The performance was firstly shown in the event to celebrate the Ordinary Civil Service Day on March 30^th B.E. 2540. Later, It had been used as the guideline to create several forms of performances to honor H.M. the King Bhumibhol including 1) Thai traditional drama called Lakorn Pan Tang, 2) Thai southern shadow puppet show called Nang Taloong, 3) Thai traditional drama called Li-ke, 4) Thai northeastern music called Mo Lam, 5) traditional Thai northern drama show called Lakota Fon Lanna 6) Thai traditional puppet show called Hoon Lakorn Lek, 7) Thai traditional puppet show called Hoon Kra Bok, 8) Musical dramas and 9) animations. Each approach, depending on the aptitudes the budget. Theatres and management. The researcher perceives that the folklore is the ancient wisdom inherited from the past which is presented through the conflict between human attitude and moral, it therefore the valuable tools to remind and purity people’s minds, shaping and improving people’s way of life and society, as well as further developing other forms of performance.