Javanese Shadow-Puppet Play: Bima's Quest for Enlightenment

Javanese Shadow-Puppet Play: Bima's Quest for Enlightenment

11/8/2016 SEM Tickets Sold Out! See the Freer-Sackler for remaining public (free) tickets:

https://support.asia.si.edu/event-registration/javanese-shadow-puppet-play

This shadow-puppet play (wayang kulit), titled “Bima Searches for the Divine Essence,” follows a hero of the Mahabharata (the ancient Hindu epic) on his Sufi-inspired journey for knowledge. Mixing philosophical dialogue, slapstick comedy and political commentary, the play is entertainment for all. Directing the program is scholar and puppeteer (dalang) Sumarsam, accompanied by the Javanese Court Gamelan Ensemble of the Embassy of Indonesia, plus guest artists. Before the play, complimentary Indonesian savory and sweet snacks and traditional beverages will be offered.

Co-presented by the Freer and Sackler Galleries (Smithsonian Institution), the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia, George Washington University, and the SEM Local Arrangements Committee

Directions from SEM:

• Meet volunteer guide at 6:50 pm in the Omni Shoreham Lobby, OR
• Metro from Omni Shoreham, walk 3 min to Woodley Park-Zoo Metro, take Red Glenmont train (5 min), get out at Farragut N, walk 9 min to 500 17th St. About 19 min travel time.

Image by Gunawan Kartapranata (en.wp) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons