Wat Bo Shadow Puppet Troupe Comes to SEASON OF CAMBODIA, 4/25-28

As the final offering of the current theater season, Season of Cambodia will present the definitive masters of the dazzling ancient art form of Cambodian shadow puppetry with four free public, waterfront performances in Lower Manhattan (Brookfield Place Winter Garden, 200 Vesey Street) Thursday, April 25 through Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 8:00 p.m. The performances are one of only a handful of free events that are part of Season of Cambodia, a celebration of the country's arts, culture, and humanities that will bring works by more than 125 Cambodian artists to 30 major venues throughout the city. The work serves as a potent symbol of the resilience of the artistic spirit, as many of the performers survived the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror, having to bury their puppets and instruments to preserve this ancient art form.

The master puppeteers, dancers, and musicians of Cambodia's premiere Shadow Puppet Troupe, Wat Bo, will perform the ancient art of Sbeik Thom, a royal form of shadow puppetry featuring giant leather panels carved with intricate designs. Cambodian shadow puppetry is rarely seen in the U.S. and was nearly threatened with extinction under the Khmer Rouge. The performances will tell the story Sor Neakabas (The Magical Arrowhead Dragon), a traditional tale from the Reamker, Cambodia's beloved version of the ancient Ramayana epic and will be accompanied by a traditional Cambodian orchestra consisting of wind instruments, xylophones, and drums.

"Under threat of extinction during the Khmer Rouge regime, the revitalization of this artistic expression is a testament to the strength of our remarkable nation, culture, and community of artists," states Phloeun Prim, CEO, Season of Cambodia, and Executive Director, Cambodian Living Arts. "These rare works of art had to be buried to hide them from their captors and preserved until the regime fell. This ancient and sacred theatre performance was considered an act of worship. We are honored to bring this unique art form and act of worship to New York audiences."

"Cambodian shadow puppetry is a breathtakingly beautiful art form that evokes the sacred origins of theater, and we're honored to introduce New York audiences to one of the genre's most celebrated troupes," said Debra Simon, Vice President and Artistic Director of Arts Brookfield. "Exemplifying Cambodia's artistic resurgence after the oppression of the Khmer Rouge, this performance is a testament to the strength of a remarkable nation, culture, and community of artists."

This offering has been specially commissioned by Arts Brookfield.

Season of Cambodia will bring more than 125 artists from Cambodia to New York City for a major celebration of Cambodian arts, culture, and humanities. Distinctive works from master and emerging artists and scholars-in ritual, music, visual art, performance, dance, shadow puppetry, film, and academic forums-will be presented by more than 30 of New York's most renowned arts and educational institutions, marking an unprecedented city-wide initiative to celebrate one of the world's most vibrant and evocative cultures.

The festival celebrates Cambodia's artistic renaissance just one generation after the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979), a dark period in Cambodia's history during which nearly 90% of the artists and intellectuals were tragically eliminated in an effort to devastate a flourishing artistic community. Season of Cambodia serves as an international platform that not only highlights the extraordinary resilience of the Cambodian nation and its artists, but also helps pave the way for other post-conflict nations seeking renewal through artistic expression.

Cambodian Living Arts is the lead partner and sponsor of Season of Cambodia. The mission of Cambodian Living Arts is to facilitate the transformation of Cambodia through the arts by creating an environment where Cambodian arts empower and transform individuals and communities. Cambodian Living Arts activities focus on building the capacity of artists and the arts community, arts education, promoting awareness of the arts, and advocating for the arts with cultural policymakers and major institutions. Their philosophy of art and art making is to understand what it means to be Cambodian and to create a sense of unity and shared culture in a post war nation.

Since 1988 more than 5 million people have enjoyed over 5,000 dance, music, theater, visual art, and film events presented by Arts Brookfield, a free, year-round, privately funded performing and visual arts programs.

As an initiative of Brookfield Office Properties, the owner, developer and manager of premier office properties in the United States, Canada and Australia, Arts Brookfield animates public spaces in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Toronto, and Perth. Brookfield's portfolio is comprised of interests in 109 properties totaling 76 million square feet in the downtown cores of New York, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, Denver, Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, making it the global leader in the ownership and management of office assets.

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