Dutch Sinologist works to keep Taiwan puppetry alive

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

TAIPEI (AFP) — Taipei-based Dutch puppet master Robin Ruizendaal draws his inspiration from Taiwanese folklore and Western fairy tales in his bid to promote the island's traditional are of glove puppetry.

In so doing, Ruizendaal, director of a leading Taiwanese puppet museum and its troupe of theatrical puppeteers, has created a repertoire that has caught the fancy of local and international audiences alike.

His multinational troupe features Taiwanese puppet master Chen Xi-huang, son of legendary puppeteer Li Tian-lu, Chen's protege Massimo Godoli Peli of Italy and a crew of narrators, light and stage designers, and a puppet maker.

The team has travelled as far as Russia and Central America to stage Taiwanese puppet theatre in some 30 countries and have...