Sad news.

"Sovana Phum Theatre, a venue for Cambodian shadow puppetry performances, which is bringing the curtain down due to tourism decline during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Phnom Penh on May 11."

https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/19180 ... et-theatre

Curtains Come Down on Cambodia Shadow Puppet Theater as Coronavirus Keeps Tourists Away
Chantha Lach, Reuters
- May 14, 2020 8:00 am

Despite all the talk about tourism diluting local culture, tourist revenue has, on the other hand, helped to prop up the survival for traditional arts in Cambodia. Without any tourists now, the coronavirus pandemic might be the final push over the cliff’s edge for these dying art forms.
— Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

Cambodia’s shadow puppet tradition goes back to the 7th century and has survived the collapse of empires, wars and Khmer Rouge reign of terror that left some 1.7 million people dead.

In recent years, however, local interest in the art that was designated a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2005 has dwindled, with foreign tourists and funding becoming its main supporters.

Now, the coronavirus pandemic has dealt one theater in Phnom Penh a new blow, bringing the curtain down on a troupe and its leader who has been performing in the capital for more than 26 years.

Puppet master Mann Kosal is sifting through hundreds of leather puppets that he and his colleagues made over the years as workers dismantle the theatre around them.

“As a performer, we need to perform as a team. But once the coronavirus came, we could not do that anymore,” he says.

The few people who would come to watch the performances in the 80-seat theater have evaporated due to travel restrictions and his staff are mostly at home due to a ban on gatherings and also to avoid the infection.
Full article: https://skift.com/2020/05/14/curtains-c ... ists-away/