Parent-Child Workshop: Mask Making with Papermoon Puppet Theatre

Papermoon Puppet Theatre was founded in 2006 by illustrator, writer, and theatre performer Maria (Ria) Tri Sulistyani who, together with visual artist Iwan Effendi, leads the company’s many activities from a studio and workshop they built outside of Yogyakarta, Indonesia in central Java. These days they work together with four members of Papermoon, namely Anton Fajri, Beni Sanjaya, Pambo Priyojati and Hardiansyah Yoga.

In a country with world-renowned puppetry traditions, the expert artists of Papermoon Puppet Theatre have created a distinct body of work. They have presented 30 mixed-media productions, visual art installations, and exhibitions that tell stories about the choices, circumstances, and conflicts of everyday life. “Our stories are personal and focus on individuals. From there we can see the bigger issues.” – Ria Sulistyani

Papermoon has shared their work in more than a dozen countries. They collaborate with other puppeteers around the globe, and welcome artists in residence and audiences to their studio and residency compound in Yogyakarta. In 2008, Papermoon launched Pesta Boneka – an international puppetry biennale where puppeteers share their work in a community setting, with the next edition takes place in 2026. In 2020, responding to the isolation of the global COVID pandemic, Papermoon began creating puppetry works for film; these have been screened widely and featured at international film festivals. At home and on tour, they also host puppet labs and workshops.

Papermoon Puppet Theatre believes that anything can come alive. Every creature, every object, every single thing in the world holds life somewhere inside of it. With their performances, installations, workshops, collaborations, and festivals, they hope to bring those things to life and nurture the good things around and within us.