MANILA, Philippines - World-class puppeteer, ventriloquist and marionettist Wanlu (photo) represents the Philippines to the biggest puppetry event of the year, the Harmony World Puppet Festival in Bangkok, from Nov. 1 to 10.
The event will feature more than 150 performances from 90 countries. It will also include workshops, seminars and a lot of cultural sharing and activities through puppetry.
Wanlu will perform a solo act assisted by his children Kim Jerome Lunaria and John Gabriel Lunaria, and Ferdinand Clemente (Makata Tawanana). Kim will handle the technical aspect of the act such as sounds and videos while Gabby handles the preparation of puppets and other props.
Wanlu will perform an act that will show the world how puppetry was used to inspire flood victims in Tacloban after the Supertyphoon Yolanda.
“Even if the Philippines does not have its own puppetry art, we can show the world with pride that puppetry in the Philippines is being utilized as a tool for teaching and most specially to help people in need,” he says.
His puppet characters Baby Bryan and Nicolo will be used in the 30-minute performance to be held at the historic Wangna Theater in Bangkok. Wanlu’s participation in the festival is supported by the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA).