From Jim Henson’s Muppets to the puppet designs in director Julie Taymor’s production of the Broadway version of The Lion King, the entertainment industry has long been influenced by the puppetry of India and Southeast Asia.

The University of Pittsburgh will feature Divinities, Demons, Kings, and Clowns: Puppetry of India and Southeast Asia—an exhibition that includes concerts, displays, and workshops—from Feb. 13 through March 27 at the University Art Gallery in Pitt’s Frick Fine Arts Building. The exhibition and special events are free and open to the public.

Using figures that represent thousand-year-old traditions, the exhibition demonstrates the similarities of the stories, images, and character types found in Indian and Southeast Asian puppet theaters. The puppetry of the two regions is intertwined with religious and cultural rituals that have been exchanged during centuries of trade and travel. The exhibition also reflects the influence of Indian and Southeast Asian puppetry on theater, imagery, puppetry, and choreography worldwide.

The exhibition was curated by Kathy Foley, professor of theater at the University of California (UC) Santa Cruz. It is cosponsored by the Indo-Pacific Council and Pitt’s Department of Music, Department of Theatre Arts, and Asian Studies Center. For more information, call 412-648-2400.

Special Events, all held in the University Art Gallery, include:

Feb. 13, 5-7 p.m.
Opening Reception
From 6 to 6:30 p.m., Kathy Foley, puppeteer and professor of theater at UC Santa Cruz will perform wayang golek, a three-dimensional Javanese puppetry technique, accompanied by the University Gamelan Ensemble, under the direction of Pitt Professor of Music Andrew Weintraub.

Feb. 16, 4:30 p.m.
The Music of West Java
University Gamelan Ensemble.

Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Raga and Rasa: Savoring the Color of Sound in Hindustani Music
Amelia Maciszewski, visiting professor of music at Pitt.

March 4, 6:30 p.m.
Movement, Characterization, and Mood in Epic Theater of India
Sreyashi Dey, artistic director of Srishti Dances of India.

March 17, noon
Puppets, Politics, and Power in Southeast Asia
Andrew Weintraub, professor of music.

March 24, 2 p.m.
Mask and puppet carving demonstration and workshop
Otang Rasta and Atik Rasta, Pitt visiting artists-in-residence from Indonesia.