Larry Reed (puppeteer)

This article is about the puppeteer. For other people with the same name, see Larry Reed (disambiguation).
Larry Reed
Born
Charles Lawson Reed III

(1944-06-21)June 21, 1944
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 30, 2026(2026-01-30) (aged 81)
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma mater
OrganizationShadowLight Productions

Charles Lawson Reed III (June 21, 1944 – January 30, 2026) was an American shadow puppeteer and one of the first Western artists to train in traditional Balinese shadow theatre. He was recognized as a dalang (shadow master) by his teacher.[1]

Early life and education

Reed was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 21, 1944. He studied French theatre at Yale University in 1965. The following year, he worked as a theatre director for Costa Rica University and the National Theatres before earning his Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.

In the 1970s, Reed traveled to Bali to study traditional shadow puppetry.[2] He later returned to San Francisco and joined the American Association for Eastern Arts, now known as the Center for World Music.[3]

Career

Reed founded ShadowLight Productions in 1972.[4] He began expanding his works by integrating traditional shadow theatre techniques with a modern theatre style. In the 1990s, Reed developed a method of casting shadows that integrated techniques from cinema, modern theatre, and dance. Reed's shows used three-dimensional shadow masks and handheld puppets projected by point-source lighting onto a 30-foot screen, a method ShadowLight Productions describes as 'live animation.'[4][5] ShadowLight Productions had a crew of actors and featured live music played by musicians.[6][7]

Death

Reed died at his home on January 30, 2026, at the age of 81.[8]

Major works

Shadow Master (1979)

Shadow Master is a documentary directed by Reed that has been shown on both PBS and the Discovery Channel. It is about a family of performers in Bali, showing an inside view of Balinese life as well as the cultural context of the island's theatre, music, and dance. The film takes place over two years, with Reed living and studying with a dalang, I Wayan Wija, and his extended family.[9]

In Xanadu (1993–1997)

In Xanadu is a Mongolian fantasy written by Zara Houshmand and Reed. The fantasy follows Kublai Khan and his wife, Chabui. The film includes Tibetan, Chinese, and Indonesian theatre techniques. In Xanadu was featured at the 1997 Henson International Festival of Puppetry in New York City and the Spoleto/USA Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. The film was awarded a UNIMA-USA Citation for Excellence.[10][11][12]

Filmography

Title Year Role
Shadow Master[9] 1982 Producer, director
Conquest of Mexico 1986 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Orfeo[13] 1990 Shadow Design
Body Cak 1990 Projection Design
Dream Shadows[14] 1991 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Pan 1992 Shadow Effects Design
MahabharAnta 1992 Shadow Effects Design
Bima's Journey[15] 1994 Director
The Wild Party[16] 1995 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Sidha Karya[17] 1995 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Mayadanawa[9] 1996 Original Shadow Theatre Works
The Tempest[18] 1996 Shadow Effects Design
In Xanadu[19] 1997 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Blood Wine, Blood Wedding[20] 1997 Shadow Effects Design
Wayang Listrik[21] 1998 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Whale 1999 Shadow Effects Design
Power of Saturn 1999 Shadow Effects Design
Coyote's Journey[22] 2000 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Ain’t Necessarily So[23] 2001 Shadow Effects Design
Kawit Legong[24] 2001 Original Shadow Theatre Works
7 Visions[25] 2002 Original Shadow Theatre Works
A (Balinese) Tempest[26] 2005 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Explorations of the Shadow World[27] 2006 Producer, director
Silk Road[28] 2007 Director Shadow Sequences
We are All In this Together 2007 Consultant
Ethnic Dance Festival[29] 2007 Director Shadow Sequences
Ramayana 2007 Consultant
Mayadanawa[9] 2007 Producer, director
Ghosts of the River[30] 2009 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Monkey King at Spider Cave[31] 2009 Producer, director, Original Shadow Theatre Works
The Good-for-Nothing Lover[32] 2010 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Magic Flute[33] 2011 Director Shadow Sequences
On Wayang[27] 2011 Producer, director
Poro Oyna: Legend of Ainu Rakkur[34] 2012 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Jana and Baladoor[35] 2012 Director Shadow Sequences
Kawit Legong[24] 2012 Producer
Bandung Project 2013 Director
Ghosts of the River[30] 2013 Producer, director
Poro Oyna: The Myth of the Aynu[34] 2014 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Butterfly Lovers 2014 Director
Feathers of Fire[36] 2015 Collaborator
Finding KUKAN[32] 2015 Director Shadow Sequences
The Science Fiction Project 1&2[37] 2016 Director Shadow Sequences
In Visible Light[38][39] 2017 Director
In Visible Light Cinna: The Clemency of Augustus 2017 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Dewi Sri[40] 2019 Director
The Dark Light[41] 2019 Director
Shadows for Carlos Villa[42] 2020 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Drupadi[43] 2020 Original Shadow Theatre Works
Shadows for Carlos Villa[42] 2020 Co-director
A (Balinese) Tempest[26] 2020 Producer, director

References

  1. ^ "Larry Reed". World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. 2016-07-12. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. ^ Tleimat, Lana (2023-08-12). "People We Meet: Larry Reed, shadow artist". Mission Local. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  3. ^ "Reunion Celebrates World Music Anniversaries By GRAEME VANDERSTOEL Special to the Planet. Category: Features from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com.
  4. ^ a b "Larry Reed". ShadowLight Productions. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  5. ^ February 27, Lily Janiak; March 1 (February 27, 2023). "Bay Area theater supergroup unites playwright, composer and shadow puppeteer". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2025-05-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "About". ShadowLight Productions.
  7. ^ "Behind the Scenes at a Shadow Theater". Christian Science Monitor. October 27, 1998.
  8. ^ "Larry Reed: 1944–2026". Shadow Light. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d "Movies' reviews" (PDF). News and Reviews (33, Fall 2009).
  10. ^ "45 Years of Citations". UNIMA-USA.
  11. ^ "In Xanadu". ShadowLight Productions.
  12. ^ Harvey, Dennis (November 14, 1994). "In Xanadu".
  13. ^ "OPERA REVIEW : Music Center Borrows a Jumbled 'Orfeo'". Los Angeles Times. 5 October 1990.
  14. ^ "Evolution of a Shadow Master". UNIMA-USA.
  15. ^ "National Gallery - Search the Collection". searchthecollection.nga.gov.au.
  16. ^ Harvey, Dennis (August 7, 1995). "The Wild Party".
  17. ^ Berata, I. Dewa Putu; Catra, I. Nyoman; Susilo, Emiko Saraswati; Reed, C. L; Cowell Theater (San Francisco, Calif.); Sekar Jaya (Musical group); ShadowLight Productions (Firm) (1994), Sidha Karya, San Francisco, Ca.: ShadowLight Productions, OCLC 42940092
  18. ^ "The Tempest at American Conservatory Theater Geary Theater 1996". www.abouttheartists.com.
  19. ^ "In Xanadu". 14 November 1994.
  20. ^ "Blood Wedding".
  21. ^ "In the Shadows". San Francisco Bay Guardian (September 9, 1998).
  22. ^ Harvey, Dennis (January 2, 2001). "Tales from Native California: Coyote's Journey".
  23. ^ "Larry Reed". 12 July 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Spreading moral messages in modern-day 'wayang'". The Jakarta Post.
  25. ^ Hurwitt, Robert (October 29, 2002). "Latino history dances, frolics in '7 Visions' / Dia de los Muertos shadow play at Brava". SFGATE.
  26. ^ a b "A (Balinese) Tempest" (Playbill). University of Hawaii. 2008. hdl:10125/57901.
  27. ^ a b "On wayang: My life with shadows". 2011.
  28. ^ "Take a stroll down the Silk Road in Taipei - Taipei Times". 16 March 2007.
  29. ^ "Original Works".
  30. ^ a b "Ghosts of the River: Out of the Shadows". 11 July 2014.
  31. ^ "Monkey King at Spider Cave = Xi you ji". 2009.
  32. ^ a b "Shadowlight Productions Begins Collaboration with FIINDING KUKAN | Finding KUKAN". 2012-05-06. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  33. ^ "THE MAGIC FLUTE". STEPHEN MILLS. 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  34. ^ a b "In light and shadow".
  35. ^ "AROUND AND ABOUT THEATER: Iranian Playwright & Director Bahram Bazai, St. Marks Playreading, A Folkie Bard On Disk .... Category: Arts & Events from The Berkeley Daily Planet". www.berkeleydailyplanet.com.
  36. ^ "Feathers of Fire | A Persian Epic Shadow Play For All Ages". Kingorama.
  37. ^ "Science Fiction Project: Installment 1 + 2".
  38. ^ "In Visible Light".
  39. ^ "San Francisco International Arts Festival".
  40. ^ Agung (19 November 2019). "Kisah Larry Reed, Sutradara dan Seniman Asal Amerika yang Jatuh Cinta Pada Wayang". KRJogja.
  41. ^ "The Dark Light". 飛人集社劇團 Flying Group Theatre. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  42. ^ a b "Carlos Villa (1936-2013)" (PDF). Asian Art Museum. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  43. ^ "Drupadi". ShadowLight Productions. 14 March 2020.
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