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Aims and Objects
1) To
revive, preserve, upgrade and propagate the Myanmar puppet
theatre
which is one of the important cultural heritages
of our
country.
2) To entertain the public and foreign tourists with Myanmar
indigenous puppetry.
3) To organize old veteran puppeteers to pass their art to the
younger generation.
4) To give financial, medical and moral support to old and poor
puppeteers.
5) To create job opportunities for young puppeteers graduated from
the two universities of culture in Yangon and Mandalay.
6) To organize young puppeteers to study foreign puppet techniques
in
order to upgrade the Myanmar Traditional Puppet Theatre.
7) To organize young people firstly to appreciate and then like the
Myanmar Traditional Performing Arts
and lastly to become connoisseurs
of traditional and theatrical arts.
8) To strive for the creation of UNIMA National Centre in Myanmar.
9) To organize Myanmar puppeteers and puppet lovers to become as
members of the UNIMA.
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Proprietor-Director
Mr. KHIN MAUNG HTWE
-> You can find a newspaper article about him here: Download
PDF
(D.O.B – 20th October 1963) |
When he was very young, he followed theatregoer of his mother to
theatrical performances and became a theatre-lover. He saw all night
theatrical shows at the pagoda festivals sometimes for about five
successive nights with his mother. He was also greatly interested in
dancing, acting, stage-craft and stage lighting. He, being a mechanical
minded boy, projected the silhouette picture which he drew on a piece
of celluloid on a white screen using a small watch repairer’s
magnifying lens of his father. Sometimes, he directed the sunlight on
the celluloid by means of mirrors. Sometimes, he used a flash light
when sunlight was unavailable.
Although a self-taught artist, he won many prizes in painting and
sketching at the township level all schools painting and drawing
competitions. His knowledge of painting and sketching proved very
helpful in his later hobbies such as photography, video-recording,
video editing and graphic designing etc…
He was also good at his studies and always passed his examinations with
flying colours. His favourite subject was Myanmar Literature. He read
all kinds of books and always got distinction in the Subject of Myanmar
not only at high school but also at university.
Although he wished to become a doctor, he decided to study mechanical
engineering in order for him to attend the Institute of Marine
Technology. After his graduation from the Marine Institute, he joined
the government-owned Myanmar Five Star Shipping Line as a Deck Officer
of foreign going ships for about ten years. He then joined several
foreign shipping companies for ten more years. As a seaman, he earned a
lot but after he realized that the seeking money is never ending story
he planned to switch to another career for his children, his family and
his mother country. Before ending his seafaring days he and his wife
visited neighbouring countries and studied many cultural shows. After
retirement from seaman-life he bought a micro bus and managed a
transportation service for foreign tourists collaborated with a number
of travels and tours companies and studied tourism business for 3
years, driving the car himself. He studied cultural shows and
entertainments at hotels and restaurants especially puppet shows in
Bagan, Mandalay and Yangon before setting up the HTWE OO MYANMAR
Traditional Puppet Theatre in 2006.
His main aim is to fill a gap in tourism industry in terms of
entertainment and also rehabilitation of the Myanmar Traditional Puppet
Theatre and he hopes to achieve that objective in near future whatever
the difficulties he might experience.
His another aim is to show the Myanmar string puppetry and through it
the Myanmar culture to the world. In other words he wishes to make
Myanmar country and Myanmar people known to the world. |
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Puppeteers
Mr. TUN KYI
(D.O.B – 23rd May 1937) |
He started the career in puppetry since childhood at “U
Pan” puppet troupe where his father, Tun Yin @ Theingi (Puppet
Comedian), and mother, Daw Mei Yu @ Bala Tin (Puppet Princess), served.
He served several puppet theatres named “Hti-dan Khin San”,
“Pon-na-byan U Kyaw Aye” and “Dagon Aung” till
age of 40 and he spent about 20 years of his life as a farmer in his
native, Thayawaddy, about 150km far from Yangon.
He resumed his puppeteer life about a month in every year only when
Myanmar Traditional and Cultural Performing Arts Competition were held
by State Government annually and won many Gold Medals. Now, he is a
member of HTWE OO MYANMAR Traditional Puppet Troupe since 2009. He is
still living in Thayawaddy while the troupe temporarily disbanded in
tourist low season.
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Mr. MAUNG KYI
(D.O.B – 16th December 1944) |
He began to serve the Cultural Ministry, Dance and Drama Ensemble as a
dancer in 1962. He learnt puppet manipulation in 1982 and served as a
puppeteer too. He performed as RAMA in the RAMAYANA Drama. As a member
of the Cultural Ministry, Dance and Drama Ensemble, he had been to a
number foreign countries. He won gold, silver and bronze medals for his
participation in puppet drama competitions in the annually held Myanmar
Traditional Performing Arts Competitions.
He retired from the Cultural Ministry, Dance and Drama Ensemble in 2006.
He is also performing at Karaweik Hall dinner and entertainment
programme for foreign tourists since 1997. |
Ms. CHO CHO SAN
(D.O.B – 9th November 1981)
-> You can find a
newspaper article about her here: Download
PDF |
Daughter of the puppet master TUN KYI. She learnt the puppet
manipulation and embroidery from her father. She annually takes part in
the Yangon Division Puppet Drama Troupe
which participated in the Myanmar Traditional Performing Arts
Competitions - Puppet Drama Competitions annually held at Nay Pyi Taw,
the new capital of Myanmar.
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Ms. TIN NAN MYINT
(D.O.B – 19th October 1974) |
She started the career in puppetry since childhood at
“Sein
Par Ti” puppet troupe which was founded by his father and
mother.
She can manipulate any kind of puppet-characters and can sing and
narrate too.
She participated in Myanmar Traditional and Cultural Performing Arts
Competition held by State Government annually and won many Gold Medals.
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Part time Puppeteers
Ms. TIN TIN OO
(D.O.B – 27th September 1969) |
Ms. THET THET HTWE OO
(D.O.B – 06th June 1996) |
Mr. THET PAING HTWE OO
(D.O.B – 26th March 2004) |
Please contact us at:
Khin
Maung Htwe, Director
Mobile (959) 512 7271 (24 hour)
E-mail: director@htweoomyanmar.com
Website: HtweOoMyanmar.com
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