Puppets from Wayang Esther: A Javanese Purimspiel (Mandell Jewish Community Center, West Hartford, CT, March 2022) designed by Ki Joko Susilo.
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, research on the Dr. Walter Angst and Sir Henry Angest Collection of Indonesian Puppets at Yale University Art Gallery resumed in June 2021. A book and associated exhibition are planned for 2024.
In the academic year 2021-2022, Matthew taught Asian Theatre and Performance, Rod Puppetry, and Shadow Puppetry in the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut. This was the first time that Asian Theatre and Performance was given as a General Education offering and the enrolment was high.
Matthew puppeteered in a new production of Wayang Esther, a shadow puppet opera written by the late Barbara Benary that premiered in La Mama ETC in New York City in 2000. This production, commissioned by the West Hartford Jewish Community Center, took place in March 2022 and involved New Zealand-based puppet designer Joko Susilo, the NYC-based contemporary gamelan group Son of Lion, and students from the University of Connecticut. It was an an innovative mix of new and traditional shadow puppets and OHP projection. Along with this exhibtion, Matthew curated an exhibition titled Purim Puppetry. The program for this can be accessed here.
Kanda Buwana: Wayang Kulit Puppet Theatre 