Seri Wangnaitham’s Phuchanasibtid and the Modernization of Thai Traditional Theatre

Abstract

The adaptation of Yākhōp’s(Chote Praephan ‘s) popular novel Phuchanasibtid (Conqueror of Ten Directions) to lakhon phanthang (“theatre of a thousand ways”) by Seri Wangnaitham at the National Theatre was a watershed moment in Thai theatre. This fifty-six-episode production, staged regularly over the period 1986–1994, played a pivotal role in the modernization of Thai theatrical arts, while maintaining the aesthetic values of tradition. The production developed a new audience for Thai dance, drama, and music, and opened the door for the incorporation of popular arts, such as the folk drama likay , into the elite National Theatre.