The 25 young puppeteers from the Naraya Burapha Club have made Thailand proud by taking the top two awards at the World Puppet Carnival in Poland.
According to Thai PBS, the road to first place wasn’t an easy one for the puppeteers, who range in age from seven to twenty five-years-old. When they first found out that they passed the audition, which had 900 entries, the team didn’t have enough funds to fly to Poland.
They had only THB200,000 but the trip would cost in excess of THB2 million for all the puppeteers to attend the competition.
Determined, the young puppeteers began selling soft drinks at a Don Mueng flea market to raise money for the trip.
Their hard work and determination certainly paid off when they began receiving attention on social media. Their struggles were posted and widely shared by netizens, until they reached the ears of government and private sectors.
It was thanks to the Ministry of Culture that they were able to fly to Poland to compete against 54 other teams. The ministry allocated a budget of THB400,000 to the team, according to Bangkok Post.
The rest of the money came from the team’s hard work, and their own pockets.
The team’s performance was titled, “The First Human in the World.” The story was about the world’s first ape and giant who set out together to look for 4 weapons – Gratitude, Sacrifice, Tolerance, and Discipline.
The team won the Best Carnival Performance, and the Young Puppeteers Award for their tremendous efforts.
Photo: Naraya Budapha
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