Khon Thai Masked Dance at Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre Tour

Sala Chalermkrung - A royal gift to his people from H.M. King Rama VII
As part of Bangkok’s 150 th anniversary celebrations, H.M. King Rama VII ordered a new bridge the Phra Phutayodfah Bridge that links Bangkok and Thon Buri. A statue of King Rama I was also built at the foot of this bridge, on the Bangkok side. Also, H.M. King Rama VII donated more than 9 million baht from his own funds to build the country’s first cinema, since he wanted his subjects to enjoy the most popular motion pictures and other performances at this venue. With its elegant design, Sala Chalermkrung added to Thailand’s prestige.

The construction of this venue started on 1 July 1930 . Mom Chao Samaichalerm Kridakara, a French-graduated architect, was entrusted by H.M. King Rama VII to supervise the construction. H.M. King Rama VII who graciously laid the foundation stone for the building named it Sala Chalermkrung to honor its architect and to celebrate Bangkok’s 150 th anniversary.

Since its opening on 2 July 1933 , this venue has provided entertainment to people up to now. In its early years, it was the most modern structure in Asia and was Thailand’s first air-conditioned theatre. People in the cinema industry are gathered here. It was also an institute that produced trained actors and actresses for the cinema and the theatre.

Throughout its history, Sala Chalermkrung has formed deep bonds in many contexts and many lives. It is no exaggeration to say that this venue has become a legend. Hence, it is worthy of conservation as a royal theatre as intended by H.M. King Rama VII.

Khon and Ramakien
Khon is a classical art which combines three kinds of traditional activities which are Chak Nak Duek Damban, Krabi Krabong and Nang Yai. Also, Khon is partly derived from Lakon Nai.
In the past, all Khon performers wore masks and thus needed narrators to project voices for their characters. Today, the narrators still retain their roles in Khon despite an adaptation that human and angel characters no longer wear masks. Only monkey or demon characters still wear masks on stage.

The most popular script is the Ramakien, which is based on India’s Ramayana epic. Written by Valmiki, the epic narrates an episode of Phra Narai (Narayana) who is reborn to a human so as to save both humans and angels from the terror of Tosakanth (Ravana) the demon king in Longka (Lanka) City.

Khon was regarded as a royal court performance, continuing from the Ayudhaya Period into the Rattanakosin Period. During the reign of H.M. King Rama VI, Khon reached its golden age. His Majesty supported both Khon trainees and artists, and also had Khon performances staged throughout his reign. In 1935, however, the royal Khon troupe was transferred to the Fine Arts Department and since then all official Khon artists have been part of this department.