用英語(yǔ)介紹皮影戲

皮影戲，shadow play或者shadow puppetry，是一種什么樣的表演呢？

It is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment using opaque figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images.
這是一種古老的表演藝術(shù)，用不透光的剪影形象在一個(gè)照亮的背景布上形成投影，用來(lái)表演一個(gè)故事。

在臺(tái)灣，皮影戲由潮州皮影，the Chaochow school of shadow puppet theatre發(fā)展而來(lái)，通常被稱(chēng)為leather monkey shows，皮猴戲。

Older puppeteers estimate that there were at least a hundred shadow puppet troupes in southern Taiwan in the closing years of the Qing. Traditionally, the eight to 12-inch puppet figures, and the stage scenery and props such as furniture, natural scenery, pagodas, halls, and plants are all cut from leather.
老一輩皮影藝人說(shuō)，在清末，臺(tái)南至少有100家皮影劇團(tuán)。傳統(tǒng)臺(tái)灣皮影中8-12寸大小的人物剪影、舞臺(tái)道具包括家具、自然景觀、寶塔。殿堂和樹(shù)木花草等都是用皮革做成的。

在法國(guó)，皮影戲雖然一開(kāi)始也是從中國(guó)流傳過(guò)去，但是加入本地特色后，這種表演立刻變成了原汁原味的法國(guó)藝術(shù)：

The show began to spread to Europe in the mid-18th century, when French missionaries in China took it back to France in 1767 and put on performances in Paris and Marseilles, causing quite a stir. In time, the Ombres chinoises (French for "Chinese Shadows") with local modification and embellishment, became the Ombres françaises and struck root in the country.
皮影戲是十八世紀(jì)中期傳到歐洲的，法國(guó)傳教士在1767年將皮影戲帶回法國(guó)，在巴黎和馬賽舉辦的表演，引起一陣轟動(dòng)。馬上，“中國(guó)影戲”被改造，加入了法國(guó)特色元素，成為“法國(guó)影戲”，并在法國(guó)長(zhǎng)期流傳下來(lái)。

在印度、印尼、馬來(lái)西亞、泰國(guó)、土耳其，都有shadow theatre的傳統(tǒng)。而德國(guó)動(dòng)畫(huà)界首創(chuàng)了剪紙動(dòng)畫(huà)，silhouette animation，是用和皮影戲一樣的木偶一格一格，frame-by-frame地拍攝出來(lái)的。