Ronald & Tony

The dragon of the canals

Back to start

Large top view of joyful original hand-puppet play in fictional canal-side community hall. Mali's hand animates green dragon with gold horns and red cloth body above modest wooden booth; second adult operates cream bird hand puppet. Children laugh; Chai and the visitors sit among audience. Not a claim to portray classical Thai rod puppetry or real Artist House programme. : Dragon puppet: Who has been looking for a dragon?

Tony solemnly raises a wing from audience, Ronald beside him smiling; Karen and Harly amused. : Tony: Someone who now checks the roof. Harly: And the red patch.

After performance at hall landing, Mali shakes Karen's hand, Harly and Ronald beside them, Chai ready at passenger boat. Green dragon puppet safely in chest, no magical movement. : Mali: You saved the children's show! Karen: We couldn't let them miss their dragon.

Wide final view later: passenger long-tail boat on Chao Phraya at sunset, Wat Arun distinct pale tiered prang and smaller towers on west riverbank. Chai at stern, four visitors in orange life jackets, Tony on Ronald's right shoulder. Spacious warm ending. : Tony: I'm glad he was only a puppet. Ronald: Especially when you offered to pull him out!

Read the transcript

Large top view of joyful original hand-puppet play in fictional canal-side community hall. Mali's hand animates green dragon with gold horns and red cloth body above modest wooden booth; second adult operates cream bird hand puppet. Children laugh; Chai and the visitors sit among audience. Not a claim to portray classical Thai rod puppetry or real Artist House programme.
Dragon puppet: Who has been looking for a dragon?

Tony solemnly raises a wing from audience, Ronald beside him smiling; Karen and Harly amused.
Tony: Someone who now checks the roof. Harly: And the red patch.

After performance at hall landing, Mali shakes Karen's hand, Harly and Ronald beside them, Chai ready at passenger boat. Green dragon puppet safely in chest, no magical movement.
Mali: You saved the children's show! Karen: We couldn't let them miss their dragon.

Wide final view later: passenger long-tail boat on Chao Phraya at sunset, Wat Arun distinct pale tiered prang and smaller towers on west riverbank. Chai at stern, four visitors in orange life jackets, Tony on Ronald's right shoulder. Spacious warm ending.
Tony: I'm glad he was only a puppet. Ronald: Especially when you offered to pull him out!

Behind the adventure

An original fictional adventure set among Bangkok’s canals and temples. Mali, Chai, the canal-side hall, the smaller temple and the route are invented. The original dragon hand puppet is not a sacred object or a named traditional Thai character. Talking Tony is a series convention.

Wat Arun is a real Buddhist temple beside the Chao Phraya River on Bangkok’s Thonburi bank. Its characteristic central tower is a prang. Bangkok’s canal neighbourhoods and waterside arts inspired the setting; temple architecture is simplified in the drawings. The hand-puppet scenes do not reconstruct traditional puppetry at the real Artist’s House. Dialogue is presented in English for readers. Wat Arun: Tourism Authority of Thailand.