Theatre’s history

The spread of the Ramayana began centuries ago, probably carried to the ancient Kingdom of Lang Xang (ancient Laos) by Buddhist missions.

 In fact, it was performed in other Luang Prabang palaces as well as this one, on stage in costumes and masks, telling the epic tale of Phra Lam and his brother Phra Lak, searching for the beautiful Princess Sida, kidnapped by the terrifying king of the island of Lanka.

These scenes were played inside the palaces on different occasions, but also outside during celebrations such as the Lao new year called "Pimaï".

After several periods of trouble, the performances of the troupes became less frequent. However the theatrical tradition associated with the musical art remained. And the choreographers, the musicians and other passionate people, continued tirelessly to pass on their knowledge to the younger generations. Thus we still have this significant and refined art form, which illustrates so well all the originality of this nation.

 The theater, such as it appears today, was born in 2003.  For many years leading up to 2003, performances only took place in it during the Lao new year celebrations.

Benefiting from assistance, in particular from the Department of Culture of the City of Luang Prabang in 1993, the Francophonie Department in 2000, the Ethnological Institute of the city of Munster in Germany in 2001, the Company of the Theater Works of Singapore in 2003, and more recently from the French social development society, the theater slowly built itself the reputation of a major tourist attraction in the region.