Charles Lawson Reed III (June 21, 1944 – January 30, 2026) was an American shadow puppeteer and one of the first Western artists to train in traditional Balinese shadow theatre.

Early life and education Reed was born in Los Angeles, California, on June 21, 1944. He studied French theatre at Yale University in 1965. In 1966, Reed joined a Peace Corps theater program, through which he worked at the National Theatre of Costa Rica through 1968. Reed earned his Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute.

In the 1970s, Reed traveled to Bali to study traditional shadow puppetry. He later returned to San Francisco and joined the American Association for Eastern Arts, now known as the Center for World Music.

Career In 1972, Reed founded ShadowLight Productions. He began expanding his work by integrating traditional shadow theatre techniques with a modern theatre style. In the 1990s, Reed developed a method of casting shadows that integrated techniques from cinema, modern theatre, and dance. Reed's shows used three-dimensional shadow masks and handheld puppets projected by point-source lighting onto a 30-foot screen, a method ShadowLight Productions describes as "live animation". ShadowLight Productions had a crew of actors and featured live music played by musicians.

Personal life Reed met Jane Levy while they were students at the San Francisco Art Institute. They married in 1977 and had two sons.

Death Reed died from a heart attack at his home in San Francisco, California, on January 30, 2026, at the age of 81.

Major works

Shadow Master (1979) Shadow Master is a documentary directed by Reed that has been shown on both PBS and the Discovery Channel. It is about a family of performers in Bali, showing an inside view of Balinese life, as well as the cultural context of the island's theatre, music, and dance. The film takes place over two years, with Reed living and studying with a dalang, I Wayan Wija, and his extended family.

In Xanadu (1993–1997) In Xanadu is a Mongolian fantasy written by Zara Houshmand and Reed. The fantasy follows Kublai Khan and his wife, Chabui. The film includes Tibetan, Chinese, and Indonesian theatre techniques. In Xanadu was featured at the 1997 Henson International Festival of Puppetry in New York City and the Spoleto/USA Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. The film was awarded a UNIMA-USA Citation for Excellence.

Filmography

TitleYearRoleShadow Master 1982 Producer, directorConquest of Mexico1986Original Shadow Theatre WorksOrfeo 1990 Shadow DesignBody Cak 1990 Projection DesignDream Shadows 1991 Original Shadow Theatre WorksPan 1992 Shadow Effects DesignMahabharAnta 1992 Shadow Effects DesignBima's Journey 1994 DirectorThe Wild Party 1995 Original Shadow Theatre WorksSidha Karya 1995 Original Shadow Theatre WorksMayadanawa 1996 Original Shadow Theatre WorksThe Tempest 1996 Shadow Effects DesignIn Xanadu 1997 Original Shadow Theatre WorksBlood Wine, Blood Wedding 1997 Shadow Effects DesignWayang Listrik 1998 Original Shadow Theatre WorksWhale 1999 Shadow Effects DesignPower of Saturn 1999 Shadow Effects DesignCoyote's Journey 2000 Original Shadow Theatre WorksAin’t Necessarily So 2001 Shadow Effects DesignKawit Legong 2001 Original Shadow Theatre Works7 Visions 2002 Original Shadow Theatre WorksA (Balinese) Tempest 2005 Original Shadow Theatre WorksExplorations of the Shadow World 2006 Producer, directorSilk Road 2007 Director Shadow SequencesWe are All In this Together 2007 ConsultantEthnic Dance Festival 2007 Director Shadow SequencesRamayana 2007 ConsultantMayadanawa 2007 Producer, directorGhosts of the River 2009 Original Shadow Theatre WorksMonkey King at Spider Cave 2009 Producer, director, Original Shadow Theatre WorksThe Good-for-Nothing Lover 2010 Original Shadow Theatre WorksMagic Flute 2011 Director Shadow SequencesOn Wayang 2011 Producer, directorPoro Oyna: Legend of Ainu Rakkur 2012 Original Shadow Theatre WorksJana and Baladoor 2012 Director Shadow SequencesKawit Legong 2012 ProducerBandung Project 2013 DirectorGhosts of the River 2013 Producer, directorPoro Oyna: The Myth of the Aynu 2014 Original Shadow Theatre WorksButterfly Lovers 2014 DirectorFeathers of Fire 2015 CollaboratorFinding KUKAN 2015 Director Shadow SequencesThe Science Fiction Project 1&2 2016 Director Shadow SequencesIn Visible Light 2017 DirectorIn Visible Light Cinna: The Clemency of Augustus 2017 Original Shadow Theatre WorksDewi Sri2019DirectorThe Dark Light2019DirectorShadows for Carlos Villa 2020 Original Shadow Theatre WorksDrupadi 2020 Original Shadow Theatre WorksShadows for Carlos Villa 2020 Co-directorA (Balinese) Tempest 2020 Producer, director

References