Shadow puppetry theatre, also known as “shadow play” or “silhouette play”, uses flat cut-out figures made from thinned leather held between a light source and a translucent screen to play out a story. Shadow puppetry is a form of art originated from China that combines craftsmanship and drama. The key to its performance is the skillfulness of the performer in puppet handling and singing. In the past when movies, television, and other forms of media were not yet developed, the shadow play was a very popular folk entertainment. The Chinese shadow play was introduced to South Asia in the Yuan Dynasty, and later it was introduced to the Arabian Peninsula. It was greatly welcomed in Turkey and was called "Karagöz", while India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. all have also developed locally influenced puppet styles and shows.

The basic steps for making leather shadow puppets are: scraping, skinning, tracing, carving and coloring, it takes about 3,000 cuts to hand sculpture a puppet. The shadow puppets are mostly side-view images. The outlines are mainly composed of simple, smooth lines, complemented by hollow, carved out details to create beautifully shaped appearance and to avoid large area of dark shadow when performing. The production materials are based on the availability of the types of animal skin. In China, cowhide, sheepskin, donkey hide, etc. are more widely used.