shadow play

American  

noun

1. a show in which shadows of puppets, flat figures, or live actors are projected onto a lighted screen.

---

shadow play British  

noun

1. a theatrical entertainment using shadows thrown by puppets or actors onto a lighted screen

---

Etymology

Origin of shadow play

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shadow play

"You could say that these elections are kind of a shadow play," Kristof Titeca, an expert on Uganda at Antwerp university, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

The earlier film showcases Murnau’s already fluid camerawork, particularly his command of shadow play and low angles that made the 6-foot-3 Schreck seem like a force of otherworldly evil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024

A 20-minute meditation on growth, death and rebirth, it mixes box puppets, shadow play, live film and archival footage into a gorgeous mise-en-scène that feels theatrical in its purposefully homemade aesthetic.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2020

But, at their best, they are thrillingly fabular, giving us the sense that we are witnessing a shadow play, our attention absorbed while elsewhere something fundamental takes place.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 13, 2019

I had no idea of the time, the miles I’d traveled since leaving Julia Bishop’s window and the shadow play.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith