Theater Groups From 5 Nations to Perform in Mobarak Puppet Festival

Six theater groups from five countries are to perform at the 17th Mobarak International Puppet Theater Festival in Tehran, August 23-29.

Two troupes from France will attend and Croatia, Taiwan, the Netherlands and Afghanistan each will be represented with one group at the event.

“The Small Theater From the End of the World” by Ezéquiel Garcia-Romeu and “A King Without an Answer” by Jean-Baptiste Puech are the two French theatrical works, ISNA reported.

French director Ezequiel Garcia-Romeu has co-written ‘The Small Theater with Laurent Caillon. The play will be performed using small marottes and marionettes.

Marotte is the most elementary form of rod puppet. Originally, the word referred to a jester’s stick: a wand topped with a head that was trimmed with ribbons and bells.

Today, marotte refers to a puppet controlled from below with a single central rod.  Sometimes the puppeteer controls a central rod with one of his or her hands, while the other hand becomes a hand of the puppet itself. When two puppeteers share animation of the marotte, they give it two “human” hands.

A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings. Jean-Baptiste Puech, 43, will bring a modern combination of theatrical performance alongside shadow play on stage. His production aims to revive traditional storytelling.

Shadow play, also known as shadow puppetry, is an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment that uses flat articulated cut-out figures which are held and moved between a source of light and a transparent screen.

A King Without an Answer is about a king who has a year to answer the question: “What do women want most in the world?” If he fails to find the right response, he will die and take his country down with him. To find the answer he must meet strange characters and agree to abandon all that he owns.

Director Morana Dolenc from Croatia will stage “Wanda LaVanda”. The main character of the story is Wanda, a sheep that due to its wool of many colors and unusual appearance stands out among other animals. It is a tale of tolerance and respect which targets children aged above three years old.

“Exuvia” is the title of the show from the Netherlands directed by Dutch director Charlotte Puijk-Joolen.

It is a about the search for inner possibilities and limitations, a study of today’s society, which constantly becomes more and more materialistic. From Taiwan, director Yung-Chih Lin will stage “Journey to the West: Mayhem in the Crystal Palace” and Afghan director Mohammad Ayreek will present “The Black Hair and Jalali”.