String of stories

SD Sharma

Courtesy the department of culture affairs and Tagore Theatre society, the Chandigarh audience will be treated to a wide range of breathtaking performances in the seventh edition of the International Puppet Festival organised in collaboration with Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust which opens at Tagore Theatre February 4.

The four-day event features puppet shows by teams from Brazil, India, Iceland and Ireland which will display a dazzling array of talent from the traditional to modern forms of puppetry, ranging from rod to string puppets; to mixed performances with dance, theatre, and music.

Here is the schedule:

February 4: Oroboro from Brazil 

To be performed by XPTO Group under the direction of Osvaldo Gabrieli, the musical director and musician, Roberto Firmino. The language will be musical but non-verbal.  This show has been inspired by the Oroboro - the legendary snake that devours its own tail forming a circle. The evocative performance is a parable about the cyclical character of human's existence - life, death and rebirth.

February 5: Sharavan Kumar from India

The play in string puppet format in musical will be performed by Billu Ram Bhat Puppet Group from Rajasthan.

The play depicts the legend of Shravan Kumar, hailed as an epitome of respect, reverence and devotion to his parents while taking his blind and disabled parents on a pilgrimage through the holy Hindu shrines, he is mistaken for a boar by Lord Rama's father. After fatally shooting Shravan with an arrow, the king apologises to Shravan's parents.

February 6: Metamorphosis from Iceland

The play in musical non-verbal and medium of rod puppets, Marionettists (Metamorphosis) , will be presented by the team of puppeteer, Bernd Ogrodnik.

The performance of witty, humorous actions is poetry in motion; from the soul-stirring music to the graceful array of puppets and objects that glide across the stage. The young and old discover an important lesson that nothing in life is what it seems. It doesn't matter what we see, but how we see it.

February 7: The Legend of Lowry Lynch from Ireland

The musical play in puppets and objects will be performed under the direction of Tommy Baker.

The puppet play describes the story of a king based on the legendary Irish myth. The king had a secret. And the secret was known to his barber only. The play shows how a young and daring barber, Seamus, faces the challenge from the king.

At Tagore Theatre  6:30 pm onwards