A scene from the play O żabce co nie została królewną (The Frog that isn’t a Princess), photo: Arlekin Puppet Theater
The Arlekin Puppet Theater from Łódź will perform O żabce co nie została królewną (The Frog that isn’t a Princess) at the Wayang World Puppet Carnival in Indonesia. The project was supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
The Wayang World Puppet Carnival is a celebration that has been held for years in Jakarta and Bali. Accepting an invitation from the Indonesian Association of Puppeteers and the Government of Indonesia, the Arlekin Puppet Theater will be the only Polish group to perform at this year’s festivities. Also featured this year will be groups from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, New Zealand, Cuba, India, Croatia, Argentina, Australia and Bangladesh.
Wayang will host over 70 spectacles from around the world. The theater from Łódź will contribute a colorful and musical piece titled O żabce co nie została królewną (A Frog that isn’t a Princess) under the direction of Waldemar Wolański.
The actor’s use of theatrical illusions and pulling gags translates easily to a young audience. Their dynamic and seamless methods of changing puppets never interrupt the course of the story and they continuously fill the scene with movement and song. The live performance of the swinging melodies will ring in your head long after the show is over. – say the creators of the performance.
The staged puppet shows are just one feature of Wayang, which also has on its schedule theater workshops, seminars, meetings with artists and dance performances.
Named after a Javanese word for a particular type of theater, Wayang stands for the traditional practice of making puppets out of buffalo hide and mounting them onto bamboo sticks. The tradition originated in Indonesia and in 2003 was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a masterpiece of oral history an intangible contribution to the heritage of humanity.
Sources: press materials. Author: SW, 8/8/2013
Translation: SMG, 9/8/2013