Puppetry as a form of storytelling has been part of our country since the 1920s. But as Indians, we only know of Tholpavakoothu, Sakhi Kandhei and others which mainly focused on mythology for their storytelling. PuppeTree is going to treat us to an entirely different form of puppetry — Marionette puppetry in a contemporary form.
Their show Some Some Story will have two stories about two very different people but focusing on a universal concept. The show is set to happen on April 21 at The Courtyard.
Some Some Story was the first ever show they did when the troupe came into being. Anvitha Prakash who co-directed the show shares that the main reason for this show was to introduce the audience to contemporary Marionette puppet theatre. She shares, “There is no one who has done contemporary puppetry before. You see a lot of teams doing traditional puppetry who do Ramayana, Mahabharata and their sub-stories. Contemporary puppets look more like us.”
Anvitha mentions that there are two reasons for this show. One, to get closer to the audience and two, to keep the fire burning for contemporary Marionette Puppetry. In the 90s when there was no other form of entertainment, puppets kept kids hooked. But now-a-days, kids have access to all forms of gadgets. When asked were kids and adults alike with appreciating this form of storytelling, she says, “Definitely! It’s the 25th show that we will be doing for Some Some Story. This was possible only because of the feedback and response we have received. When kids come and see, they forget everything. When they see a puppet live, they are converts.”
Since this was their first production, they tried to tell people that there is a world away from gadgets. On the storyline they will be following, she shares, “One story is about a small girl who’s always on her phone. She does not talk to her friends or family. Her outlook changes when she sees a caterpillar turning into a butterfly (which actually happens live on stage). We all talk about the bonding animals and humans share.”
From this show, you can expect an hour filled with fun. “We have made and designed these puppets. They are made of wood and fibre weighing atleast three kgs each and three feet in height. Marionette puppetry is the most complicated form of puppetry as these are string puppets. Heads, arms, shoulders etc all have different strings. One of our puppets has over 23 strings. We will have to manipulate all of it together for it to move. Before putting on our first show, we had to train for a year and a half,” she concludes sharing that this show will have eight puppets handled by three people.
