The Ishara Puppet Theatre, founded in 1986 by Dadi Pudumjee, is one of India’s leading practitioners of the art form, committed to exposing audiences to the multi-faceted traditions and techniques of puppetry in India and around the world. Ishara collaborates with dancers, actors and puppeteers in creating a new and contemporary language. The group runs a successful programme on HIV awareness and substance abuse in partnership with UNESCO and the EU, using puppetry for communication. It also conducts workshops, showcasing both traditional and modern styles of puppetry for students, teachers and corporates. The group has performed in many countries and organises the only annual international puppet festival in India.
I Teatrini — Storie di Pulcinella
by Bruno Leone, Italy
Saturday, 13th - 6.30 pm
In 1978, Bruno Leone learned the art of the Guarattelle (traditional Neapolitan puppetry) from Nunzio Zampella, the last of the old Neapolitan puppet masters, saving from oblivion a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages. The art of the Guarattelle owes its vitality to the skill of the puppet masters in linking tradition and modernity whilst paying attention to the mood of their public. Pulcinella, always at the right hand of the puppet master, introduces the sequence of stories with his magical voice. The hilarious show, which uses handcrafted puppets, is very interactive and improvises along the way.
Performed and directed by Bruno Leone
A limited number of admission passes can be collected by Members from the Box Office from January 26.
