Passions and persuasions often have their beginnings in the past. For nearly two decades, Italian puppeter Pamela Mastrorosa has been pulling the strings. She was an introvert as a child, who rarely talked to her classmates or teachers, especially in public. She created her companion and alter ego with whom she shared a silent secret conversation was Nina, her puppet. In India to participate in the Ishara International Puppet Theatre Festival in Delhi, she says, “I feel the future of puppetry depends on festivals like this as one gets an opportunity to meet other puppeteers and is also exposed to a new audience.” Now in its 18th edition, the theatre festival brought together a variety of breathtaking performances from the UK, Spain, Turkey, Brazil, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Iran, Afghanistan, Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the US. Produced by Teamwork Productions, the event showcases a host of traditional to modern forms of puppetry and conducts different puppetry workshops.
Says Dadi Pudumjee, the highly awarded master puppeteer, theatre personality and founder of the Trust, “You need to see a good puppet performance, be it traditional or modern to relive your memories of love, humour, compassion and empathy.” Pudumjee is not your typical puppeteer, having used Western and Indian themes in his work. He has done theatre and puppetry in Sweden and Germany. He has created shadow plays on Indian folk tales. He sees puppetry as an art that goes beyond entertainment, working to highlight HIV/AIDS or the survival challenges of street children.
In the beginning, Belgium was the only international participant; now Pudumjee takes his eclectic vision, which includes Indian vampires and mythological heroes, to around 160 countries
All successive creative festivals evolve with time, and so has the Ishara International Puppet Theatre Festival, which Pudumjee founded in 2001. In the beginning, Belgium was the only international participant; now Pudumjee takes his eclectic vision which includes Indian vampires and mythological heroes, to around 160 countries. Brazilian puppet artist Luiz Andre Cherubini says, “Our company is 33 years old and we work with different techniques. These events give us the opportunity to travel since such performances are essential for cultural exchanges.” He believes that in today’s uncertain times, puppetry has the power to reawaken people. “Humans are too involved in practical and economical issues. Mankind is more than that for which puppetry will serve as a reminder,” he smiles.
Through the years puppetry has gained an ever-growing audience, challenging to create new forms and ideas. While most of the participating countries in the Festival have established puppetry lineages, it has few takers in some others. Take Turkey for example. “Puppetry is not very popular or widespread here and we’re trying to change that. Festivals like these motivate us to change the perception in Turkey.” Puppetry gives the puppeteer the power to create and decide your puppet’s movements while reaching out to viewers and impacting their lives. And Pudumjee is the ultimate master.