Just as promised, this Sunday it was the turn of Merlin Puppet Theatre to be the special guest at Conferences for a Better World organized by Itínera Theater. In the second half of these encounters we are focusing on the performing or scenic arts, of which puppetry is an important aspect. Though Itínera is more about human performances, using puppets, or any other inanimate object for that matter, only enriches the creative experience. Though it was this long-running puppetry group that demonstrated what amazing heights puppets can reach.
A Small Company, but Very In-Depth
Merlin Puppet Theatre is essentially made up of two people: Dimitris Stamou and Demy Papada started out creating puppets in 1995 in Athens, Greece, initially for sale. The problem was, their creations didn't sell, so what else could they do with a bunch of puppets, but organize a show for them? This is how they discovered the world of puppetry. Soon, they had become an integral part of the tightly knit community of Greek puppeteers. In 2011 they moved to Berlin, and as their fame gradually grew, they ended up traveling more and more. Before soon they were performing shows all over the world, including in Colombia and Guatemala.
Inspired by the World Around Us
One thing they emphasized in their talk, was how important time and attention is for their performances. It takes them several years to complete a show, starting out with the story idea, the creation of the puppets, the scenography, the music, the lights, etc. to organizing events. But they don't want to rush things, letting things develop at their own pace. Even nowadays with Covid lockdowns and everything that entails, they seemingly don't mind their inadvertent time-out. On the contrary: it gives them time to create a new show, inspired by the pandemic measures. Can't wait to see it when it comes out!
Puppet Shows for Adults
For those of us with a bit of experience in the arts, it may not sound very shocking to hear that most of Merlin's puppet performances are NOT intended for children. Sure, just like Japanese manga! But apparently, this is not obvious for everyone! For Demy and Dimitris it was the Greek audiences that turned out to be less understanding about this. Berlin, on the other hand, was a whole different matter. Since their esthetics are a bit on the gloomy side, and their topics deal with the inevitability of death, and the often futility of life, I can see how that can be an issue. Though Merlin has got their priorities straight, so they keep on focusing on precisely those issue that probably need to be talked about more... maybe even by kids.
A Laid-Back Dialogue
All in all, Dimitris and Demy did not give a long, detailed talk. Instead, they suggested right from the start to have an engaging conversation with the audience. So after a brief introduction, they played a demo video offering a few impressions of their latest performances. Following that, the floor was open to anyone who had any questions about their work, but also about their lives, their history, experiences, etc. The result was an in-depth question-answer session in a cozy and familiar atmosphere. Here you can take a look at the entire conference.
As always, we kept typing Spanish subtitles, while the presenters were talking in English. and any questions of the participants we would translate verbally. By now we feel we have gotten quite good at this, so we really hope the talk could be enjoyed by our monolingual participants too. We still have two of these artistic encounters left, the final one coinciding with the launch of our crowdfunding campaign. There is a gigantic launch event planned, in form of an online variety festival. So stay tuned for more detailed updates!