Ishara puppet fest returns with playful but thought-provoking performances

With a mix of traditional and modern, this edition of Ishara also showcases the evolution of puppetry

A covered circus tent shrouded in darkness is seen at the centre of the stage. Giving it company is a lone puppet, an old circus master. As the circus master starts narrating the story of his past, the stage transforms and the sombre setting changes to a vibrant one. The audience is then taken on a whirlwind journey through India and China in the company of clowns, ballerinas, musicians and the fire capoeira dancers.

Performed by the Brazilian group Circo Teatro Boneco and titled Dust Circus, this puppet show is a 50-minute mélange of music, colour, acrobatics and storytelling. Dust Circus is being performed as part of the 16th edition of the Ishara International Puppet Festival, which will see eight performances from seven countries (two from India).

A Brazilian artiste

While South Asia’s dying art of shadow puppetry was the focus of the festival the previous two years, this time round rod and string puppets hold the stage.

So, there is Paper Monkey Theatre’s Home O Sweet Home, which combines rod and hand puppetry with theatrical elements and martial arts. The performance, which marks the Singapore’s debut at Ishara, recreates a traditional Chinese folk tale about a boy named Chen Xiang who is born out of a forbidden relationship between a goddess, San Sheng Mu, and a mortal, Liu Yan Chang. The tale sees the boy braving all odds to fulfil his wish of a family reunion.

From Chiang Mai in Thailand comes Jona Puppets Theatre’s The Miracle of the Thai Puppet, which will be performed to live music.

With a mix of traditional and modern forms, this edition of Ishara also showcases the evolution of puppetry. Besides the rod puppets, which are reminiscent of the royal court style of Thailand and are now being used in contemporary storytelling, are the simple marionettes from Italy that will lend a poetic touch to the performance. “In the Thai group’s performance, the strings go inside the body of the puppet. It is an unusual style, a version of which can be seen in Bengal and is called daanger purulent,” says Dadi D Pudumjee, founder, The Ishara Puppet Theatre Trust. “The group has revived the royal court style of puppets earlier seen only in museums.”

 

A show by Tunisian artistes

Apart from Singapore, Tunisia, Thailand and Argentina will make an appearance for the first time at the festival. An interesting performance comes from Chilean and Argentinian artists in the form of A Button in My Head. This is the story of Clott whose head is broken at birth and is held together by a red button. Feeling different from the rest, he finds solace only in his grandfather’s company. As Clott strives for normalcy in his life without the button, the audience gets to explore ideas of “different” and “normal”.

Then there is Where Has my Nani Gone, a profound tale of love, loss and finally acceptance as a little girl questions her mother about her missing grandmother. Directed by Pudumjee, the show is based on Chatura Rao’s award-winning book, Gone Grandmother.

It is such complex ideas and feelings that Ishara is trying to address through its shows, albeit with humour and a touch of playfulness.