ARTS / THEATER
French ice puppet show shines at Daliangshan International Theater Festival
By in Xichang Published: Nov 23, 2019 11:41 PM
Photo: Li Hao/GT
"Anywhere", a French puppet show witnessed a houseful audience on its debut at the ongoing international theater festival in Xichang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Saturday.
The award-winning "Anywhere" chronicles the excursion of life through the trails of Oedipus on the Road, a visual poem authored by Henry Bauchau, which made the spectators experience the different states of the element water portrayed through a puppet made of ice (solid-state) that slowly transforms into water (liquid), and finally evaporates as a steam.
Photo: Li Hao/GT
Photo: Li Hao/GT
With only a few lines of narration in French, the audience deeply immersed themselves in the story that even a soft cough by anyone was seen as a rude interruption to the drama.
"It is not the first drama where we attempted to use the puppet made of ice," director Elise Vigneron told the Global Times on Saturday. "When I read the poem, I hoped to express the process of life from birth to death, every moment of it. Then, I pondered on what kind of material I can use?"
"The ice," said she, "Can transform from solid to liquid and then to the steam. Besides, it perfectly matches the life and destiny of Oedipus."
Photo: Li Hao/GT
However, for the puppet maker, Helene Barr, it was not an easy job as the task also meant she would witness the puppet's inception, and then its gradual melting, in a single day.
"For the initial performances, I felt sorry for it just as many in the audience did. But gradually I noticed that it is the melting down and then disappearing that makes it meaningful for each audience member to remember the Oedipus story and his destiny."
Besides, the festival will also host shows, including the Romanian drama "Dream Before Breakfast" and French circus "Haute Heure," among others.
