Coordinator:
Mini teater, Križevniška 1, SI-1000 Ljubljana
Co-organisers of the project:
UO Novo Kazalište, Zagreb, Croatia
Figurentheater Vlinders & C°, Belgium
Teatro Neline, Budmerice, Slovakia
Estonian state Puppet theatre, Talin, Estonia
Maladype Szinhaz, Budapest, Hungary
Pozorište lutaka, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Otvoreni univerzitet, Serbia
The main goal of the project is the cooperation of best masters of puppetry from Estonia, Croatia, Belgium, Slovakia and Slovenia with young artists from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary. We strive for young artists from partner countries to contribute new experiences to the field of Puppetry and therefore to create with them new performances with new technologies such as virtual puppetry, 3D technique … We want this project to include the best artists from all 8 of the cooperative countries for achieving great results and implement new technologies in the field of puppetry by the exchange of international experiences.
We will also implement a few activities in the project with which we will in 2012 point out the European year of active aging and intergenerational solidarity.
The results of the project will bring greater mobility of artists and their results of work such as workshops, classes, exhibitions …
Project will be carried out from 1st May 2012 till 30th April 2014.
In March 2012 we have had a premiere night of a new performance for adults, students and pupils Tristan and Isolde. The performance that was created in terms of the PNA 2 project will in fall 2012 in terms of PNA 3 guest appear in Maladype teater in Hungary. We also consider it a great privilege and honor for the performance (as a coproduction of Mini teater and Maladype teater from Budapest) to be chosen amongst 12 performances of this year’s competitive program of the 47th Festival Borštnik’s meeting in Maribor. The performance will be staged on 20th October 2012.
Several times awarded performance Snow white by Grimm brothers that was created in terms of the PNA 1 project has in May 2012 in terms of the PNA 3 project convinced the professional jury of one of the most renowned festival in Europe and in the world and the leading international festival of children’s theaters in Balkan region. At the 19th International festival of Children’s theaters in Serbia the performance received the Grand Prix of the festival for best staging in whole and for the first time in the 19 year old history of this festival this award was given to a Slovenian performance. The director of the performance Marek Bečka also received the award for best directing at this festival for original and humorous adaptation of Mini teater’s Snow white.
Mini teater has also, on one of the most renowned festivals in Europe and in the world, which received for its enormous contribution to children’s theater and culture the Vuk award in 2005, in overbooked auditorium out of competition presented itself with the guest puppeteer master with the first virtual Puppet Show in the world – Thumbelina. The actor and director of the performance and the CEO of Mini teater Robert Waltl also carried out in terms of »Puppet Nomad Academy 3« project under the management of Mini teater a creative and interesting lecture on the subject Virtual Puppetry - future or fancy workshop. Several years of experience in the field of interaction between computer animation in many times awarded puppet or theatrical performance Thumbelina Waltl compared to his rich, several decades long experience in classic puppetry. The happening in the virtual computer environment, when fairytale characters on screen come alive with the help of an animator represents an important creative environment that thrills youngest viewers for the performance can be actively created by themselves. The communication between the screen and the youngest excites the parents as well as the profession.
Soon after the premiere night of Tristan and Isolde we have begun with the preparations to the last premiere of the season, the co-production of Mini teater, City Theater Ptuj, Novo kazalište Zagreb and Maribor 2012 – European Capitol of Culture. The performance In the solitude of the cotton fields directed by Ivica Buljan and starring Robert Waltl and Marko Mandić, that was developed in terms of two international projects (Puppet Nomad Academy III and Nomads of Beauty) premiered 21st June 2012 in a huge abandoned hall of aluminum factory Talum Kidričevo. The masterpiece of the 80’s, stylishly complete work of art from the end of the last millennium, the dialogue between the Dealer and Buyer in an extremely precise yet sophisticated way writes the history of our time. The history built upon trade, libidinal economy. When we do not know what the cause for the deal is, what is being traded with, we are not deprived of beauty, passion, sorrow and happiness at retrieval of the wanted thing or person. One of the peeks of cult dramatic Bernard-Marie Koltès who has fundamentally marked French and World’s theater of the last decades of the 20th century was later on in Kidričevo staged 4 more times (22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th June) will be staged on 5th and 6th August at the International festival of modern theater “Zadar snova” in Croatia. In October 2012 premiere night follows in Mini teater in Ljubljana.
On Wednesday 27th June 2012 at 6pm in National museum of Slovenia we have officially opened the 14th MINI SUMMER festival and the exhibition of Polish puppetry with the performance of an amazing puppet show by great Czech director Marek Bečka – The wishing table starring Aljaž Jovanović and Jose. The evening was pleasant and joyful. International Mini summer festival by Mini teater will once again take care of unforgettable summer months’ puppet performances, many guest appearances and free creative workshops for children all to the 2nd September 2012. The MINI SUMMER Festival organized by MINI TEATER, is an international summer festival of puppets and theatre. It has been taking place in Ljubljana Castle or in other locations in Ljubljana every summer Sunday since 1999. Its aim is to animate the streets, squares, atriums and the castle with high-quality puppet performances and workshops for children. Due to great response, it has gradually turned into one of the greatest festivals for children in Slovenia. Different performances for children from different international theatres or groups are presented each year. Occasionally, some exceptional puppet performances for adults are presented (like The Vampire – performed by Stuffed Puppet Theatre from The Netherlands in 2007). Beside performances, the Festival includes also various creative workshops for children (visual arts, multimedia, puppetry and chivalry skills), the Pageants School for young pages and dames, and an exhibition of puppets.
The festival has gained a great international reputation, good critics of the professional public, and an extraordinary high number of spectators of all ages. Different languages, different puppet techniques and different approaches to puppetry art have placed the international festival Mini Summer among events contributing to a richer and more precious cultural image of Ljubljana and Slovenia.
Every Sunday at 5pm in terms of the MINI SUMMER in cooperation with Mini teater and KUD Sredina for children and their parents we are organizing free creative workshops. In Ljubljana excellent puppet performances for children are coming to guest appear. Besides Mini teater’s The wishing table, The Donkey of Nazareth, Dragon and Princess, Mishmash bakery and Snow white there will also be on display puppet performances from abroad: Little Red Riding HoodTheater of some Edi from Czech Republic, Josa and the magic fiddle from Waidspeicher theater from Germany, Dirty wing by Puppet Company David Zuazola from Chile, Hands and Gloves by Puppet and youth theater from Estonia, Gabi and the flying grandfather by Theater of Puppets Ciroka from Kečkemeta in Madžarskem and When Šlemil went to Warsaw by LG Maribor from Slovenia.
At the same time with the grand opening of the Mini summer festival on 27th June 2012 in cooperation with the National Museum of Slovenia and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland Mini teater opened the guest appearing exhibition of Polish Puppetry of the Archeological and ethnographic museum from Lodž. The exhibition Polish Puppetry that will enable us to recognize the work of extraordinary creators that have designed the image of puppet theater in Poland in the last 50 years and enable the view into the most important artistic accomplishments of the Polish puppet theater will be on display from June 27 to July 27 2012 in the National museum of Slovenia in Ljubljana.
On Sunday, July 8 2012 Mini teater presented itself with the performance The Donkey of Nazareth at the renowned international puppet festival Synergura in Erfurt, Germany. Synergura, the renowned festival with a long tradition that will in 2012 took place between 4th and 8th July and hosted numerous puppet theaters from all Europe and Israel that presented their best and most original puppet performances. The performance Donkey of Nazareth that has since premiere in 1996 guest appeared in France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Denmark and Croatia has with extraordinary art creativity of Agatha Freyer based upon the fresco of Vincent of Kastav, marots (hand puppets on a stick) that originate from the madman’s mace and the primal professional puppet interpretation of the biblical motives after war (from which the European puppet tradition derives) undoubtedly reached and overcame the high set criteria of the festival.
As a part of the PNA 3 project we have been in Mini teater for several months intensively preparing to the fall’s premiere staging of one of the most known Slovenian fairytales – Sleepy Star. Virtual puppet performance Sleepy Star is a combination of computer animation with puppet or theatrical performance that is settled in a virtual computer environment, extremely difficult phase of pre-preparations demands not only great effort but also financial funds for buying the necessary technologies and preparations of the animations. It is a multimedia performance in which a special role is played by the sound that will be lively played by Miha Ciglar end company, in the performance itself there will be several renowned Slovenian actors involved: As Sleepy Star Pia Zemljič, Jose, Tadej Pišek, Igor Štamulak and Robert Waltl.
We are also preparing ourselves to the novelties of the post drama performances in the season 2012/2012 that will premiere in fall 2012. Ironical requiem for the actor and the theatrical installation Chair(s), performance by Eugene Ionesco in the name of who the restructuration of Slovenian post war drama was fought will be created with the direction of Nick Upper and the dramaturgy of this year’s winner of the Prešeren’s fund and artistic leader in Mini teater – Ivica Buljan.
Financially supported by the European Comission, programme Culture (2007-2013). This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Mini teater is engaged in several European projects, financially supported by the European Comission, programme Culture (2007-2013)
