text: Ivana Brlić Mažuranić
directing and dramaturgy: Ivica Buljan and Robert Waltl
art design and music: Iva Matija Bitanga
songs after folks motives: Robert Waltl
puppets made by: Zdenko Majaron and Iva Matija Bitanga
Actor: Robert Waltl
Puppet performance for children from 4 years up.
Duration: 40 minutes
Opening performance: November 1999
Festivals and tours: Croatia, Italy, Austria, Belarus, Iran, Poland, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia
Awards: to Robert Waltl: Župančič Award of the City Ljubljana ; award as the best actor in the International Festival of Professional Theatre for Children in Banja Luka, BiH; award as the best actor in the International Festival of Professional Theatre for Children in Subotica, Serbia; award of the audience as the best performance at the Festival Belaya veža in Brest, Belarus, award for the best animation in the international puppet festival PIF in Zagreb, Croatia; award of the Children Jury in the festival Lutkovni pristan, Maribor, Slovenia; award of the Children Jury in Eurofest in Slupsk, Poland; award Žar ptica as the best actor in the Naj, naj festival in Zagreb, Croatia.
This performance has been our hit since 1999. It was played almost 300 times for over 50,000 spectators altogether. The apprentice Hlapich is a small and goodhearted boy who is as cheerful as a bird on a wire, as brave as a knight, and as wise as a judge. He is an orphan so, he has to earn his living by working as a cobbler's apprentice. His master Mrkonja treats him very badly. One night, he decides to run away into the big wide world. All he has to take along are: wisdom, goodness and courage. Traveling around he meets many interesting people. He helps everybody and, of course, his wandering around the world ends up in a happy ending.
