Театр кукол "Бродячая собачка" - Press about us



Press about us



Bautterfly is simbol of freedom

02.12.2019

In the Stray Dog Puppet Theater not so long ago, a very unusual performance `` Butterfly '' took place, timed to coincide with the centenary of Tonino Guerra & ndash; great screenwriter and playwright. The production, based on the memories of the maestro, tells the story of the strength of the human spirit in a harsh and cruel wartime. Young Guerra was a prisoner of a concentration camp, but he found the strength and courage to preserve human dignity. The pacifist spirit permeates both Tonino's text and the performance, invented and staged by Alfia Abdulina. Everything in it, from precisely selected music to detailed mise-en-scenes, speaks of the fragility and value of a peaceful life. Viewers are not offered specific statements in the spirit of anti-war posters & ndash; the main idea is expressed by gestures, plasticity, shadows.

At the beginning of the story, nothing portends trouble: the townspeople are watching the circus performance with interest, the warm air of the Italian province is filled with joy and happiness. But suddenly the clouds are gathering (both literally and figuratively!) & Ndash; war enters the life of ordinary people with a heavy boot tread. The darkness metaphysical and at the same time quite real fills the stage space. Lighting becomes scarce & ndash; you, sitting in the hall, feel the proximity of an enemy invasion. There will be no bomb explosions or mass executions, but the fate of each hero now hangs in the balance & ndash; all of them are already prisoners of a concentration camp, where certain death awaits them. In the inhuman conditions of imprisonment, people try to forget themselves, at least mentally to gain freedom. Excellent exit & ndash; a game of imagination. The prisoners imagine a sumptuous homemade dinner, although in reality they are just camp dust. The extreme point of despair & ndash; a keen desire to eat a butterfly in a vain attempt to satisfy hunger. But for the main character (as you might guess, this is the prototype of Tonino himself) such an act is impossible. A butterfly was born for the beauty and delight of human eyes, it should flutter carelessly, and not be eaten. A person must remain a person, not sink to the moral bottom. It would seem a trifle, just a butterfly. Nevertheless, it acts here as a kind of moral marker. There is a clear line that must never be crossed under any circumstances. However, the war is not eternal: one way or another, but one day the light still conquers the darkness. Slowly but surely, life turns into a peaceful course. Houses are being rebuilt, people are no longer afraid to go out, a funny circus performance is again taking place on the central square. And butterflies fly freely: now no one wants to eat them. Small gentle light creatures in the skillful hands of the actors seem to be really alive: they flutter easily, their weightless wings flutter touchingly.

In the performance by Alfia Abdulina, several factors have successfully come together: brilliant literary material, surprisingly organic acting (the production involves Konstantin Kojeve, Christina Bekanova, Sergei Glazetskiy, Ella Tsvetkova), artistic techniques, skillfully made dolls. In the right moments, a truly depressing mood is created, which is felt almost tangibly. No pompous difficulties: the play of light and shadows, musical accompaniment, heavy silence are enough to feel pain, fear, and hunger with all our gut. There is no place for falsehood or inappropriate pathos. The most important thoughts are formulated as simply as possible: war & ndash; this is a tragedy, a disaster, no need for war.

The play `` Butterfly '', undoubtedly, should be seen by both adults and children. View and then discuss. Perhaps cry and draw important conclusions for yourself. And, perhaps, the most important argument in favor of this production is & ndash; the presence at the performance of the widow of the great Tonino Laura Guerra and her warmest complementary words addressed to all the creators of Butterfly.

Text: Marina Konstantinova
Photos from the archive of the theater



About evil and good in the word of animals

08/12/2019

To make a good, bright, relevant performance for children & ndash; it's not that easy. Especially when it comes to such a specific type of theater as puppet theater. For many uninitiated people, everything that happens there is & ndash; boredom and mothballs. However, a talented director and well-played actors can showcase the wonders of the performing arts and captivate children and adults alike. Fortunately, St. Petersburg is rich in places where young spectators and their parents have every chance to fall in love with children's performances. One of them, of course, is the Stray Dog Puppet Theater. In the last theatrical season, another premiere appeared in his repertoire - & ndash; bright and colorful performance `` Cockroach '' directed by Pavel Ovsyannikov.

The plot is known to all of us practically from the cradle, therefore, it makes sense to focus on the form of presentation of literary material. It is truly original to make from the first part of the tale the most that neither is a circus performance, in which various genres converged from clownery to balancing act & ndash; a very successful director's find. Each new line & ndash; separate full-fledged room. Here's Lions in the Car, and now, in front of the most respectable audience, a Toad on a Broomstick. All the tricks were performed with a bang, each time stormy and prolonged applause sounds. The brilliant and witty entertainer, which successfully sets off the dizzying circus stories, is also worthy of special mention. As you understand, there are dolls in front of you in the arena, but the skill of the actors will make you immediately forget about it. Of course, many things here are deliberately simplified for young viewers, but older audiences do not get bored & ndash; rather, for the duration of the performance, she will be transported into her own childhood. The dolls themselves are remarkably good, treat them & ndash; pure pleasure. The scenography has also been worked out at a qualitative level: you have no doubt that you have come to the circus, you are instantly transported to this mysterious world of gymnasts, strongmen, tiger tamers and acrobats with clowns.

Everyone knows what will happen next. A sudden evil in the face of a cockroach, which in real time becomes a tyrant Cockroach and makes innocent animals truly cruel (I just want to say `` inhuman '', but it happens in the animal world!) Requirements:

Bring me, animals,

Your kids,

I'll eat them today for dinner!

The atmosphere on the stage is really getting tense, cockroach lawlessness can scare kids, and make adults think about serious topics. Experts have been breaking spears for decades: is there a political subtext in this harmless children's fairy tale with clear allusions to specific historical figures, or is it just speculation? In any case, children will learn about the confrontation between good and evil, about cowardice and courage in such an accessible way for them to understand that it will only benefit them. And a well-deserved happy ending will bring them positive emotions, and no one will leave upset. Such performances are good for their versatility, which unites children and adults. And most importantly, the Cockroach in Stray Dog turned out to be relevant and not boring at all.

Text: Marina Konstantinova

Material prepared by the author's project `` Where is the culture ''



How become a man?

15.10.2018

A good children's play & ndash; it is always a fascinating sight not only for young spectators, but also for their parents. No one is bored, and after what they see, emotions are really off the charts. On October 6, in the cozy premises of the Stray Dog Puppet Theater, one could watch the play The Amazing Journey of Niels with Wild Geese. and think about important things.

The story begins suddenly, without long preambles. Nils is already familiar with geese, but still refuses to believe that he is no longer an ordinary boy, but an enchanted baby. And why should he be punished so cruelly? But wild birds, without a shadow of a smile, make it clear: the transformation of Niels is natural and deserved. After all, he is lazy, careless, and most importantly & ndash; cruel to animals. And the house goose Martin is ready to confirm this. What is Niels to do? You cannot stay in your native village & ndash; will laugh and offend. Suddenly, Niels decides to take a brave step and asks the leader of the goose flock Akki Knebekaise for permission to go along with the birds. And then a series of fascinating stories appears before the audience. Niels rescues the squirrel Tirle who has got into trouble, he almost dies from the invasion of malicious ants, frees the old castle from hordes of rats, exposes the traitor & ndash; fox Smirre & ndash; at the general festival of animals and birds. Well, the track record of good deeds turns out to be quite impressive, and suddenly Niels finds himself the old boy of normal height. Only inside he has changed beyond recognition, becoming a real person. It turns out that such a title is still worth earning. Now Niels understood this, and with him the realization of such an important thought reaches the young viewers.
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The production by Ekaterina Lozhkina leaves an extremely positive impression and a pleasant aftertaste. Competent scenography, precisely selected props, skillfully made dolls that reflect the characters of the characters, wonderful musical accompaniment. The scene of the battle of Niels with the rats is impressive: a real fur carpet of gray predators cannot leave the audience indifferent. The kids are genuinely scared. The excellent performance of the actors Anastasia Sorokina, Kristina Bekanova, Yegor Titov and Sergei Glazetsky deserves special mention. They are surprisingly organic in their roles. The play has a place for both serious themes and subtle irony. For example, the forest magpie gossip spreads the news of the rescue of a squirrel with the intonation of news headlines. But still, the main message of the play touches on serious topics. What does it mean to be human? The question is not an easy one, even for adults. And the children may have never even thought about it. Niels's Amazing Journey with Wild Geese will lead young viewers to think about good and evil, courage and cowardice, true friendship and base betrayal. Sooner or later you have to think about this. In addition, the theme of the relationship between man and nature is also revealed in the play. Who are we in this world? How should we deal with our little ones? All of these pressing issues are extremely important. And it's great that children can think about them after such a wonderful performance. After all, one should not live by entertainment alone.

Text: Marina Konstantinova

Where is the culture, 15.10.2018.



Cat hospitality

08.16.2018

Cat's House. Puppet operetta based on the tale of Samuil Marshak. Stray Dog Puppet Theater (St. Petersburg)

Director Nikita Shmitko, artist Zakhar Davydov

'Cat's House' in Stray Dog & mdash; This is not the case when the creators of a play make do with a minimum of funds and create a play that is called `` out of the blue '', using only the actor's charm or a well-known story. Generously, but always appropriate, the play uses both original props, beautiful scenery, detailed and expressive costumes and, of course, the central component & mdash; the main character & mdash; a cat who did not find the compassion in herself to let her orphaned nephews-kittens into the house.

The wayward fluffy hostess of a selectively hospitable house performed by Ella Tsvekova & mdash; a character that changes in the course of the action. & nbsp; The cat has to overcome a lot of prejudices & mdash; and help in the same viewers & mdash; & nbsp; simultaneously performing arias. And in this we must pay tribute to the creative abilities of the actress. The lesson of responsiveness and kindness is presented in the most striking operetta form & mdash; with a choir of cats, inserted dance and musical numbers and a conductor. And if the poetic lines are known even to the tiniest viewers, then it will definitely surprise how they sound & mdash; composer Daria Novolyantseva has created children's, easy to understand, but not at all simple music.

A children's play created in puppet form while & mdash; a serious piece of musical theater. It is music for the most part, as the foundation on which the production is built, that allows you to successfully avoid clichés attached to the fairy tale and do something new. At the same time, taking into account the fact that three-year-old viewers still need to be surprised by beauty, like a luxurious cat's mansion with curtains, embroidered with braid and fringe of a dress, and funny scenes, like a fairy tale shown in the shadows, composed by the guests of the house. And it worked.

You will not see that, fortunately and much more interesting, the frame-by-frame transfer to the stage of Leonid Amalrik's classic Soyuzmultfilm masterpiece. 'Stray dog' offers his vision of a familiar story. This funny and instructive performance will attract the attention of adults as well with its ingenuity. In addition to the `` theater within theater '' reception, these are elements of shadow theater, and well-thought-out supporting characters & mdash; goat, goat, chicken, rooster, pig & mdash; everyone has their own character and motivation.

As usual, the necessary eternal truths are hidden under the bright shell & mdash; about the importance of mutual help, compassion and the ability to forgive, conveyed to the public in a beautiful and convincing manner.
Author: Nelly Kogut
Petersburg Theater, August, 2018.