Shadow Workshop: Even in Darkness There Are Colours
Twelfth hour approaching, the cellar room no 013 resounds with the voices of the arriving shadow theatre workshop participants led by Pavla Dobrovská and Luděk Vémola of the Líšeň Theatre. They are all coming to create, and to play.
A small group of participants are sitting down to the prepared chairs. The participants greet each other, all a little nervous, not knowing what is going to happen. First of all, Pavla and Luděk take the floor to shortly introduce the Líšeň Theatre. And who are the workshop participants? They introduce themselves one by one, telling who studies what, whether they are from the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts or from another school of those visiting the ENCOUNTER festival. And why did they decide to take part in the workshop? The answer is easy, they are all interested in theatre and want to learn about and try an untraditional form of theatre performance – a combination of puppet and shadow shows.
Before the creation itself starts, it is necessary to explain the different principles which shadow theatre is based on. Luděk and Pavla have a notebook ready with video samples of their staging of Sávitrí and Bound by Grass. While Pavla explains the principles in Czech, her partner attempts at simultaneous translation into English for the foreign workshop participants to be able to follow everything.
Puppets, large and small, flat and three-dimensional, lights, candles, torches, paper or canvas? How far or how close to approach, when is the shadow sharp and when blurred? And what are the puppets made of? Nearly anything, colour sequins can well be replaced with splinters of colour PET bottles, and a skewer can serve as the guiding tool for the puppet.
After the theoretical introduction, the time comes for the creation itself. Everybody takes a piece of paper, the participants spread around the space to design their own puppets. The lecturers walk around and discuss the ways the puppets can be put in motion, how to fix them to the guiding rods and how to make them move.
While some are making their puppets, others play with the light and project various textures and colours on the canvas. The atmosphere of the encounter is pleasant and creative. Puppets made by the individual participants meet on the canvas which is white or slowly changing colour. The group parts after nearly two hours. Some clutch their puppets in their hands, others discuss further programme of the festival, but all leave with a smile on their lips
