The State Puppet Theater’s production of Eternal Legends’, based on the works by the President of Turkmenistan, was premiered during the Third International Theater Festival and received positive reviews and praise from fellow actors from different countries for its excellent dramatic composition and scenic design innovations. And how did children like their beloved theater’s new stage work?
To answer the question we went to watch the puppet play together with little ones. When the third bell rang and the lights went off, a legend came to life on stage and captured the young audience’s attention immediately. Clouds scudding gently across the sky transformed into cradles with babies...
The first legend from President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov’s book Worshiping the Mother Worshipping a Sacred Person’ goes that once babies were born in heaven. When they came down from heaven they met an angel called Mother. Full of visual and lighting effects, the dynamic fairy story unfolding on stage radiated an aura of love and kindness.
The other two legends were adapted from the books entitled Turkmenistan the Heart of the Silk Road’ and The Turkmen Alabay’. Captivated by the play, the boys and girls did not feel like saying goodbye to the charming and wise fairytale characters, wondrous transformations and time-travel magic.
- The idea of using ultraviolet light to create stunning stage effects had come to the Theater’s general manager Nurberdy Khojaev, - stage director Ilyas Durdyev reveals the secret. The world is changing, and changing fast. Today, children are not as fascinated by puppets showing above the screen as before. We should develop new forms of puppetry.
The puppeteers had to change their ways and approaches to keep up with the times.With the use of a very low one-meter screen in the show they literally crawl on their knees.
This requires precise, well-honed movements and excellent coordination to make the moon turn into the cradle, and the cradle into the boat as well as to make ropes imitate waves, mountains, etc.
The story in the play is told through poetry and wonderfully expressive music. This accents its original destan style and its depth of emotions.
We have plans to stage richly visual productions in the future, having been inspired by the St. Petersburg International Shadow Theater’s show The Suite for a Sparrow with a Violin’, the stage director Ilyas Durdyev said concluding the conversion.