Day 5 & 6

Phew. Getting busy, and tired today (hmm must have been that late, fun night...)
A summary: Day 5- Professional Development lecture 'To tour or not to tour in France and Europe'. 5 speakers, audience debate/argument, took notes. In essence, it comes down to the challenge of expense versus the creative gains. Same as in Oz. Israel company director said everyone wants to tour to France because there is such an open spirit. Nice.
Shows: 'Retro' cabaret and Shadows from Italy (a bit like my Two Frocks show), and 'Puppets looking for Manipulators' also from Italy, with some lovely double person rod manipulations and dancing. Late show at the Institute of Marionettes set inside the building's windows with large muppet-like puppets- fabulous! And the audience was led there through the streets by a giant articulated hand (see obvious pic).

Day 6- Lunch at Spare Parts Puppet Theatre's Karen Hethey's billet on the terrace- very nice (see ivy house pic). Then cycled 20 mins across town to a Belgium production, in a theatre opposite the housing tower blocks- talk about a contrast! Fantastic show of rod puppets in a surreal dreamscape with a naked male puppet having a difficult time making sense of it all, being hounded by a yellow rubber duck. It was really good- sharp, absurd, very well manipulated, no text only sounds. Best thing: the framed stage contracted and expanded to create differently-sized views of the playboard.

Then I saw 3 more shows and a workshop, but I am honestly too tired to do them justice now. So will post again tomorrow, with more pics of course z z z z z z z z Z Z Z Z

Day 4

What a productive day after the lazy one yesterday. Out to supermarket and back to buy brekky supplies, then into town, but stopping to take photos whenever I felt inspired. Saw a marionette exhibition (not really my thing I admit), then bumped into Perth puppeteer Karen Hethey as I sat at the central fountain people-watching. She has just finished 6 shows of 'The Arrival', so now can relax and enjoy the Festival. Then 15mins later I saw the director Philip Mitchell of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, and he gave me the stats for The Arrival season: 6 shows, 450 seat capacity, all sold out except one. Pretty good hey? Triple encores, and foot stamping even! Karen was too humble to tell me that stuff.

Two shows today: 'Pierre au Bois de Terre' by German 'Helios Theatre'. 2 men, one a musician with a looping trumpet, the other with a huge square of solid earth. It was a delight to watch him flick it across the floor at the audience, then transform it into hills, then an armchair, a pregnant belly, a home and so on. Very charming, aimed at 1 year olds and up, and certainly had the front row of toddlers completely engaged.

Second show was very interesting/challenging: from Quebec, 'Marcelle Hudon'. She started well, with a camera operator offering live feed and interesting angles on a very small rod puppet reading the paper, then being shot. But soon it launched into a series of layered projected images with shadow puppetry and live interactions- lovely tricky stuff, but somehow very confusing. A couple determinedly walked out, clip-clopping down the bank of seats. Others followed slowly. The man behind me began to ask loud questions to those around him as to what was going on. And to tap his foot sharply on my chair leg. Hmmmmm.

Afterwards a few of us tried to dissect the content as we wandered away. A post-modern comment on transexuality? A nightmare? An expression of an experienced state of madness? A woman channelling spiritual messages we are not yet ready to understand? Yes, all this and more! With a free set of steak knives if you order before midnight.

Random photos of architecture and puppetry creativity, starting with my favourite black and white Festival show poster ; just trying to pass on the vibe :o)

Not

My healthy, well-balanced French breakfast. Not.
My charming, quaint, uniquely French hotel. Not.

Day 3

I haven't seen a show here yet at the Municipal Theatre, but it's a stunning venue from the outside. People are continually stopping to stare at the large photo banner, of a figure standing in the middle of the main road to Charleville at night. It is disturbing somehow; I will try to get a better shot.

So Day 3- took it a little easy- I knew the place would be full of weekend tourists, so I only went to town for two evening shows: the 1st 'Fantomas probablement' by 'Tete dans le Sac- Marionettes' from Switzerland (there are 23 group members but only 2 onstage tonight). Cleverly designed and constructed ramshackle set with a variety of small windows/stages in and under it- they changed orientation 5 times, revealing an underground nightclub, and then a large skinny puppet which towered above the stage. It was my favourite so far: well-lit, small audience (approx 150), very clever and varied ugly/caricatured rod puppets, some of which sang and danced. But lots of French text which lost me, and a bit long.

Then a long bike ride to the next venue (some are 30 minutes walk apart), and did I mention the audiences start queueing 45mins before the show opens?? Not like us Aussies! This was 'La Boite', a Taiwan/French co-production between Taiyuan Puppet Theatre and Les Zonzons, performed in/on/and around a 4 metre-high box that could rotate 360 degrees. It combined lots of glove puppet action with projections, some shadows, a traditional Taiwanese band, some French singing, and actors with radio mikes. Shame they forgot to add a sprinkle of something interesting... It was a classic crowd-pleaser spectacle, and got massive applause. Could have been that rowsing French drinking song they kept launching into hey?

I'd like to say I then went to a radical Cabaret Bar and saw renegade puppetry till 2am which took my breath away. But no, I took the sleep option. Told you Day 3 was a bit slack. Will do better tomorrow I promise.

Day 2

I love France! I was born here and lived here till I was 6, so everything makes sense to me here. A lovely gentleman at the next table insisted on taking my photo for me (rather than the end-of-the-arm shot I was trying). So the happy snap of me is after being very resourceful, and buying a 2nd-hand bike from a pawn shop. And they are going to buy it back at the end of my trip too. This came after chatting about the hopeless transport situation to the taxi driver taking me home, and now I'm thinking there is a business to be made hiring bikes to Festival goers everywhere in the world...

The first photo is from the School of Puppetry here, and is a famous moving clock which performs on the hour- it is a giant marionette manipulating little ones. Then we see 9 people crowded around a booth to peep at a minature theatre show, including candle lights on all the tables- the best bit was at the end when the puppeteer tilted a mirror to show us all to ourselves watching the tiny show. The Street theatre comes in all shapes and sizes: a busker using didgeridoo music to reenact caveman discovering fire; 3 weird men making women dance with them, then driving one off in their little car; and a man dancing with a wildly rotating full-size digger to operatic soundtrack.

As you can see from the photo of the main square, people are flocking in for the first weekend of the Festival. The narrow cobbled streets are packed, which could be romantic, but is just annoying. Especially when you have a new red shiny 5-gear mountain bike you want to try out.

Saw two theatre shows: 'Kefar Nahum' by Moussoux Bonte from Belgium- butoh inspired object manipulation and transformation in a light corridor, with live musician punctuating the action. No text, just images; small scenes changing and being thrown off the table to make room for the next one. Loved it's weirdness, and reminded me of the importance of EVERY single movement of fingers and hands.

Then a double-bill of two young companies: from Belgium 'Compagnie Alea', and Israel's 'Yael Rasooly'. Lots of French text, and character work interacting with glove puppets and a cello case. There seemed to be a layer of depth missing for the audience to sink their teeth into, and the fidgeting during the second half seemed to reflect this. Or it could have been the hard seats. Anyway, how lucky am I to be in France seeing shows from around the world!? Then I jumped on my bike and cycled the 15mins home, a happy, tired Festival goer.

and

here's another photo of street theatre guys 'L'Excuse' from France- very clever costumes, with fully animated faces

Settling in

So it has been a big first day. Bus timetable- tick. Bus pass- tick. Getting lost on the bus ride home- tick. Feeling fairly panicked- tick. Walking blindly in the direction the bus driver assured me was to my hotel- tick. Having a little rest and gathering my resources- tick. Back out and down to the Festival, meeting 3 Japanese women who speak no French at the bustop, who are staying at my hotel too. Plus a Norweigan who is seeing as many shows as me. There is talk between us of sharing taxis home, as the last bus finishes at 8pm, how ridiculous. Now to the photos (in no particular order): the founder of Charleville in 1600s; a street to the main square with all the world's flags; the main square Place Ducale, around which a lot of the shows happen, plus street theatre everywhere; a 1900 Merry-go-round which is stunning in motion(but he said I was too big for it); and the Tourism Office getting right into the swing of the Marionette atmosphere.

Most cafes and restaurants are offering special 'Festival Menus', and there are stalls selling food and tacky string marionettes around the edge of the Square. I bumped into the Director of the Chuncheon Puppetry Festival (who recognised me first) from touring there with Krinkl in 2006, and a couple of other performers from that time too- it helped me not feel so anonymous. This is one of the first times in years that I have attended a Festival as a 'normal' punter, not priviliged performer. I really missed the support network: being met at the arrival point, the Festival goodie bag, and of course the all-important status-giving identification card around the neck! Sigh. I will just have to deal with it I know. It's just my huge ego.

A further blow to my self-esteem came in the scrabble for show tickets. I could not argue in French when a pushy woman went ahead of me in the long, confusing queue! I should have just let her have it in my best Aussie (well, OK, I did under my breath). I'm glad I'd invested those 6 hours back in Oz reading the Program and ordering my tickets weeks ago- many shows were sold out before the Festival even opened. It took me nearly an hour just to buy 2 more tickets (more suffering of my ego as I accept I have to pay, not just waltz in flashing my Artist's Pass).

And finally, after all this waffle (actually, I must admit to a Crepe with Nutella from a stall which was tres bon), I saw my first show. Doctor Frankenstein, by Theater Taptoe. It was a Flemish/Spanish production, with puppet, shadows, projections, slides, lots of plastic sheets, and rainwater, with French text. It was clever, and well-produced, but a bit confusing and kept me at arm's length somehow. My fellow taxi-riders home from Japan, and a Czech student from Japan also felt the same. But the best bit was standing outside at the end, and hearing my name called from behind: Jenny Pfeiffer! Classic! The Australian UNIMA and puppetry community arm is long and familiar :o)