Last christmas i gave you my heart!!

Last preparations for the last Kukulu tour this last month of the year! Tomorrow I'll be on my way to Vienna again, and I will be playing our show about Lulu and Joshua. Lulu is Joshua's dog. He found him one day under the Christmas tree (of course!).

I wish you all a beautiful Christmas and I hope you will find under the Christmas tree a dog too!!

:D JOKING!! Have good one, enjoy, eat and relax! See you next year with more lemons and puppets and hopefully some good stuff to read about.

little people making little puppets

We were making fingerpuppets yesterday. And the results were lovely. 

more about this and other workshops at www.zzmogh.be

Puppet of the week

Some say he looks like spaghetti. Some call him a hairball. (Well he is practically a hairball... ) Some don't trust him, some want to cuddle him endlessly... I am talking about Jos. A muppet who comes from the US and has definitely the most charming American look.

Jos is a heartbroken young man (I mean, human man) but one morning he wakes up and he realizes that he is a fluffy puppet. Nobody knows why. His best friend Najib is totally frightened but at some point they will find some way to work it out and together they'll seek for adventures. 

If everything goes well, the Belgian public might see a show about Jos and his friend soon on television. And this one isn't for small children. But until than, there has to be still a lot of work done. (like rolling on a floor or so...)  

And here's the handsome crew: Fabrice, Jakob, Jos, Aziz, Wesley and Jan. (Kris -the real human Jos is missing. And I was also supposed to be on a picture... have I mentioned that I was the puppet's hands?) Anyway, it was fun, especially being stuck under the table or elsewhere:) 

Good luck, Jos, hope you make the show run!

recommendations of the last month

Shortly before leaving to Vienna for the Kukulutour, we managed to go see one movie at the Film festival in Ghent. We picked The Selfish Giant a British film by Clio Barnard. (Of course we had no idea, who she is.) But not only that the director was personally there and she introduced us a bit into the topic before the film, we could also ask a few questions after the movie. But as everyone was deeply moved after watching, not so many questions were asked. And you know what? The movie won!! So it's not just my subjective recommendation ;) Find the trailer here.

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My recommendation number two is: Let yourself be portrayed by children. Look what happened in Vienna. This is me by three different kids, seeing me playing the show about Mia and her talking handkerchief at the very same time :) I just love the way my hairstyle changes... 

Recommendation number three: Go to puppet theatre! 

There has been done a new show by theater Froe Froe together with theater Tieret, both from Belgium. It's called Labyrint and it's a "VJ - acting - 3D - concert with all the masters of the puppetry". I am sooo curious :) They are going to be tripping around Belgium, so you better check out the play list HERE. 

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Some recommendations for this month? Have a good one and get your ice skates ready!! :D

All you need!

I know it's been months... But honestly the blogger wasn't really my best friend for a while and I was busy with many other amazing things (like festivals and drama and taking pictures of our cats and posting them on instagram... oh, and did I mention the flu?)

"Es ist so weit" and I am heading to Vienna, the heart of Europe, for a small tour again!! Well, not so small, 8 shows in one week, I think it's not so bad...

As I am already few days obsessed with packing and not forgetting anything for the trip, I decided to introduce you to the mystery of one traveling puppeteer. So here's just a fragment of all you need if you take your puppets (and yourself) abroad.

Absolutely the most important is a suitcase. Never leave your suitcase at home! It's the item which defines a puppeteer. Right? 

You never know, when you'll need it. It totally solves many kinds of situations. It makes people wonder, it confuses, it makes children laugh and scream. (It manipulates them a little bit too.) And of course it makes bubbles!

How to make the 13 hours of driving a bit more bearable? Yes, I've got some music. And a radio. But let's be honest here. The german radio stations aren't really a pleasure to listen (and I am going to drive around 700 km through Germany). But this time I am having a great evil plan!! I will listen to audio books!! 

Did you know it was snowing in Munich already? I chose Andersen's fairytale about the Snow Queen, here's the nostalgic slovak version. (Isn't it a bit disturbing, that I still don't have the winter tires?)

When I cross the boarder with Austria, and I will be able to tune FM4, I'll know I am close. And than they say: You're at home, baby. (It's their slogan. It's not like they would really tell me, that I am at home.) 

But will it still feel like home? Let's see. Grüß Gott!

The Skeleton Cabaret

If you were lucky and on time and if you were brave enough, you could enter the dark tent of the French Family Tuvora. In the intimate atmosphere just for one spectator, you could enjoy a real underground Can - Can far beyond the borders of the world of the living played by skeletons of mice, rats and other creatures... Pure morbid joy! :)

For more information, especially if yo speak french visit the website www.zoprod.com

good meat

It's not the first time I saw cute fluffy creatures cut in pieces. But in a puppet theatre I can handle it. (I secretly enjoy it :) Two butchers and one foxy narrator showed us how the things work in their "La Boucherie Renard" (by these guys). Bunnies getting electric chair, and chickens being catapulted in the air and a lot of steaming and burning machinery. Lovely show. And children were helping. Catching the flying parts of chickens or they acctually made the electric chair work. They also could pick the bunny which was finnaly skinned. Belgian kids are tough ;)

Later, like I wasn't lucky enough to see the butchers I managed to catch the end of the one man show - "Richard, le polichineur d'ecritoire" by Compagnie des chemnis de terre. Except that it was performed with real meat, the main character also used a meaty mask on his face. Magical! (and followed by loud reactions of the audience:) 

But I really need to learn some more french. It would help me to enjoy a little more. Otherwise it was all very formidable! :)

ONE YEAR!

So I totally missed the birthday of this blog!

Happy birthday Lemons and happy birthday Puppets! We were doing quite good. We've got people from many different countries checking out the blog regularly! Thank you all for that!! And we've also got our real own instagram profile! :) What an improvement! But most importantly we have the courage and motivation to go on and bring up some more from the strange world of arts, puppets, and any connected (or disconnected) inspirations!!

A year ago this blog begun with the biiiiiig event in Ghent, the Gentse Feesten Festival. And tomorrow it will all start again and the town will turn into a pulsing festival area. Many people left for holidays because of that, but many others are staying, or coming to town to celebrate in so many ways for ten days.

I'm the one staying. Naturally. And I am already putting together several programs and I am trying to figure out how to see enough shows/concerts and not miss anything important. (Which is really impossible in the amount of gigs!)

I picked three theatre shows which I'd like to recommend you, guys. For those in town, who can go see it during the next week, or for some who can keep it in mind and see these shows on another festivals. These shows tour Europe all year long ;)

1. My personal 'Numero Uno' is the Studio Orka and their Duikvlucht (cooperation with theater Antigone, Antwerpen). This show - Duikvlucht (google translates it as "nosedive") was last summer on the program of Zomer van Antwerpen (another Belgian festival). It was sold out for two months immediately. So I have my tickets already, no risking. Three other shows by Studio Orka, which I've seen before, were a splendid experience, so I guess this one will not be a disappointment. 

(The shows start tonight 19 - 22 july + 25 - 28 july at 15 and 19 o'clock but please find out more here.)

Check the trailer here. It also has English subtitles!

2. If you like new circus, in Belgium you are on the right place. The circus scene is blossoming over here. There will be a lot to see in the Baudelopark in Ghent, where the Jeugdcircus festival takes place (festival of young circus and the shows are for free). Via the Mira Miro festival you'll find circus on a many other locations too. I picked a show I had the pleasure to see once upon a time in Slovakia on the Cirkul'art festival - PakiPaya's show Shake Shake Shake.

Ladies, you don't wanna miss this handsome gentleman ;) 

27 july 15:30 and 19:30

28 july 17:30 and 21:00

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3. Let's not forget about the puppets! As many years before also this year the Puppetbuskers festival goes on. Still at their usual location in the beautiful Patershol on the Trommelstraat. It is probably for the last time that the festival will take it's place there, so you rather won't miss it. The program includes a lot of artists from Belgium, France, Great Britain, Spain and "young talents" from Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Russia etc... Most of the companies are new to me, but there will be the possibility to see the winner of last year "Young talent" category - Cie La Mandale and their Citizen P. I wrote about them here. 
You can see the show on 24 july in the shopping center Zuid 15:00, 26 july EFTC, Trommelstraat, 16:00.

Enjoy the shows, music, dance, party! Enjoy the beautiful weather! And all of you who can't be here, consider to visit Ghent next year around this time, it's surely worth it ;) 

See you around! ;)

Puppets in music

I've got three very favourite music videos with puppets.
This one: 

This heartbreaking one:

And there is one more but I couldn't find it anymore. I forgot the name of the band and of the song. (And googling "singing men with a sock puppet" didn't bring any good results.)

But while searching I found this one: (please click the link) :)

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Made by these very nice Slovak animators duo Ove Pictures from Slovakia. 


Have a good watch and enjoy the music too!! 

June summary

This June begun with a successful try - out of the show for little children Hendrik and Poes, produced by Theater Savooi. Remember Hendrik? I introduced him here. You can see this show Hendrik and Poes also in July during the Gentse Feesten festival in Ghent. Check out the program here.

(Poes = Cat, but I guess it's quite clear from the photo)

Lena and Leen a.k.a. Hendrik and Poes

For more adventure I introduced this month also my good old Spaghetti Western to the Belgian public. My object theatre miniature, where two ketchup cowboys are trying to shoot each other was part of the festival of a Pedagogical center in Wagenschot. The theme of the festival was Spaghetti, so I couldn't just not bring it on there, although I am not sure now, if the audience was ready for so much blood. Some kids got bloody too... ooops :)

And in the end, June is also the month of the flea market fever. The popular one - on Lange Violettestraat didn't disappoint. Again there has been incredible choice of stuff to try, buy, take or just look at. If you are following my instagram you know what I am talking about.

Congratulations to all children who are done with the school for some time, congratulations to all of you for whom june acctually brings summer :) Any summer plans? 

For me it means a lot of work on our new Kukulu show. I can't tell you much, but there will be a bicycle, I promise. 

Crossroad puppeteers

Everyone appears sometimes on a crossroad wondering about the next direction.

By crossing the road today we spotted these two - puppeteers?  Jugglers? ... They were waiting for the short moment of red light for the cars and than they performed their little art to the waiting drivers. Green for them, red for the cars and for the crocodile.

Our language barrier didn't give us much chance to talk. They were from Spain and they were cold. Cheering up the Belgian drivers for a small change. Probably on their next crossroad, they'll go south :)

The louse

Do you remember when I posted this one? Meanwhile I got to know the animator of the louse puppet Basluis and I finally went to see the show - "Erwin Blik en the Expedition Zero" by theatre group De Waancel. The Basluis didn't disappoint me, the story did confuse me a little bit though :) 

Here are some details from behind the scenes, specially for you.

Basluis after the show

Basluis' poo

Basluis and the baby

Master Jakob and his puppet

Garbage for Plums

I know it's been a long time. My new year resolution to make a post three times a week - total fail!

But I had a very nice experience this afternoon, which I'd like to share with you. And yes, it's about garbage and plums and puppets. 

What fascinates me most was the pure accident, that I found out about this puppet show just yesterday by searching for something completely different. But here we go, Bulgarians in Ghent, I couldn't miss it! :)

Bulgarian theatre PRAC (Pro Rodopi Art Centre) is right now on a tour in the Netherlands but they also had one show programmed in Belgium, here in Ghent.

Garbage for Plums is a story inspired by an old Bulgarian folktale. It's about a man, who travels on his donkey (turned magically into a special garbage disposal car) and he is looking for a wife, who would be very  pretty and also very handy and would love to clean the house. (ok, ok it's folklore...) :)

The audience had the pleasure to meet three funny candidates. A fat opera singer who exchanged her garbage for a plum jam, but the man didn't like her very much. Than the old lady, who got for her garbage a bottle of plum schnapps, but no, the man also didn't like her so much. Than came the third girl, young, blond, wearing traditional white dress and she loved to clean up! She didn't have any garbage to dispose, so she got only a one single plum. But she won the heart of the man and got also one shiny diamond ring and the promise of never ending love.

Joyful story, full of energetic traditional music, which made almost all of us join the wedding party and dance with the actress at the end. 

Here are few pictures for you. I left the kids to sit in the front, so I didn't have the best view. But we were introduced to three interesting puppets, all of them attached to the body of the actress. And one super cute donkey. Check out more pictures and more information about theatre PRAC here.

Aliens and Monsters

I traveled with the kids from Alveringem to another planet. On our little adventure of a three days workshop we met all kinds of inspiring beings. Some aliens were part of our small final puppet show. Some of them just told us, where they live or what they like to eat, but were too shy to join. Still they were present on a picture in the gallery. The outdoor monsters got washed away by rain too soon... But here are some of them for you to check out. (Ok, a lot of them, but it was hard for me to make a choice.) 

Have a good intergalactic weekend! 

*(workshop provided by zZmogh - artistic projects for children and youth in the Flanders)