Bengaluru: Two Bengaluru-based theatrepersons will represent the city at an international biennale puppet festival in Indonesia from Sept 25 to Oct 11.Theatre-maker Gagan Prasad and theatre practitioner Joseph John were selected through an international open call. They are among 12 artists participating in Puppet Camp, part of Pesta Boneka #10, to be held at Yogyakarta. The event is hosted by Papermoon Puppet Theatre.“This is deeply encouraging. It is an opportunity to take my work from Bengaluru to a completely new creative environment, while also learning from artists and traditions I have not had an opportunity to work with before,” said Gagan, a resident of Padmanabhanagar in south Bengaluru.For Gagan, the journey into puppetry has been years in the making. He founded Spashta Theatre in 2017. His interest in puppetry took root while directing his second play, Neenaanaanadare Naaneeneenaa, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors.John, who has over 38 years of experience in theatre and is from Kerala, has been part of Kannada theatre after graduating from Neenasam, a repertory in Shivamogga district. He trained in puppetry in Dehradun and is a writer and actor in Kannada and Malayalam films.“It is a very famous group and participants from many countries come there. This is a rare opportunity for me,” John said.The programme will feature a masterclass by US-based puppeteer Tom Lee on Kuruma Ningyō, a traditional Japanese puppetry form. Gagan and the other artists will collaborate with Yara Arts Group (US) and Hachioji Kuruma Ningyō, The Koryu Nishikawa Troupe (Japan), to develop Shank’s Mare, which will be presented at the festival.
