Mini Matinée
Illaberek Puppet Theatre: Robin Hood
Age: 3-8 year
The defender of the weak and downtrodden, the brave hero who mercilessly punishes the great lords who scorn and exploit everyone else: the superhero who has been with us since the Middle Ages, Sherwood Forest's jovial dispenser of justice, Robin Hood is now being reborn on the family-friendly puppet stage of the Illaberek Puppet Theatre. The show, reminiscent of the heyday of marketplace puppetry, shapes some of the funniest and most heroic episodes from the rich legends surrounding the life of Robin Hood into the beginning of a new adventure that actively involves the children too.
The Illaberek Puppet Theatre is a small, mobile and most lovable family operation: Dániel Nizsai is familiar to many viewers as a member of the Kolibri Puppet Theatre, while his wife, Berta Tóth, comes from a background in cultural journalism. Robin Hood is their first joint production. In 2022, it won the Michel Indali Award, a distinction that Henrik Kemény founded to recognise outstanding work, as judged by a professional jury, in the genre of puppetry. The Illaberek Puppet Theatre's trademark is youthful vigour, deliberate simplicity and naturalness. Nizsai's production Pulcinella's Song, first premiered in 2018, has since run for more than a hundred performances. For this married team of creative artists, Robin Hood is an emblematic tale of friendship, camaraderie and chivalry. Together with author Kornél Laboda, they selected episodes from the multitude of stories woven around Robin Hood, and then seasoned them with humour and playfulness, to delight the curious audience. Puppet designer Márk Horváth dreamed up the wooden toys and hand puppets employed in the performance. The production, which follows the thinking and aesthetics of marketplace puppet shows, not only allows its tiny spectators to actively participate in the performance, but specifically encourages them to do so.
Performed by: Berta Tóth, Dániel Nizsai
Creators:
author: Kornél Laboda
puppet designer: Márk Horváth
Presented by: Müpa Budapest
