Study guide - Théâtre Puzzle

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STUDY GUIDE
Background information - Discussions - Classroom Activities
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ABOUT THE COMPANY
Founded in 1996 in Bulgaria and established in Montreal since 2004, Puzzle Théâtre has a unique
style by combining various types in the traditional and the contemporary: drama theatre, object and
puppet theatre. Puzzle Théâtre distinguishes itself by the coloured amalgam of styles and the great
diversity of means of expression that it proposes.
Leave the audience the freedom to interpret the unmentioned, to freely associate ideas and allow it
to feel what is not explicitly told. This is what became the artistic characteristic of the company.
Pavla Mano
Artistic Director / Creator
Csaba Raduly
Creator / Actor
Ivan Stavrev
Set / Light / Costume and
Puppet Designer
Holder, since 1996, of a
Masters in Staging for the
puppet theatre from Sofia
National Theatre and
Cinema School, Pavla is a
director, puppet and set
designer, as well as a
puppeteer. She leads as
well puppet making and
theatre workshops.
After finishing his studies in
Drama at the Hungarian
University in Kolozsvár, he
worked for the Hungarian
repertoire theatre in
Székelyudvarhely where he
played many leading roles. In
2006, he settled in Montreal
where he joined the Puzzle
Theatre and embarked on a
new artistic approach – the
theatre of creation.
Ivan has a Master degree in
Scenography from the
National School of Fine Arts
in Sofia. He designed the set,
costumes, and puppets for
many shows in many
theatres in Bulgaria,
England, USA, Germany and
Canada. He has received
many Best of Show awards
for stage design.
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ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE
HURRY-UP!
show for children from 5 to 105 years old
In a country called HURRY-UP! live bizarre creatures who just run, panic and waste their time
in complaining that they have not enough time.
The result: the time just slips through their fingers!
Fusing clowneries with seriousness, reality with absurd, this colorful ensemble of actors and
puppets makes us live an unexpected adventure that both amuses and makes us think and
question.
SYNOPSIS
(for Teacher Use Only)
The theme of the time intrigues us from many
years and as the time is ticking away, this issue
becomes more and more important to us.
What is the time?
What do we do with the time that was given to us?
What for we are willing to spend our time?
Are we using our time with the wisdom and the
attention it requires?
What do we lose by being in a rush?
To explore those questions, we have chosen a
theatrical form that differs from the common "tell
a story". We’ve built the show by combining three
story lines with several different characters.
First, we have two clown characters who are
always in a hurry. They run, they panic, they
complain of lack of time. They rush to begin
the show, but they will never reach the goal.
They waste their time to find a clock in
order to know what’s the time and how
much they have till the end of the show. As
they don’t find a clock, they begin to build
one. This activity takes all their time and
when they finally manage to assemble it,
they find out that no time has left - they
have to end the show before even to start it.
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Second, we have a teacher who
doesn’t have time to teach and a
student who wants to study. The
student chases the teacher in other
to obtain some knowledge, the
teacher tries to escape and this
leads to comic situations.
Third, we have a clock which
announces the exact time every
minute, because it is bored of
being alone with all that time.
Thereafter it will be destroyed by
rushing passersby.
These three story lines follow, or mingle or run
parallel with each other and mix with some
secondary characters (puppets). In this way,
the small pieces of the big puzzle transform
gradually into a colorful picture, which
illustrates the complex problem of the time
that merely slip through our fingers.
This show is not meant to be didactic. This is a
show that relies on the sensibility of the young
audience, their ability to make free and
unexpected associations, on their thirst to ask
questions and seek for answers.
We present the problem with humor and burlesque
elements, with irony and laughter, but we believe
that everyone can catch our messages.
We are far from the idea to teach the audience how
to live their life. We don’t want to offer recipes.
What we want is to arouse questions that require
new answers.
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ABOUT THE ACTING
What is a clown?
Is it somebody in a bright pair of overalls with
an ear to ear smile painted on his face?
Is it somebody in a circus who distracts the
audience while props are set?
Is it somebody who makes balloon animals, and
performs a few magic tricks?
Clowns are most often associated with the circus
where they have performed a comedic role linking
other acts in the circus performance since the late
18th century, but the clown has much longer history
and many different faces. The most ancient clowns
have been found in the Fifth dynasty of Egypt,
around 2400 BC. There are various types of clown:
Whiteface, August, Character clown etc.
The comedy that clowns perform is usually in the
role of a fool whose everyday actions and tasks
become extraordinary—and for whom the ridiculous,
for a short while, becomes ordinary. This style of
comedy has a long history in many countries and
cultures across the world.
In our acting we are using clowning, but you
are not going to see any make-up or colorful
wig.
We believe that the clown is a state of mind,
way of thinking, way of behaving.
We believe that not the make-up makes the
clown, but his way of seeing the world and
interacting with the reality.
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OUR INSPIRATION
Our main inspiration was MOMO, a book of the
German writer Michael Ende (also author of the
famous NEVER ENDING STORY). The full title
translates to Momo, or the strange story of the
time-thieves and the child who brought the stolen
time back to the people. It is fantasy novel about
the concept of time and how it is used by humans in
modern societies.
"People are persuaded to save time by eliminating
everything not useful. One of the people so
influenced cuts out his girlfriend, sells his pet, stops
singing, reading and visiting friends. In this way he
will supposedly become an efficient man getting
something out of life. What is strange is that he is in
a greater hurry than ever. The saved-up time
disappears - and he never sees it again."
Michael Ende uses fantasy and symbolism to deal with real world matters such as the
nature and importance of time, the power of stories, friendship, compassion and the value
of the small but pleasant things that make life more worth living.
The main theme of MOMO can be seen as a criticism of consumerism and stress. It
describes the personal and social losses produced by unnecessary consumption, and the
danger to be driven by a hidden interest group with enough power to induce people into
this life style.
Childhood is also an important subject in many of Ende's books. In MOMO it is used to offer
contrast with the adult society. As children have "all the time in the world", they are a
difficult target for the Men in Grey: children can't be convinced that their games are timewasting.
"Time is an illusion that only
makes us pant."
Yann Martel, Life of Pi
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ABOUT THE TIME
"The only reason for time is so
that everything doesn't
happen at once."
Albert Einstein
Time is an adult human
concept; children, animals, the
universe and indeed many
cultures do not subscribe to
time. Time is a concept devised
for the convenience of humans
by humans.
In addition, children do not
have the mental capacity to
understand the concept of time
because it involves future, not
something they are yet
equipped to deal with. Two
other concepts they are unable
to grasp fully enough to
consider future events in the
context adult expect, are
consequence and danger.
A child does not have the necessary
experience with time to have a feeling
that X number of minutes have passed.
Additionally, children are designed to
focus entirely on the ‘now’ – this very
moment.
Multi-tasking is not within the realm of
their abilities yet. It is not until many
years of experience and development
have passed can children put time into
the context necessary to satisfy adults.
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Timekeeping devices
For thousands of years, devices have been used to measure and keep
track of time. The current system of time measurement dates to
approximately 2000 BC. The Ancient Egyptians divided the day into
two 12-hour periods, and used large obelisks to track the movement
of the Sun.
They also developed water clocks, which were used later outside Egypt
as well; they were employed frequently by the Ancient Greeks.
Other ancient timekeeping devices include the candle clock, used in China, Japan, England and
Iraq; the timestick, widely used in India and Tibet, as well as some parts of Europe; and the
hourglass, which functioned similarly to a water clock.
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The first mechanical clocks were invented in
Europe at around the start of the 14th century,
and became the standard timekeeping device
until the pendulum clock was invented in 1656.
The invention of the mainspring in the
early 15th century allowed portable
clocks to be built, evolving into the first
pocketwatches by the 17th century.
The pendulum clock remained the most
accurate timekeeper until the 1930s, when
quartz oscillators were invented, followed by
atomic clocks after World War 2.
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Pre-Performance Discussions and Activities
Introducing the Theme
• Ask the students what is their definition of
TIME;
• Discuss what the expression “Take your time”
means;
• Ask how long one minute lasts;
• Let them dance with some music for exactly
one minute and then ask them to sit still for
exactly one minute;
• Ask which of the two minutes was “longer” and
why;
• Ask how many different types of clocks they
know;
• Introduce the history of timekeeping devices
(see Teacher Resources).
Introducing the Clown Theater
• Ask the students what is their definition of
CLOWN;
• Discus where we can see clowns nowadays
(circus, theater, movies);
• Ask how many types of clowns they know;
• Introduce the history of the clown (see
Teacher Resources);
• Suggest that being a clown is not always
connected with make-up and colorful hair,
but with the way of thinking and behaving;
• Ask the students to suggest and to show
how a clown should behave, walk, laugh etc.
Introducing the Performance
• Ask why the show in entitled HURRY-UP!;
• Tell them that the action in the show take
place in a country called Hurry-up!;
• Ask the students to suggest why the
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country’s name is Hurry-up! and what
kind of people live there;
Ask in what kind of situations we are used
to hear “Hurry-up!”;
Tell that the inspiration to create this
performance is the novel MOMO;
Ask have they read the book or seen the
movie;
Introduce the story of MOMO (see
Teacher Resources)
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Preparing for the story
What to watch / listen for during the performance:
• How many different characters the Performers play;
• How the characters behave and why;
• Which are the clown characters;
• Do they find any connection with the story of MOMO;
• What the puppets are made of.
Post-Performance Discussions and Activities
(Choose questions and activities appropriate to your discipline and
students’s grade)
Focus on the Story
• List some words to describe the performance;
• Talk about a part that made you laugh, that
surprised you;
• Discuss the behavior of the characters and why
they behave in that way;
• Ask did they understand that the show actually
has been started;
• Ask were they surprised by the way it ends and
why;
• Ask do they know someone who is always in a
hurry and has no time. Why he (she) is like
this?;
• Ask do they know someone who is never in a
rush and for whom the time doesn’t exist . Why
he (she) is like this?;
• Ask them do they sometime have the feeling
as if they live in Hurry-up! country. When?;
• Ask if the measuring of time would depend on
them, would they measure it and how;
• Ask what they would do if they have more time.
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Visual Arts
• Place an object - vase, flower etc... Ask the
students to draw it in 30 seconds;
• Ask them to draw the same object in 5
minutes;
• Discuss which drawing is better and why.
• Discuss the difference of the quality of the
work (if any) when you do it in a hurry and
when you take your time;
• Talk about Salvador Dali and the surrealism
(see Teachers resources page). Show the
students the pictures with the clocks. Discuss
what he intended to say with this pictures;
• Ask them to draw crazy (not realistic) clock
designs;
• Make some puppets from insulation pipes.
Drama / Movement
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Discuss how many different characters the Performers play;
Discuss how the characters behave and why;
Discuss what is a clown (see page 5 of this Guide or Teacher resources page);
Discuss who from the characters in the play are clowns;
Suggest that not the make-up makes the clown, but his character and the situation he
falls into;
Ask the students to perform in couples the following : The first one explains something to
the second one who doesn't understand anything. But the first one insists to explain and
the second one still doesn’t understand. Explore how far this comic situation can go;
Discuss what makes a situation comic and when an ordinary situation becomes comic;
Ask them to invent and perform short comic situations : example - put your shoes on wile
you are running to catch the train;
In groups : one group makes tick-tack noise fast, second group makes coo-coo a bit
slower and third group makes gong noise slowly. First give them slow rhythm and then
accelerate till becomes a cacophony. Discuss how the very fast rhythm affects the
synchrony. Suggest that the same is in life, the rushing affects the synchrony;
Invent simple choreography and ask everybody to repeat it in slow rhythm. Give faster
and faster rhythm till it becomes movement cacophony. Discuss how the very fast rhythm
affects the synchrony. Suggest that the same is in life, the rushing affects the synchrony;
Ask them to invent other time/rhythm games.
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Teacher resources
Links and Citations
Puzzle Theatre’s website : http://www.puzzletheatre.com/home_engl.html
What a clown is:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown
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http://www.charliethejugglingclown.com/definition.htm
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http://www.sunniebunniezz.com/clowning/clowns.htm
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MOMO, Michael Ende : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_(novel)
The Time : ! !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time
The kids and the concept of Time:
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http://www.motherforlife.com/child/3-to-5-years-old/development/
learnings/5733-children-and-the-concept-of-time.thtml
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http://www.askgrace.ca/the-concept-of-time-and-how-it-affects-children/
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http://www.education.com/magazine/article/teaching-preschoolers-time/
History of Timekeeping devices : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
History_of_timekeeping_devices
Salvador Dali :!
http://www.salvadordali.com
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dal%C3%AD
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Student activity page
A Review
Write A Review of the Performance by completing the Sentence Stems
Today we saw a performance by PuzzleTheatre called ______________________,
with puppets made from_________________________________and performers who
act as __________________.
Three words which describe the show are __________________, __________________,
____________________.
My favorite part was ________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
The Performers were playing the following different characters:
_______________________, _________________________, ________________________,
_______________________, _________________________.
There were as well characters presented with puppets :
________________________,_______________________, _________________________,
________________________.
I would like to ask the artists how/why______________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
This show made me think about __________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________.
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