Sunday 27 May 2012

DAILY TREFF

TALLINN TREFF FESTIVAL

24.–27.05. 2012

Different cultures, one language

www.nuku.ee/festival

Treff drops behind as Old Town Days begin

NEWSThe jury reports on the festival

FEATUREStephan Georis life is beautiful

NEWS Spontaneity has reached the festival

22 Feature 27/05/2012

“Life is beautiful,” says Pro-fessor OlaF Stevenson alias Stephen Georis after being stuck in a chicken and pull-ing prosthetic teeth out of it.

MARI METS

The chicken, in turn, was pulled out from a chest of drawers. The chest in turn was brought from home. He constructed a special chest for Treff because the original chest of “Professor Olaf Stevenson” weighs a hundred kilos. Other requisites were bought from a grocery store yesterday morning – a banana, a pot of lettuce, a paprika, a cucum-ber, and a chicken. Unfortunately, he could not find leek in Tallinn. Stephane is a real globetrotter, playing with food, he entertains the audience in the streets of world cities. Stephane announces that street is the best place for a theatre performance.

From a family circus to puppetry Stephane started his career as a street artist at the age of 17, jug-gling and sipping fire on the cor-

ners of Brussels. His first passion as a teenager was circus. Theatre was brought to Stephane’s life by his wife who is actress. He spent a year in theatre school but his instructors made it clear that he could be an artist but not in the plays of Shakespeare or Molière.

Stephane spent years travel-ling around Europe with his wife, three children and a caravan – they formed a family circus, until his 12-year-old son announced that he does not want to roll around anymore. From that day, Stephane has gone solo. He has been trav-elling around for 30 years by now and does not plan to settle down any day soon. The caravan has been replaced by trains and planes, though.

The more I do the dirtier it gets “I feel like God,” explains Stephane the magic of puppetry. “I have the power to bring puppets to life and hold a dialogue with them, it is amazing,” tells Stephane. After leaving theatre school Stephane went to art school and made there his first introduction with puppets. In the year 2000, the circus artist

changed the clown costume for puppets. Not for ordinary puppets but for ordinary things used as puppets. Stepahane himself calls his performance object theatre rather than puppetry. “The pup-pet has to be as simple as possible.”

“Mostly, I like to play with food,” says Stephane. “I can eat all the things afterwards and I enjoy crossing the line. Usually, it is not very polite to play with food, espe-cially in front of children. Well, I like to do that,” tells the street actor. “The more I do it, the dirtier it gets. “Professor Olaf Stevenson” dates back to the year 2000, then I used chicken and vegetables; in “Richard III”, which dates back to 2005, I use a kilo of meat.”

The sun of the street“I have a complex: I want to save the world. When people go to the theatre in the evening, they have to find a babysitter to take care of the children during the play. Peo-ple do not have to make plans or arrangements to see me, I go to them myself in the streets.” Last week, Stephane performed in a prison in France. “It was amaz-ing to make these people laugh.

During my travels, I always look for the socially significant places to bring theatre and kindness closer to everybody, for example orphanages.”

One of the brightest memoirs of his performances Stephane can recall is from the city of Londrina in Brazil. He was asked to perform in the bus station. “It seemed an extremely silly place for a theatre play because everybody is always in a hurry in the bus station. But I still did that and when I arrived at the bus station, I was taken aback by the crowd. Approximately 200 people were waiting for me.”

Inspiration from the grocery storeAccording to Stephane, the most important thing is to develop the audience’s imagination. “Many people do the object theatre but all of them are still different from mine. I, for example, like to use a banana for a car. I gain my inspi-ration through objects – at first I find something that I want to use in my performance and then comes the story behind it. The best ideas come always in the grocery store.

Stephane Georis saves the planet by playing with food

Stephane Georis reaches the audience on the street FOTO:LIIS REIMAN

3News 327/05/2012

The most important task of Treff jury was to pick out their ten favourite perfor-mances and acknowledge them as they see fit.

MARIE KLIIMAN, LIISI AIBEL

Here to talk about their festival impressions and experiences are members of the jury Frank Bern-hardt (Artistic Director of Magde-burg Puppet Theatre and Festival), Simon Hart (Artistic Director of Puppet Animation Scotland), Anna Ivanova-Brašinskaja (Artis-tic Director of Turku International Puppetry Festival), Anu Lamp (actress at Tallinn City Theatre) and Madli Pesti (theatre critic). The best performances will be recog-nised today at 20.30 in the Main Hall of Estonian Puppet Theatre.

We asked the members of the jury the following questions:

1. What are your general impressions from the festival?

2. What is noteworthy about Treff when compared to other (puppet) theatre festivals?

3. What in your view were the most impressive festival performances?

4. Which direction should the festival take in the future

Frank BernhardtI was disappointed by the fact that the opening performance of the festival was “Dinner with Vampires” that for me appeared to be quite commercial. From the Estonian Puppet Theatre I enjoyed “Cosette”. The festival programme was a little too bulky and dis-persed. Festival could be curated with a firmer hand. Although I saw many high-quality performances, the festival programme seemed quite random. I am sorry to admit this but so far there have been no performances that would cause creative arguments among the jury members.

Simon HartIt is my second time at Treff Fes-tival and I always enjoy it tremen-dously. In my opinion, there is an interesting combination of interna-tional performances as well as per-formances by young professionals and students who are only just discovering this form of art. For-tunately, the duration of the festival

The jury in discussion FOTO: ANNIKA PUNG

is not too long and the programme is not too extensive. For example, Charleville festival in France is so enormous that it is difficult to choose what to see. Here it is pos-sible to see the majority of perfor-mances because they usually have multiple showings. The majority of other European festivals are actu-ally quite similar in size to Treff.

I liked Polina Borisova very much and “Wild Growling Hap-piness” with four very powerful actresses as well. I also enjoyed “Rapunzel” and “Cosette” by Esto-nian Puppet Theatre. “Penitence and Absolution” was quite tra-ditional but very well-done and extremely professional. From stu-dent performances I would like to highlight “Strindberg” and “Freier Tanz” from Poland and “Like a Fish Out of Water” by Turku Arts Acad-emy. I think it is important that young actors tackle complicated issues that matter to them.

Anna Ivanova-BrashinskajaBecause Treff Festival is inter-twined with other festivals taking place at the same time in Tal-linn the atmosphere it creates is very special. The festival is by no means accidental, there is always something happening on every street-corner and everything is interconnected. Treff is like a rain-bow that includes many different colours.

The jury’s work is somewhat complicated by the fact that there is so much to see.

I was very impressed by Polina Borisova’s “Go!“ because of its strong message and by Compagnie Ecart´s “Homs Fums” because it was very professional and inspir-

ing. In student performances I was mostly looking for technical skills – in this aspect students from Polish and Lithuanian thea-tre schools are very strong. At the same time I try to see the inner beauty and inner burning in these young and well-educated students. I am observing their eyes not their bodies.

Anu Lamp It is my first time at a puppet thea-tre festival and I have experienced very exciting and educating three days. The puppet family is one big community and it is lovely to experience this. A true festival atmosphere. The representatives of Russian theatre with their long-es-tablished traditions have been powerful. “Petrushka at the Fair“ is a good example of something traditional that still works.

I also attended the workshop where the background of the per-formance was examined. During the performance I discovered I was laughing like a child. “Penitence and Absolution“ was polished to the very last detail and demon-strated different possibilities as well as emphasised character building. Polina Borisova was also power-ful. “Sisale“ by Scarlattine Teatro was very thought-provoking. It was intended for children over 1,5 years and the actress really gave her performance over to the kids. Object theatre “English Breakfast“ surprised me with its simplicity and effectiveness. In my opinion, it is crucial that I see the same stu-dents who are performing on stage also viewing the performances of others. I also enjoyed “Freier Tanz” by Warsaw State Theatre Academy.

Another performance I would like to highlight is “Wild Growling Happiness” by the young actors of Estonian Puppet Theatre because they brilliantly pinpointed the mental world of teenagers.

Madli PestiTreff Festival attempts to present a comprehensive picture of the hap-penings in European puppet and visual art. In my opinion, in the following years the concept “less is more” should be taken into con-sideration when putting together the festival programme because the uneven level of performances inev-itably becomes a problem at a festi-val of such magnitude. It is possible to see exceptionally good but also painfully bad performances. If the festival visitor happens to see many uninteresting performances in a row he might get tired of wait-ing for a good one because human abilities have their limits. It is also questionable whether there is enough audience for all kinds of theatre. On the other hand, I must praise the festival atmosphere – Lai Street has come alive and the festi-val club is also very enjoyable.

“Go!“ by Polina Borisova was undoubtedly one of the most wonderful and sympathetic expe-riences because of its originality. From performances by Estonian groups “Wild Growling Happiness” certainly caught my eye, because although it does not examine actual problems it deals with the contemporary world. It talks about the world of teenagers but it does not tell their “story”. From the per-formances by young professionals I would bring out “Die-Cut Scrap” by Theatre Kuuma Ankanpoikanen.

The jury has difficulties choosing their favourites

4 News 27/05/2012

Palju kultuure, üks keel!

„Tallinn Treff Festival – a benchmark for performing arts in Eastern Europe.” Euronews

TALLINN TREFF FESTIVAL 24.–27.05.

Info ja programm: www.nuku.ee/festival

A

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DE

F G

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12

3 4

5 6 7

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siseprogramm / piletiga

tänavaprogramm / tasuta

piletiga (ka festivali kaelakaardi omanikele)

eelregistreerimisega

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SISELAVAD

A NUKU teater, Lai 1 (suur saal, väike saal, ovaalsaal)B Tallinna Linnateater, Lai 23 (väike saal, Taevalava)C Eesti Lastekirjanduse keskus, Pikk 73D Köismäe torn, Laboratooriumi 27E Ukraina kirik, Laboratooriumi 22F Grusbeke-tagune torn, Laboratooriumi 33G Hobuveski, Lai 47 H Von Krahli teater, Rataskaevu 10

VÄLILAVAD

1 Festivali klubitelk, Gustav Adolfi Gümnaasiumi muuseumihoov, Nunne 10

2 NUKU suure saali värav, Nunne 63 Kitselava, Nunne 34 Pika ja Nunne tänava nurk5 NUKU ametikäik, Lai 36 Börsi käik, Lai 147 Suurgildi hoov, Lai 168 Hobusepea ja Laia tänava nurk9 Tarbekunsti- ja disainimuuseumi hoov, Lai 1710 Lastekirjanduse keskuse hoov, Pikk 7311 Raekoja plats12 Vabaduse väljak13 Meremuuseumi lennusadam, Küti 17

MÄNGUPAIGAD

EditorialChief editor: Taavi Eilat Journalists/critics: Marie Kliiman, Liisi Aibel, Triinu Sikk, Liisa Ojakõiv, Piamaria Uuetoa, Merete Väin, Deivi Tuppits, Mari Mets, Annika AndresenTranslators: Kristiina Kõrvas, Astrid Pajur

Näed, saidki selgeks. Super!

Tallinn Treff Festival ends today. We have seen a lot but a lot remains to be seen. Before everyone goes their separate ways in the evening we talk to artistic direc-tor Vahur Keller and main organiser Meelis Pai about the festival.

TAAVI EILAT

Vahur, what caught your eye at this year’s festival?This year’s festival was special for me because I saw many performers who were actually not in the offi-cial programme. For example I saw some spur-of-the-moment musical performances on the streets. In the festival club I saw mimes moving around of whom I had no informa-tion. It is always positive when the programme attains a life of its own. It seems an unforeseeable element has been added to the festival. Another crucial thing is that the programme makes the people think. For example one day as I left from a performance there was a group of youngsters in front of me and they were arguing fiercely. Some were wondering, “How is it possible to perform something like that?“ At the same time there was a sad young girl and when I asked what was bothering her, she said that she had really enjoyed the per-formance. This reveals that there is a lot to choose from that makes the viewer think and discuss.

Which international festival can Treff be compared to?It is difficult to make any compar-isons because in some ways Treff is unique. I have never seen such a concentrated festival both in terms of time and physical space. To some extent it can be compared to the Avignon festival, because the atmosphere is similar but we have to acknowledge the fact that Treff is much smaller. Perhaps

Spontaneity has become a part of the festivalMeelis, the end of sixth Treff Festival is in sight. How would you describe the pressure that you have been under these past four days? I must admit I have not been run-ning around that much. I am glad to say that Treff has already grown so much in size that I as a main organiser cannot even fathom everything any more. We have different groups of people who are in charge of organising different parts of the festival and this is the way it has to be. I am very grateful to the organisers and I see great potential in them. I believe we can continue at least at the same level of professionality.

Should the future festivals be like this year’s festival? In my opinion, the current for-mat is good because it provides an opportunity for the young and the professionals to meet and interact with each other. The Old Town street hustle and bustle has been one of our intentions. As far as I know there is competition amongst the students of Yaroslavl State The-atre Institute to get a place at Treff. One professor once told me that thanks to the festival the level of professionality has increased in the school. Additionally, Treff has been a springboard for many a school who have given their diploma perfor-mance at Treff.

Can the townspeople find Treff?People know the festival but unfor-tunately the number of seats are lim-ited. Consequently we have imple-mented a patch system whereby people with patches have to register themselves for the performances as well, because last year there were so many people at the performances some had to be glued to the walls, metaphorically speaking.

What should people take with them from the festival?I wish that everyone would get a positive emotion from the festival and spread this joy all over the world. That everyone would know that there is a city called Tallinn on the border between east and west where every year a festival called Treff takes place.

Treff is most similar to Charleville- Mézières festival that takes place in France because it is one of the most prestigious puppet theatre festival. Whereas the Charleville festival takes place every four years, Treff Festival takes place annually. We also have the advantage of numerous theatre buildings on Lai Street that creates a very spe-cial atmosphere.

Might this also pose a prob-lem of having so many choices that it is difficult to decide what to take and what to leave?I think it is positive that there is principle of randomness at play here. We have tried to schedule the most important performances in a way that they can all be enjoyed. At the same time the festival is like life itself - you simply have to choose something over something else. Consequently, your experience depends on the choice you have made. In my opinion it would be boring if the programme pro-gressed in a linear manner.

Do you think situation this might complicate the jury’s decision, because they have to decide who has earned recognition?

Life itself is difficult. Actually, I think that their situation is improved by the fact that they do not have to choose top three performances but decide them-selves who and for what they want to recognise. For example, last year Maria Klenskaja gave out a prize that she named after herself because she liked a certain element. This freedom simplifies the jury’s work and I think everyone does not have to see everything. It is not a sports competition, it is merely one kind of feedback.

What is the message the festival conveys to Estonian audience?To have more variety and crazier ideas. Theatre should not pro-gress along an established past. Additionally, puppet theatre is not seen very much in Estonia at the moment and Treff is currently the only festival that offers this oppor-tunity. Having numerous opportu-nities is important!

Is there anything you wish the visitors would take with them from the festival? I do not want to get overly pathetic with my wishes...I wish that every-one would make as amazing a festi-val of their lives as Treff is!

Vahur Keller and Meelis Pai are waiting next Treff FOTO: ANNA PUNG