Speckles the Ball

In 1936, Czech puppeteer Jan Malík created one of the most frequently performed puppet plays in the world. In 1951, the performance and its now cult marionettes were first presented to the audience in the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, under the direction of Jože Pengov, which changed the hitherto puppet art in terms of its content, as well as dramaturgical and technical approach. With her visual design Ajša Pengov set up a new criterion as in the marionettes proportions as well as in their characterisation. The then newest technical acquisition – the conveyor belt – introduced the so called “dramaturgy of travelling”.

 

Speckles the Ball (Žogica Marogica) - one of the first performances, staged in our theatre, established back in 1948 with the premiere of the marionette play The Strike Brigade (Udarna brigada), although the actual beginning of the new puppetry, which surpassed the Sokol and Partisan tradition, was marked by the staging of Martin Krpan in the 1949/50 season and Speckles the Ball (Žogica Marogica) in the 1950/51 season – has returned to our stage after three years in its new refreshed edition.

 

From Krpan to the Ball Slovenian puppetry lived through many important milestones, which enabled it to keep in step with the modern puppetry trends today. Although they are, of course, hard to be found in the puppetheque performances. The only conceptual intervention into the Pengov’s Speckles the Ball was a break with the tradition of “Ljubljana marionette school”, the strict division between animators and speakers, or using the jargon of cartoon films, synchronisers; instead of nine speakers and seven animators five animators-actors are sufficient today. However, the tradition of division is persistent; therefore it was not until the beginning of the 1980’s that marionette performances, which broke with it (at least partially), began to emerge. During the first eight repetitions the viewers were able to view the performance in its open stage jubilee version with separated actors and animators.

 

The director of the performance’s refreshed edition is Brane Vižintin, puppeteer, actor and animator of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, winner of numerous international and Slovenian awards, including the prestigious Župančič Award, who is considered one of the greatest masters of puppet animation in Slovenia.  

 

Premiere: 27 November 2018, Grand Stage LGL