Shadow theatre: Weaving an intriguing narrative on stage

The Goethe – Institut Sri Lanka, presents a puppet theatre performance from Germany at the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre, Borella on Wednesday, June 13. There will be two shows at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

"Shadow Theatre: A King’s Journey" is presented by Annette Wurbs and Peter Mueller. A shadow play is an ancient form of story-telling and entertainment using opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated backdrop to create the illusion of moving images, sometimes also called shadow puppetry.

The story is set in a special country -a country where all the citizens wear watering cans and umbrellas. On weekdays, also on weekends, all the time, in fact. It seems to be the law. The country also has a king, who has never left his castle before, and when one day the tower falls apart, the king tumbles straight down and through to the other side of the earth.

With him falls the lady who takes care of him: Mrs. Care. Having arrived on the other side of the earth, both want to go home. This means they both have to travel halfway round the world! But for someone like our king this is not easy at all.

If both of them hadn’t each had one very useful item with them – Mrs. Care an umbrella, and the king his crown – they would not have found their way back to the castle after passing many places, dangers and adventures.

Peter Muller (Theater Handgemenge) and Annette Wurbs weave an intriguing narrative on stage. Tickets priced at Rs. 100 are available at the Punchi Theatre, tel. 2672121 and at the German Cultural Centre, tel. 2694562, 4712636-8.