49. india-assam: Bijuli – 2009
Theatre maker Evelien Pullens travelled to India for Theatre Embassy to train young actors from different tribes in the Northeast in puppetry. Few people know that the population of this corner of India is constantly afraid of attacks and that soldiers are everywhere along the roads to check the political situation. Fortunately, the village of Rampur is an oasis of tranquillity. In a bamboo theatre camp, the Dutch Evelien Pullens gives workshops in creative puppetry and visual theatre, from finger puppets to large objects. The final performance Bijuli toured Assam and South India. Akshara, director and director of a theatre school in South India, comments: “This production which was rich in imagination was a welcome sight. The fact that your production, mounted with minimum physical resources, was powerful enough to hold the audience here spellbound for an hour (even when the audience did NOT understand any spoken word in it) is proof of its immense theatrical strength.”
A second tour of the show Biljuli took place from June 26 to July 20, 2009 in Assam. Evelien Pullens and Berith Danse, artistic director of Theatre Embassy, travelled to Rampur at the end of August to see how they can further guide these young theatre-makers.
Partner organisation: Theatre group Badungduppa
Executors TE: 1
Local artists: 13
Target group: General audience
Audience: 2500
Performances: 16
Volunteers: –
Participating Organizations: Kalakshetra Manipur
Finances: Cordaid, Stichting Terra, HIVOS/NCDO
Theme: Peace
Photo exposition by Stijn de Korte and book publication by Evelien Pullens
