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Edinburgh Fringe 2015

The Metaphysical Caravan

Pinokio Teatr

Genre: Family, Puppetry

Venue: Summerhall

Festival:


Low Down

Pinokio Teatr from Poland performs three different, very creative and imaginative puppetry shows daily in their little mobile caravan theatre.

Review

Poland’s Pinokio Teatr company presents The Metaphysical Caravan, a series of puppet shows held in their mobile theatre – a beautiful little caravan. This company valiantly drove their special caravan across Europe from Lodz, Poland for the Fringe and is performing three different twenty minute puppet shows each day; each show is performed with a different puppetry style. Therefore, if you like puppetry, especially unusual puppetry techniques, then try to see all three shows. Puppetry is often thought of as a children’s entertainment, but it has great appeal to adults and any of the three Metaphysical Caravan shows are relatable and equally entertaining to very young children as well as adults.

At 11:00 The Sunset play is about an elderly lady sitting at home thinking about her life. The beautifully sculpted head and her small frame are sensitively manipulated by two puppeteers wearing black clothing, so they are unseen. Behind a large glass window we are looking into her home, and miniature black and white videos play on tiny screens. It’s a delicate and beautiful silent memory story accompanied by gentle guitar music.

13:00 A Table for Two is unique! A man sits at the table waiting for his guest. When no one arrives he decides to create a friend. Without giving away too much, this is a simple story which quickly develops with humour and imagination while the masterful puppeteer creates images in front of the audience. Video clips are cleverly integrated in this little piece – it’s remarkable!

15:00 Re-Animation is based on body puppetry. A young woman is in bed and she has a bandaged foot. As the lighting changes mysterious things happen. It is a humourous piece showing how puppetry can be so simple and effective to communicate thoughts, ideas and emotions. A short optional workshop about the unusual body puppetry technique is offered immediately after the show by the puppeteer.

The Metaphysical Caravan’s mobile theatre holds about a dozen audience members (at most) on real theatre seating from an old theatre in Poland. All of these shows are short and disarmingly simple…as well as…charming, fascinating, intriguing, plus created and performed with care and heart by the accomplished puppeteers. The Metaphysical Caravan is a unique and special theatrical experience. So go and find the caravan before it returns to Poland! It’s tucked away, parked towards the back of the courtyard at Summerhall.

Published