Deniz Başar With karagöz puppetry categorized as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2009, The Ministry of Culture became the only official accreditation for any or all karagöz artists in Turkey. While this has opened a new door for female karagöz artists to earn certificates of proficiency, juries made up mostly of men have made it difficult, if not impossible, for Turkish women to get accredited. This article analyzes the cultural and institutional barriers that women karagöz practitioners face—including precarious encounters with male shadow masters who are determined to keep women out of the field—while highlighting understudied aspects of their points of entry into the profession. As many women continue to challenge the gender-based gatekeeping …
Month: March 2025
Animism and Performing Objects in the Processions of Muharram
Salma Mohseni Ardehali In Iran and in Shia Islam, and in the mourning ceremonies of Ashura, some performative/theatrical rituals have developed. One of the most common and prominent of these is the procession. These processions are classified as mass mourning rituals. However, since the process of “performing” has a relatively specific beginning, middle, and end and a predetermined ritual, and more importantly, a large number of people who watch or accompany these processions, in this article we consider such processions to be a kind of ritual “performance” that has highly figurative theatrical elements. These elements (objects and figures) are expressive …
Ukrainian Puppet Theatre with Children and Adolescents During the War
Sofiia Rosa-Lavrentii The current research focuses on the methods and adaptations that the Ukrainian puppet theatre has explored in order to build communication with younger viewers in times of war. In the article, we explore how the modern puppet theatre presents such difficult topics as war and trauma and also how it specifically communicates with its youngest audiences. We explore the question: “What is the role of theatre in speaking and creating narratives on topics provoked by the war?” In discussing the creativity of Ukrainian puppet theatres from this perspective, we single out several distinct themes, each of which is …
Opening Doors to Tradition: The Osaka Bunraku Workshop as a Model for Engagement
Seiko Shimura and Robin Ruizendaal This report examines an interactive traditional performing arts project conducted in Osaka in January 2024, designed to inspire students to engage with and appreciate traditional arts in a globalized context. The project demonstrated that traditional performing arts can integrate modern creative elements while preserving their cultural essence, offering a replicable model for engaging younger audiences. By participating in production and performance, students overcame preconceived notions of traditional arts as “difficult and old-fashioned” and discovered their joy and value. The study underscores the importance of hands-on educational experiences and innovative approaches that balance tradition with modernity …
Puppetry in the Face of War: A Study of the Odesa Puppet Theatre Project
Matt Smith, Tamara Rozova, Nataliia Borodina, and Tetyana Ovcharenko This article is devoted to the discussion of Puppetry in the Face of War: A Study of Odesa Puppet Theatre project, which took place in 2023.[1] This project focused on puppetry’s socio-humanitarian role during the war and as a part of the subsequent recovery of Ukraine. The activities of the puppet theatre were analyzed through the prism of children’s education and socialization during the war. Research methods included artist interviews, historical narratives of the puppet theatre, surveys, and photography as sources. As a result of the study, we determined three significant spheres of influence of the puppet theatre …
