Due to an unexpected accident on the way to the hostel, the theatre animators were late and so the participants had to be patient, as all of them were very eager to start. When the theatre animators arrived, it was a relief for all of the participants, Manuela and Annemarie. Carla and Sascha (the theatre animators) prepared a couple of interactive games for the whole group to help them get to know each other more and feel more comfortable in each other’s presence, which in the end would definitely lead to 100% success.
Both Sascha and Carla gave the group an overview of what working with puppets is all about. By demonstrating how table puppets are created from simple cloth and by bringing the puppets to life by simple movements, the group was very motivated, keen and enthusiastic about the whole project. All the participants were sharing their own thoughts and ideas and being creative was one of the highlights of the meeting. Understanding, team work and cooperation between the participants are the main tools for a successful result.
We thought that it would be more interesting to get ourselves involved in one of the animators lives by asking a couple of questions to get a deeper insight of the innate passion that Carla has towards theatre.
Interview with Carla:
• Since when have you been doing this job? Do you do it on a full time or part time basis?
Carla: “I have been doing this job since 1998. I have to say that I don’t do this for a living but just because I love to do it. I just only perform when I am asked to.”
• From where was all this theatre passion derived?
Carla: “I do not have any idea but I believe that everything came from deep inside my heart.”
• Where do you usually perform these shows? And what is the target audience that you look for?
Carla: “I perform in my town Viana do Castelo with a theatre group. Age doesn’t matter as I always aim at delivering my message practically to everyone. So being young or old, black or white, it doesn’t matter at all!”
• Did theatre make you look toward life from another point of view?
Carla: “Yes definitely. With responsibility and commitment I learned to appreciate both the cultural and social aspects of life.”
• What keeps you going on doing this work? And does your work give you the satisfaction that you expect?
Carla: “Passion for theatre is something which I cannot resist. Moreover the reaction of the public gives me much more strength to keep on going what I have started but with more motivation and encouragement to never let go. I love my work so definitely it gives me enough satisfaction otherwise I wouldn’t have continued my path.”
• What is your message to the people out there to keep the flame of your passion burning?
Carla: “Yes of course. I love so much theatre and I am definitely willing to do this. In few words I just say that whatever you do in life has to be derived from the magic within the heart. So never choose to do something because you have to, but only because you love what you do.”
• Which are the prospects for the future if you have any?
Carla: “I just only want to continue my path as it gives everything that I want especially happiness and satisfaction”
Sascha, the other theatre animator studied drama in one of the best Universities in Moscow. He is very talented and capable of making puppets from almost anything: cloth, cardboard and many other materials one would not expect to be used to create such amazing vivid puppets.
