Kasperiade
Photo: City of Bottrop
That's the way to do it! Punch, Polichinelle, Vitéz Laszló, Mester Jackel, Petrushka, Karagöz, Vasilache and Kasper could all tell us a thing or two! Under his various guises and names, the Western world's best-known puppet has made its mark on European cultural history. For instance, the term "slapstick" comes from the slapping noise made by Mr Punch's comic weaponry.
Heroically defying trends and social change, Punch is a likeable rogue found all over Europe. It is fitting, then, that he should take the stage in 2010 as an ideal intermediary for cultural integration - throughout Europe, in the Ruhr Metropolis, its twin towns and the Ruhr’s fellow Capital of Culture, Pécs.
International puppet theatres will be invited to visit schools and youth centres. Children and young people will work together to develop Punch and Judy shows as a fun way of learning about the history of Europe.
The "Kasperiade" project also includes an interdisciplinary programme of entertaining events examining Mr Punch in his every guise: in ballet, music, literature, costume design and art. Academics and artists will discuss the enduring character at symposia, while an exhibition of works featuring the cheeky puppet by artists from Bottrop, France and England is scheduled for autumn 2010.
March 7 - 12, 2010
Kasperiade inaugural event: "Punch and Politics"
September 5 - 10, 2010
"Punch and his European Counterparts"
November 28 - December 3, 2010
"Punch and his Educational Importance"
Venues tbc
Partners: Dieter Wollek, Ilse Ortmann, Bottop Office of Culture; Werner Bartelt-Brüggemeier, Maja Brüggemeier, SONSTWO Puppet Theatre; Cornelia Kerth-Jahn, Monika Simon, Dr. Werner Schäfke, Petra Ildikó Neumayer (HU), Andrea Szélkely (H), Silviane Léger (F), Nick Kowalski (GB), Zoltán Debreczeny (H), Reinhard Wieczorek (D), School in Blackpool (GB), School at the Tetrahedron, Bottrop (D), Leeds City Council (GB)