Home Article by Carsten Jensen

You have to put your soul into it

Silkeborg Puppetry Festival is the place for animation enthusiasts, for professionals and experienced spectators.

By Carsten Jensen, editor of Børenteateravisen (Children's Theatre News)

Silkeborg Puppetry Festival, also called Festival of Wonder, is by far Denmark's biggest and most interesting international festival for animation theatre. This year's festival, November 8 - 11, included 25 Danish and international theatre groups performing 100 shows, plus exhibits, films and workshops - for both children and professionals - with a theme of 'Myth, Marionette and Man'.

There were between 8 - 9,000 spectators at the festival, which besides the long weekend for the public, included many performances at institutions and schools in the county.

It is definitely a festival that can boast about its international outlook with solid roots in Denmark. The audience is composed of many loyal locals and those who travel from Denmark, Scandinavia, Europe and USA.

Demand for tickets

The driving force behind the festival is a woman with long black hair and boundless energy. Ulla Dengsøe is the artistic director of Silkeborg Puppetry Festival, which has existed since 1986, became international in 1990 and was held annually until 1999. Since then it has been biannual, which allows Ulla Dengsøe more time to travel around the world searching for the ultimate in animation performances.

Ulla Dengsøe estimates that she sees 200 performances a year. She used to pay for the trips herself, but now the travelling is part of her job as full-time artistic leader of the festival, which also includes the job of buying theatre performances for Silkeborg's children's institutions and schools during the festival year.

The festival's budget of ca. one million Danish kroner is a combination of county subsidy, state subsidy from the Danish Arts Council, contributions from funds, etc.

The extremely low ticket prices are kept at 30 Danish kroner for children and 60 kroner for adults, simply because 60 kroner is the maximum price allowed if one wishes to rent the impressive Jysk Music and Theatre Building free of charge. There are expenses to the technical personal, etc.

Ulla Dengsøe points out that without the group of 60-65 hard working volunteers, not least of all her husband Poul, the festival would not be possible.

'It is a struggle to balance our budget, which often manages to fall into place right before the festival', says Ulla Dengsøe. With help from the Arts Council Ulla is able to invite six or seven international to the festival, while many groups come and perform at their own expense. Also present is a rather large group of people from near and far who are not necessarily performers or organizers, people who simply share an interest in puppets, objects and everything else that makes up animation theatre.

Det betyder blot, at mange kommer for egen regning. Og dertil en tilsyneladende ikke ringe flok mennesker fra nær og fjern, der ikke nødvendigvis er hverken arrangører eller udøvende, men bare deler interesse for dukker, objekter og de mange ting, der indgår i animationsteatret.

Tickets for the festival's performances are in great demand.

'Tickets for the public performances are sold within a few hours', says Ulla Dengsøe. 'There were long lines at the library when they went on sale. It looked like a sale at a department store.'

Magical fingers

Her own motivation for the festival is an enormous interest for puppetry, which began while she was a librarian for the children's department and organized various performances.

'A person's soul has to be in it', an enthusiastic and determined Ulla says about organizing the festival, 2007 being the largest one so far. Ulla feels that it has reached a good size, which is about quality and not just quantity.

One of this festival's special experiences was definitely 'Fingerman', Peruvian minimalist theatre.

Fingerman is a 'puppet', created with performer Ines Pasic's fingers, while her fellow player Gabriela Bermudez' dancing body turns into the landscapes over which little Fingerman travels through the four elements of air, water, fire and earth.

An entertaining and moving performance with a high technical standard, 'Fingerman' caused 'oooos' and 'aaahs' from the 200 lucky members of the audience.

This show, which is in demand at many international festivals, is inspired by Peruvian myths, tales which make good stories and good theatre productions, which can help to make good festivals...

The article has been published in Børneteateravisen no. 143, Decembre 2007.

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