Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:42:50 -0400 To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org From: MIRJANA HEATH <miryana-AT-shaw.ca> Subject: [Puptcrit] Pshycological word games Caro, I knew it was bad in Romania (I am from Serbia), but I had no idea it was that bad. Compared to that, Serbia was a dream land, we had it easy. Yes, political brainwashing was hard to bare (schools were infested with ideology to the max), religion was forbidden, all business was operated by the government (including such things like dry cleaning chains, or corner stores), but until 80ties we lived OK, modestly but never really deprived. In 80ties the crisis hit, and then in 90ties the whole thing went down in flames (literary), and we know the rest, thanks to the generous coverage by CNN, who reserves the right to determine the truth. But truth to be told, the culture was always subsidizes by the government. There was, and still is, a repertoire puppet theatre in Belgrade (<http://www.ptpinokio.com/about_us.htm>http://www.ptpinokio.com/about_us.htm) , with some 20 people at least in permanent employ, and they put shows on regularly. That is unheard of in Canada, where I live now. When I was a child, there were no puppetry companies in my home town or other smaller cities, but now, every town and a city has a puppet theatre, some subsidized, some not. Puppetry is in full blast over there, and it is at a high level too. Bulgaria, another neighbour of Serbia, even has a program at the University of Sophia, dedicated to puppetry, and I know a wonderful puppeteer here in Vancouver area who actually received a masters degree in puppetry, and who performed all over Europe. She cannot believe how hard is to sell libraries, day cares and schools on paying for a puppet show. No one seems to see the value of puppetry (while my boyfriend, a magician, is making very nice living out of magic shows, and getting paid 4 times more per gig than I do!). I guess we should thank all the librarians who, when I call them to offer a show, tell me that "they do their own puppet shows," for showing people what puppetry could be when done on a side. Once people see a show of a poor quality, that's what they think puppetry is. Not to mention that getting a grant for a puppet show seems to be a real venture. I was turned down just recently with an explanation that "a puppet show does not have same artistic merits as a composition or a paining". !!?? _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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