File puptcrit/puptcrit.0905, message 133


From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 19:09:00 GMT
Cc: LAGOPIPMpeide-AT-qwest.net
Subject: [Puptcrit] GREEK SHADOW THEATER"/Behind the White Screen" book


The Sotiris Spatharis book, "Behind the White Screen" is not terribly long, and setting aside time to read it at the library should be worthwhile for any puppeteer who is unable to acquire a personal copy. I'm sure that both printings of the English translations are out of print.

When I met Sotiris and Eugenios Spatharis in 1965, I was shocked to learn how many Greeks were embarassed by the existence of Karagiozis shadow shows. It made for difficulty for tourists to find performances. At the same time, I met the editor of THEATRE magazine in Athens, who devoted an entire issue to Karaghiozis, his history in Greece, antecedents in Turkey, and earlier generations of Greek performers.  The magazine name in Greek alphabet looked something like TEATPO. I ordered a dozen or so copies to sell through the Puppetry Store at puppet fesivals, hoping to spread the information. 

The Editor was passionate about the importnce of Karaghiozis. Through him, I met and saw performances by Mr Haridimos and acquired both cardboard and leather figures from him. The Editor also translated the dialog for me at a perfomance, but except for the many jokes, much of the plot  did not require translation

 Many of the earliest Greek shadows for Karaghiozis shows seem to have been cardboard rather than the more expensive leather.

Greek shadow puppets of cardboard figures were presented in Greek coffee houses in the United States in both Detroit & Chicago during the 1930's. Paul McPharlin makes reference to these performances. 

Edward Mabley & Bill Duncan, founders of Tatterman Marionettes told me of seeing such a performance in Detroit  while they were in high school.

Some of the figures used in the US had pieces of celophane or stretched crepe paper glued over perforations in the puppets, to add color to black silhouettes.

In Greece, puppeteers developed a metal control rod WITH A HINGE so that with a quick flip, the puppet could face left or right, unlike the Turk prototypes which faced only one direction, and either moved forward or backward to exit the scene.

I inquired where the Greek puppeteers obtained the leather for making shadow figures. The answer: from drum makers. What did they use for coloring the leather? The answer was "Pelikan" which required further explanation---Pelikan Brand (made in Germany so far as I know)  color India Inks, which seems to hold up really well.

In 1965 I discovered one could purchase different script booklets and paper sheets with a wide variety of characters for Karaghiozis shows at magazine and tobacco kiosks. The puppets were printed in color. I don't know if they are still being printed.

 In Los Angeles we had a coffee house called The Intersection" where one could see or learn Greek folk dances. The owner told me that when he was a boy in Greece, he bought similar printed sheets and glued them to cardboard panels. To cut them out, he and his friends placed nails on railroad or streetcar tracks, then filed down the flattened metal to make small chisels. Using them & a small hammer, they released puppets from the cardboard sheets. A lot of effort for kids.

Bil Baird had some Greek puppet character sheets in his collection.

Since my visit to Greece, at least two fat coffee table books have been published there with ample color illustrations. Sadly I don't have copies. But their publication helped elevate the importance of Karaghiozis to Greek culture and folk traditions. Karaghiozis has also appeared on four Greek postage stamps, issued November 15, 1996 (Scott's Stamp Catalog numbers #1852-1855).

The talents of Sotiris Spatharis, Eugenios Spatharis and Mr Haridimos were unmistakable. Through their eforts and the work of other Greek puppeteers, officials finally learned to value a theater form which had been important all along. 

According to the Associated Press news report on the passing of Eugenios Spatharis May 9, 2009, the government of Greece was paying for his funeral May 13. Such official recognition is well deserved.

The news report refers to Karaghiozis shows as a dying art. I hope that the vitality of Karaghiozis will continue to entertain the people of Greece.


-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew
Sent: Monday, May 11, 2009 10:33 AM
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] puptcrit Digest, Vol 55, Issue 11

Alan, I'm inclined to think you're correct about the English spelling of his
name as "Eugenios". The spelling I used was from some of the press reports
about his death and seems to be a widely repeated typo that began with the
AP wire story about his death.

I've wanted to read Behind The White Screen for a little while now. I think
the Toronto library system has a copy in the stack of its Reference Library,
but because they don't have a copy available to loan out you have to set
aside a day at the library to read it.

- Andrew

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 12:00 PM, <puptcrit-request-AT-puptcrit.org> wrote:

>
> Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 02:23:12 GMT
> From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com>
> Subject: [Puptcrit] Evgenios Spatharis, dies May 9, 2009 at age 85
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Message-ID: <BLU111-DAV9DBF022BBC73C98637DE4BC630-AT-phx.gbl>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I may have been misspelling his name since 1965 as Eugenios. I met him and
> his father Sotiris, author of an autobiographical book written on a roll of
> shelving paper at a kitchen table, in his home near Athens. It was at that
> house where I first ate baclava.
>
> The book, BEHIND THE WHITE SCREEN was pubished twice in English, was a
> literary sensation in Greece---it proved a literary surprise because it was
> written in Greek as spoken by ordinary ctiizens, instead of in a lofty
> literary way.
>
> Sotiris made perhaps a dozen or 14 miniature shadow screens, with mini
> shadows cut from index card stock and sewn  on the back of a cloth screen. A
> small electric light was installed inside. The front of the theater was
> decorated with paint with a scene from the repertoire. These were taken by
> his son to Paris where Evgenios/Eugenios  performed for an international
> Theater Festival--( 1965 or shortly before)-where most of the little stages
> were sold. I have one that had remained unsold, (which returned to Greece)
> currently on exhibit at our International Puppetry Museum. The scene
> decorating the front of the mini-stage is "The Revenge of Herodias".
>
> For the performance in Paris, much larger than usual shadow puppets were
> made by Sotiris. In the 44 years since then, I expect that Evgenios/Eugenios
> made many puppets himself.
>
> Both puppeteers were known as among the very best in the profession of
> shadow puppetry.
>
> I lament the passing of a supreme folk puppetry artist.
>
> Alan Cook
>
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