When art becomes a response to the imbalance in the world

« The world of dolls and objects allows you to see our reality from a different angle. We do not encourage you to flee from reality – we encourage you to stop, inspire and find hope, » the festival organizers said.

International Program – the brightest stars of modern puppet theater

This year’s festival includes as many as 13 performances from Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, France, Norway and Israel, including internationally recognized creators, new artistic form and topical topics.

One of the most significant performances of the festival is Edita and I (Israel/ Norway), directed and performed by Yael Rasooly. It is an intimate performance of one woman in which dolls, songs and objects become a powerful tool to tell about trauma, violence, survival and liberation. The performance is based on the artist’s authentic experience, but his language is universal, poetic, combining humor and tenderness. Édith piaf songs here become not only a symbol but also therapy – a voice that helps to return control where it was deprived. The partner of the performance presentation is Vilnius Theater « Doll ».

Performative installation that you just need to see is the « Little Theater on the Edge of the World – Opus II » (Théâtre de la massue, France). It is a poetic allegory of the modern world, where small dolls live in a world made of rescued items, ropes and wood, and every detail of their action invites the viewer to think about the fragility of matter, human responsibility and hope.

The festival will also feature part of the international project Transport, initiated by Slovenian director Tin Grabnar. A project from Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Poland is exploring the influence of transport on our daily lives and the environment. Impressive hyperrealist miniature scenography and subtle sound compositions here become a thoughtful form of modernity criticism. The festival will feature three performances of the project: « Departure », « Cargo » and « Connecting Flights » (Slovenia, Poland).

Innovation: Performance Evening Post Materia

The festival program will be complemented by Post Materia this year, a one -evening event dedicated to interdisciplinary art, performance, exploration of objects and live action. The program will be attended by: Benas Šarka, Indrė Endriukaitė, Sigita Mikalauskaitė, Ieva Stašelytė, Maria Patokova, Mingaudas Kotryna Zujūtė, Indrė Vėlytė, Kseniia Burka, Thorah Hohberg and others. This evening will become an open space for experiment, surprise and contact between different artistic practices.

Why visit?

The modern man is forced to be information in the noise, surrounded by pessimistic headlines, constantly feeding on the feeling that the world is slipping from under his feet. Materia Magica invites you to stop for a moment, to look at everything through art, to hear stories that – despite darkness – lead to light. 13 festival performances (from intimate mono -performance to visual performances, from sensitive stories for children to conceptual, philosophical staging for adults), puppet film animation program for children, aliaksandros Tratskova (Belarus) miniatures « Invisible » –

Materia Magica International Puppet Theater Festival – April 30 – May 3. In Klaipeda. The organizer of the festival is Klaipėda Puppet Theater. The festival is funded by the Lithuanian Council for Culture, Klaipėda City Municipality. You will find the entire festival program and tickets www.ateriamagica.lt. Follow us on social networks: MATERI MAGICA / PUPPET Theater Festival / Puppet Theater Festival.

Photo by organizers