Mask Makers web into meditation

Apr 06, 2009   

Invitation and call for speakers for the two-day mask seminar at Teak;

Challenges and horizon of masks in Finnish performances and theatre education,
and the relationship of masks with the text.
Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September 2009,

In conjunction with the international mask theatre festival (Masque 2009), organized by Teatteri Metamorfoosi, which will happen during the same weekend at Stoa (September 24th to 27th), Teak organizes a round table coupled with lectures given by international speakers about this subject.

One aspect of this seminar is to gather the disseminated knowledge of mask acting, mask making in Finland . To identify this area of performance and to present the challenges of it to the other theatre makers and goers who are not aware of such defies.
Paradoxically, theatre was born with masks, but nowadays masks have fallen into a disregarded category which shadows the genuine and compelling forces inscribed in it.
This part of the seminar should check the currently interest and knowledge of masks - mask acting, mask making, mask as pedagogical tool, mask as tool of explorations, mask as performing expedients - in Finland . In these last decades, more or less in all Europe , it is visible an increasing interest in masks, especially for pedagogical purposes. It would be appropriate to check what is this situation in Finnish acting education, to define a panel of mask specialists and as well to inspect what is its echo in the public representations as well, in order to discuss together what could help to open this area of performance to the Finnish theatre.
Moreover Thanos Vovolis, from the Dramatiska Institutet of Stockholm, aims to interview the gathered specialists and this would be a chance to mark and record who can actually help to develop and propel this knowledge in Finland, and furthermore to question how to assist the exploration of this knowledge in this country.


Following the proposal made by Thanos Vovolis, the other aspect of the seminar will focus on “Mask and Text”. Thanos Vovolis suggested to explore the dichotomy text vs. body and questioning if it is an ontological problem or a cultural one, and in this perspective to consider the mask as the bridge uniting this duality; the body with the text.


A third part of this mask seminar will consist in a mask exhibition of 300 leather masks made by the Italian mask maker, Stefano Perocco di Meduna. The exhibition will be held in the lobby of Teak (Tori) and Stefano Perocco will be present as well and will speak about his 30 year long carrier.




Program of the seminar (not yet definitive):

Thursday 24th
Opening of the mask exhibition. The exhibition will last for more or less two weeks and will be included in the festivities of 30th anniversary of Teak.

Friday 25th
Challenges and horizon of masks in Finnish performances and theatre education

Opening the discussion among the invited persons working in the field of mask sharing their goals, difficulties, frustrations and proposition concerning this field.
It is not yet clear how this day will be structured, however it is necessary to have a round table only among the specialists and one discussion open to the public.
Since the international mask theatre festival will bring various connoisseurs of this field (from France , Italy , Czech Republic , Latvia , Sweden ) we could think as well to include them in the discussion. They could present the situation in their own countries in order to compare with the Finnish situation.

The first day will finish with the presentation by Stefano Perocco of his work and his research as a mask maker. Two actors, Marco Sgrosso and Claudio de Maglio, will make bring to live his masks.

Saturday 26th
Mask and Text

Claudio de Maglio (director of the theatre school Nico Pepe in Udine , Italy ) will present the work he was involved in performing Brecht’s texts with masks. Performance directed by Maurizio Schmidt (director of the theatre school Paolo Grassi, Milano , Italy ).

Davide Giovanzana (doctoral researcher at Teak) will present the performance Kalevala dell’Arte. A performance he directed combining the poetry of the Finnish epos Kalevala with the explosiveness of the Commedia dell’Arte. The lecture will be punctuated by some practical demonstrations.
An additional lecture explaining the relationship of Finnish folk culture and masks will conclude this discussion.

Thanos Vovolis (researcher at Dramatiska institutet, Stockholm , Sweden ) Mr Zamboulakis (Greek director) will present a lecture on the "Vovolis-Zamboulakis Method" of working with the acoustical mask of Greek tragedy together with Mr Zamboulakis. They will have an actor with them to demonstrate the work.

If you are interested to participate in this seminar, or simply to attend the debate. please contact:
Davide Giovanzana
davide_giovanzana@yahoo.com

Teatteri Metamorfoosi
Soile Mäkelä
soile@metamorfoosi.com
tel: +358405096708
www.metamorfoosi.com

Posted by  Helge