KATIA DAKROUB

“I think I’m very special because I’m working in theatre. I’m proud of it, I love it! I hope all people love their work, it’s very important.”

For the past 11 years, Katia Dakroub (39) who originates from St. Petersburg (Russia) has been living in Lebanon, teaching at the Lebanese University’s drama department, as well as working with her husband Walid Dakroub, a scenographer and Beirut-based puppet theatre troupe Khayal.

“I’m an actress and perform at times and I sew the outfits for the puppets,” she explained. “My husband works a lot for TV shows, some local and also sometimes for Qatar or other Arab countries. I can do everything with my hands – I’m from Russia, we can do a lot of things, just show us once and I can do it!”

Dakroub indeed boasts a number of skills: Though Russian by birth, she speaks fluent Arabic and even knows how to switch into different Lebanese regional dialects. Given that the troupe she’s affiliated with moves around a lot, she has seen all Lebanon and performed in venues from north to south. In addition to this, Dakroub also boasts practical talents:

Like many of her colleagues, she became enchanted with puppets and puppetry from a young age. “As a small girl, I would make small dolls out of fabric that I would sew. These would be cats, dogs and also small people. Then at the age of 10 I went to a children’s theatre, that made me think of going into theatre. Besides attending a “Children for Children” School, she started going to drama school where she did attend classes in acting and puppetry. 

Dakroub who holds a Masters degree, eventually completed a four-year degree in general acting with some acting with puppets, a two-year degree in stage movement in her native St Petersburg. She learnt fencing for the stage as well as stage fight at university, which she thought could help her for her work in Lebanon, which is mostly in academia.

“At university, I teach acting, movement, fencing and etiquette to art, designers and acting students in the drama department-no puppetry. I love to use subjects, maybe like object theatre, and short stories by Chekov. November, December are high season, that is when I work at Khayal a lot otherwise I am more involved at university,” she explained. “I have been working with Karim [her brother-in-law, Karim Dakroub, founder of Khayal] for 11 years.”

Asked about the main differences between puppetry in Russia and Lebanon, Dakroub pointed out that puppet theatre in Russia was puppet theatre; in Lebanon it’s a mix with puppets created for each show.

She also noted that a lot of songs are used in Lebanese productions. “In Russia you can have an entire play without a song except maybe at the end. I was surprised about how prominent music is and how much the public needs music here.”

“It’s difficult for theatre in Lebanon, there is no government support,” Dakroub observed pointing out that while in Russia there was not much support either at least repertoire theatre did get some support, and there were opportunities in cinema and theatre.

“The overall situation and living conditions here has become worse, so it has become more difficult for shows to be sold,” Dakroub underlined. “The last 2-3 years have been difficult maybe there are more companies…?”

Another difference between Lebanon and Russia she highlighted was that in Lebanon, puppet theatre is labelled for children. “In Russia it’s different, there are a lot of plays for adult persons, in Lebanon it’s more difficult [to attract adult audiences]. Our last show was for adults: “Ya Amar Dawe Al Nass” [Full Moon].”

Dakroub is a fan of Collectif Kahraba: “I love Kahraba, I saw them at the festival on the stairs, I love their puppets it’s shadow theatre, it’s beautiful, Eric [Deniaud] can do very beautiful puppets. The show about the Odyssey was very nice, I loved it. All my friends were in this festival and also big puppets.”

Besides straddling academia and working with her husband and Khayal, Dakroub also works with different actors also from other NGOs. Khayal’s productions are for specific ages, some of them with an educational focus, such as “Shou Sar Bi Kfar Menkhar”, which is about noses that leave a village because it has become too smelly. Some of them are purely for entertainment.

“For me it’s very light, all this – I work in hospitals as a clown doctor, I really can give children with cancer joy and light: with all my soul I give everything, I’m not a doctor, I’m doctor clown – it’s different but it’s very important as I can give a part of my heart, I can give smiles.”

Her doctor clown character is called Dr Lamba so Dakroub can light everything: “I have a small hand puppet with me, an owl. Small children sometimes get scared, but there was a young boy in Makassed Hospital, Hassan, who was three years old and he laughed for half an hour. The owl was eating everything, his lunch and even his blanket and his parents told me: he’s been in hospital for 10 days and this is the first time he is laughing!’ I love my character!”

“In normal acting you express – with puppets it’s indirectly; I give my entire emotions, my heart, soul to this small thing. I can be freer in this situation and I can say something that I could not in a normal (stage) situation as puppets they are not shy.”





Lebanon has a small but vibrant puppetry scene, which is made up of more women than men! This is why we thought that women puppeteers should be celebrated on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March and the up-coming International Puppetry Day on 21 March.
Our sample of 10 women working in the field of puppetry each shared their professional trajectory, gave insight into focus of their work, their passions and views on puppetry in Lebanon.
The women puppeteers provide insight into the medley of traditions and styles that have infused the Lebanese scene, the wide array of contexts and purposes in which puppets are being used, created and performed. Not surprisingly they are a reflection of the magic and versatility of the medium – and Lebanon’s diversity.

Discover Women Puppeteers in Lebanon – A series showcasing several artists

Compiled by Nathalie Rosa Bucher for Les Amis des Marionnettes
March 2017

TAMARA KELDANY

“Puppets are so poetic, very therapeutic and a great means of communication.”

Tamara Keldany’s first introduction to the world of puppetry was through the popular German “Kasperle Theater”:

“We always played puppets at home with friends, and friends of my parent’s, both in Berlin and in Beirut, the two cities where I grew up and that shaped me. So my induction into the world of puppetry was quite German. At the time, I was not aware of anyone doing it here [in Lebanon].”

Keldany (52), is the director of Beirut-based puppet company Asdikaa al-Duma/Les Amis des Marionnettes that she founded in 1984. “Having played so much with hand puppets I challenged myself to build a [string] marionette and walked it from home to university. It was great walking the streets with the marionette and interacting with people,” Keldany recalled. “My friends at university loved it and so we soon started building more marionettes, writing scripts and rehearsing a lot to make sure we’d manipulate correctly. Our plays featured five friends coming from the five mohafazat (regions) of Lebanon and solving the problems by being united.”

The self-taught puppeteer is a degreed translator and this is how Asdikaa al Duma started at the University Saint Joseph’s (USJ) Ecole de Traducteurs et d’Interprètes de Beyrouth, (School for Translation and Interpretation).

After nine years of the civil war raging in Lebanon, by 1984 the country was divided and people would be afraid of crossing to other regions. “Nonetheless, we toured in all regions we could reach with our message of “Unity makes strength", performing in Arabic of course, in theatres and other venues and as much as we could also, for underprivileged audiences.”

For the 40 years of UNICEF in 1986, Asdikaa al Duma had the privilege of manipulating the various puppets and marionettes in a TV vaccination campaign for which Paul Mattar wrote a wonderful, very poetic story,  “Hikayat oum Oyoun” about a 40 year-old man called Younes Seif, who went out into the world trying to eradicate illness.

But the happiness of making people happy was stopped by yet another round of civil strife, which tore the team apart, and Keldany (who had also studied marketing) found herself working in Travel Industry Marketing at Eurodisneyland Paris. “It was a great experience, not only the opening of the park and resort, but every single event was a show, a very detailed ‘mise en scene’, and I loved it”.

Back in Lebanon in 1997, by then mother of two kids, who gave her a lot of inspiration, she slowly started reconstructing a Les Amis des Marionnettes team, surfing on the encounters life provided. This time they performed in French because the team members where not fluent in Arabic. “Every change is enriching and we slowly built a new audience”.

“When Tatiana Botcharova joined the team, she modelled these wonderful puppets and we had a lot of fun writing plays,” Keldany remembered. “Between Russian, German, Lebanese and French culture the mix was one of a kind. We felt it was time to switch to Arabic again and we looked for somebody able to perform in Arabic. This is how Fadia Tannir came on board.”

Together with her troupe, Keldany has performed all over Lebanon, in theatres as well as in schools, in closed formal settings as well as open air or during festivals and in refugee camps. She easily switches between languages, able to perform in French, Arabic, German as well as Russian, which also gave the troupe the opportunity to perform in Germany and Austria during festivals in 2010.

Regarding Lebanon’s multilinguism, Keldany pointed out that: “when you perform the play in another language you effectively rewrite the play. You have to adapt, not just translate, especially the rhythm and references and many other things change. It was great performing in German during the festivals in Germany and Austria and our play about “The Colours of Lebanon” really reached its’ purpose”. This, of course, requires linguistic aptitude but also great insight and knowledge of cultural issues and references.

“Puppets can address all the diversity we have in Lebanon and often say things that actors cannot say and it is accepted because it’s just a puppet talking... For example, in our play about the importance of women (Tales from our Villages), there are a lot of things that are said that would be very difficult to say as a person even an actor.”

Besides a repertoire that features original plays, Asdikaa al Duma often collaborates with organisations in awareness raising campaigns. “This play about the importance of women in rural settings was commissioned by the National Observatory of Women in Rural Areas (Nowara) and CTM-Onlus, an Italian NGO that we had already worked with.”

“We use puppetry for awareness-raising. This is our official mission!” Keldany underlined. “People accept puppets more. Puppetry is interactive, it’s live, we can adapt to the public, and since all our plays are interactive and live, we can always answer questions. It is tailor-made it’s easier to take puppets and the puppeteers than actors. And the reach is rather impressive: our play about Water (A la Poursuite de l’Eau) reached over 61,000 spectators.” 

Other subjects the troupe has touched on are respect (L’Elixir du Respect) and civility, highlighting the importance of a clean environment (Histoires d'Arbres), protecting cultural heritage (The Colours of Lebanon), tackling gender issues and taboos, as for example breast cancer (An ounce of prevention). “It is something we don’t speak about,” Keldany pointed out. With reference to International Women’s Day, Keldany added that the troupe often work with women in vulnerable communities to sensitise them.

“Puppets are a superb therapy,” she highlighted. “Seeing that we often engage with the audience and we invite audience members to move the puppets, we get strong responses. Some children that did not speak a word suddenly start talking. Women who were silent and never share their worries suddenly let out all they have been holding back. I also remember a Syrian refugee woman, dressed all in black, drawing only in black who after only three sessions came dressed in colourful clothes and put together a lovely play. This is the best reward we can ever hope for with the work that we do!” 




Lebanon has a small but vibrant puppetry scene, which is made up of more women than men! This is why we thought that women puppeteers should be celebrated on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March and the up-coming International Puppetry Day on 21 March.
Our sample of 10 women working in the field of puppetry each shared their professional trajectory, gave insight into focus of their work, their passions and views on puppetry in Lebanon.
The women puppeteers provide insight into the medley of traditions and styles that have infused the Lebanese scene, the wide array of contexts and purposes in which puppets are being used, created and performed. Not surprisingly they are a reflection of the magic and versatility of the medium – and Lebanon’s diversity.

Discover Women Puppeteers in Lebanon – A series showcasing several artists

Compiled by Nathalie Rosa Bucher for Les Amis des Marionnettes
March 2017

MARIELISE YOUSSEF AAD

“What was very moving working with the Masassit Mati team was the passion and love the Syrian artists had despite the terrible situation they were facing. Their tool was their profession and freedom of expression and dignity was at the core of the work.”

Like most of her fellow puppeteers, Marielise Youssef Aad (32) who comes from Al-Qaa, a small village in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in the very north of Lebanon, fell for puppets at a young age.

“I was a very playful child, puppets and objects were fantastic to me and I was fascinated by how the world they create is wide and free,” she explained. “As a child, I watched a play in Al Rabita Al Thakafiya in Bkennaya (near Jal el Dib). I have no idea who they were they or what the play was about, but I remember a window that opened from which a puppet appeared with music in the background – it was a magical moment!”

“My first professional encounter [with puppetry] was within the Lebanese university curriculum: a course by Karim Dakroub.”

Since then, Aad went on to graduate from the Lebanese university’s Institute of Fine Arts with a major in theatre and is currently pursuing a Masters at Saint Joseph University (USJ), also in theatre, which she expects to complete by 2018.

She presently works as an actress, puppeteer and clown doctor and is a member of Ibtissama association as a clown doctor. “I have previously worked with Khayal, Catharsis: Lebanese Centre for Drama Therapy, Dar el Aytam, Ettijahat – Independent Culture, Marhabtein, Masasit Mati, the American University of Beirut (AUB) theatre initiative and many other associations, troupes and cultural structures.”

Aad who performs in Arabic, French and English has also participated in the highly satirical Syrian puppetry project Masasit Mati, a significant and certainly the most political puppetry show to come out of the region in the past five years. The rowdy, forthright finger puppets deliver a blistering commentary on Syria and have been shared widely, effectively becoming an Internet sensation. A series of five episodes of Top Goon Reloaded: Intimate Diaries of Evil were commissioned by and showcased during the Shubbak Festival in London last year.

Quizzed about puppetry in Lebanon, Aad argued that puppeteers were faced with the same challenges as any other performers in Lebanon, adding that artists today face an international agenda and speed of production. When it comes to women, however, she suggested that: “it’s about the skill and not the gender.”

The performer concurred with her colleagues, arguing that it is usually labelled as a form of children’s entertainment. “But efforts to change this perspectives are starting to be effective. I can mention Landscape of our Tears (”Paysages de nos larmes”) by Collectif Kahraba and Maasati (One Puppet Show) by Issam Bou Khaled. Audiences in Beirut responded well to both plays.”

“I used to admire the sensibility of Collectif Kahraba’s work and so I felt honoured to be solicited to collaborate with them and become a member of this group,” Aad put forward. Besides following some of the local and regional productions, she is a great admirer of Philippe Genty’s work and South African puppetry performance and design company Handspring Puppet Company.

Lebanon has a small but vibrant puppetry scene, which is made up of more women than men! This is why we thought that women puppeteers should be celebrated on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March and the up-coming International Puppetry Day on 21 March.Our sample of 10 women working in the field of puppetry each shared their professional trajectory, gave insight into focus of their work, their passions and views on puppetry in Lebanon.
The women puppeteers provide insight into the medley of traditions and styles that have infused the Lebanese scene, the wide array of contexts and purposes in which puppets are being used, created and performed. Not surprisingly they are a reflection of the magic and versatility of the medium – and Lebanon’s diversity.

Discover Women Puppeteers in Lebanon – A series showcasing several artists

Compiled by Nathalie Rosa Bucher for Les Amis des Marionnettes
March 2017

FADIA TANNIR

“The difference between theatre and puppetry is the way one can express things: When I manipulate a puppet and it is surprised, the eyes would come out of the face – the greatest actor or actress cannot do this! The head of a puppet can turn – a puppet has no limits.”

Fadia Tannir’s first memories of puppetry go back to her childhood in Beirut.

“My parents took us to the theatre. I remember Chouchou [famous Lebanese actor and comedian] and I got to see performances for children and adults – I must have been around 8 or 10 at the time,” the actress and puppeteer recalls.

“I also got to see Sabah and Fairuz. I loved going to the theatre! I can still remember Chouchou’s theatre, the stairs and a big poster of Chouchou. At the Picadilly [a famous venue for cinema, theatre and plays in Hamra] there was a large picture of Fairuz. Going to the theatre or cinema was THE outing (at the time)!”

Tannir (54) would go with her parents, her mother or her siblings. As the youngest in the family, she would stick to her brothers and sisters and tag along, usually to the city centre or Hamra.

Drawn to the world of theatre from a young age, Tannir decided to study dramatic arts at the Lebanese University and subsequently participated in diverse range of workshops and trainings, focusing on commedia dell’arte, Butoh [contemporary Japanese dance] and clowning. She also spent time in France participating in workshops as well as in Krasnodar (Russia) in 1990 where she did an internship in puppetry at a puppet theatre. 

While previously a member of the dance troupe Studio 11, Tannir presently is a member of Kawalees [Theatre of the Oppressed] Compagnie, in Lebanon and works with Asdikaa al Dumaa of which she is a partner.

“It all started in 1986. We were just a group of friends, it was my first year of university and we set up this small group, making puppets at the Russian Cultural Centre (in Beirut). It was for children who would come to the centre.”

“And even at Fox&Frog Kids Club, where we play on weekends, a mom came up to me and asked me: ‘Did you use to do puppetry at the Russian Cultural Centre? I used to go there!’ And now I’m happy that her child, a new generation, enjoys puppetry.”

Tannir firmly believes that the effect puppetry has surpasses that of TV, cinema and theatre. “Take shadow theatre – it’s live in front of you, there is a magic effect, especially when there are colours and beautiful shadow figures. Shadow puppetry spurs the imagination. Puppetry does so too but shadow puppetry takes you further.”

“That said, I love all kinds of puppets,” Tannir concedes. “I love the mix, the different styles. I’m proficient in all styles but there is none that is my specialty.”

“I believe I brought all my know-how and experience gained as an actress and puppeteer to Asdikaa al Duma, which I joined in 2003. Back then they performed in French. We subsequently started working in Arabic and got to meet new audiences.”

Tannir loves working with children and it shows-they usually trail her after performances. “Children are more free than we are, and simpler,” she said. “I like being a child. I don’t feel my 54 years as I am always surrounded by children. I play with them and sometimes people don’t take me serious because I don’t act according to my age,” she adds laughing. “You stay a child when you are with children. There are adults who are too adult. They lack a certain lightness…”

“In our work, we try to add value, to do well. We talk about things that people do wrong and try to bring about behaviour change in the children we meet in order to improve the future. The message is clear – all we do and we have done – it reflects on our future. If you don’t want this future, I ask them: so what do we do? If you don’t like it-then you must do something! Don’t wait on the government-no! You have agency-you can do something.”

                                                                                

Tannir gladly recounts how some parents have told them that their children scold them when they waste water and that in some schools children have stopped littering. “It takes a lot of time to change behaviours…”

Lebanon has a small but vibrant puppetry scene, which is made up of more women than men! This is why we thought that women puppeteers should be celebrated on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March and the up-coming International Puppetry Day on 21 March.
Our sample of 10 women working in the field of puppetry each shared their professional trajectory, gave insight into focus of their work, their passions and views on puppetry in Lebanon.
The women puppeteers provide insight into the medley of traditions and styles that have infused the Lebanese scene, the wide array of contexts and purposes in which puppets are being used, created and performed. Not surprisingly they are a reflection of the magic and versatility of the medium – and Lebanon’s diversity.

Discover Women Puppeteers in Lebanon – A series showcasing several artists

Compiled by Nathalie Rosa Bucher for Les Amis des Marionnettes
March 2017

RIMA MROUE

“With all the challenges puppetry is facing in Lebanon, we were still able to see several puppet companies surfacing in Beirut.” 

Rima Mroue (45), a puppet designer and puppet maker, originally from the south of Lebanon but born and raised in Beirut, also fell under the spell of puppets at a young age: “I watched a puppet show when I was a child in Bulgaria. I was fascinated with the world of puppets and how alive they were.

“Since I was a child my parents discovered my passion and talent for music, drawing, sculpting and crafting. I always wanted to be a puppeteer.” “I travelled to St. Petersburg where I attended a special course at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinematography in Puppet Theatre Technology and upon my return my first project was participating in the puppet making for Tamboury Labes Hafy [name of a play] with Al Firqa al Lubnaniya lil Duma/ La Troupe Libanaise des Marionnettes. After that I decided to pursue my studies in Tashkent in puppet theatre.”

Since obtaining a Master of Actors Diploma for Puppets Theatre from Tashkent State Artist Institute (Uzbekistan) in 1997, Mroue has been working with different NGOs and associations but is not a member in any. She performs in Arabic and English and like her colleagues, deems Lebanon’s multiculturalism to be a great advantage. 

Mroue has participated in many children workshops with different NGOs and organizations in Lebanon, Oman and Egypt since 1991. 

“I have worked with major TV stations in designing and making puppets for several children’s TV programmes including Al Jazeera Children, Al Jazeera Baraem, Abu Dhabi TV, New TV, Future TV and ART. I have also worked closely with famous directors in designing and making puppets for many children plays including the Lebanese Puppet Theatre, Gerard Avedissian, Emilia Abi Saleh, the Pre School Department at the Lebanese American University (LAU) and many other projects including on the set construction of two projects for Caracalla Dance Theatre.

Among the many children workshops with different NGOs and organizations she has either participated in or led in Lebanon, Oman, Egypt and the UAE are the Association of Ibrik El Zeit Atelier, Dubai Shopping Festival, and a puppet making workshop with Metropolis Cinema in Beirut. “I was also invited by the Arab Puppet Theatre Foundation (APTF) to participate in some of their Youth Residencies and teach how to make different types of puppets, which then used in a stage performance. In Oman I participated in a project with the Ministry of Education to teach elementary teachers how to make their own puppets and use them in the classroom.”

When asked what she considered to be the challenges posed to puppetry in Lebanon, Mroue was unequivocal: “It’s the economical situation. I personally had to start a second career to be able to maintain a regular source 

Lebanon has a small but vibrant puppetry scene, which is made up of more women than men! This is why we thought that women puppeteers should be celebrated on the occasion of International Women’s Day on 8 March and the up-coming International Puppetry Day on 21 March.

Our sample of 10 women working in the field of puppetry each shared their professional trajectory, gave insight into focus of their work, their passions and views on puppetry in Lebanon.

The women puppeteers provide insight into the medley of traditions and styles that have infused the Lebanese scene, the wide array of contexts and purposes in which puppets are being used, created and performed. Not surprisingly they are a reflection of the magic and versatility of the medium – and Lebanon’s diversity. 

Discover Women Puppeteers in Lebanon – A series showcasing several artists

Compiled by Nathalie Rosa Bucher for Les Amis des Marionnettes

March 2017