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