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