Workshop
Shadows in Tübingen
from the editorial team
This whole shadow theatre experience in all ways, was about realising one’s own ideas and developing them into a performance finally. After all, the world is your stage. Even for Sabine Effmert and Robert Arnold who conducted this workshop and then performance, from the start of their shadow project till now, or rather from the start of their respective careers in this line of art, till now, it has also all been about realising ideas. Sabine studied figure theatre in Stuttgart and Robert is an actor and director with about 11 years of his experience being at the Zimmer theatre at Neckar. “While Robert works more with dialogues and text, I am more into pictures with my line of art”, are excerpts of Sabina’s words from their full interview that very evening for radio “Wüste Welle” (available on www.wueste-welle.de).
Together, they make the work out between text and pictures, the focus being the children and making things as easy as possible for them. And what brings them together is the fairy tale they present with the above combination. The plan is to continue making a collection of such plays and touring around. The state has also given funds while recognising this as a nice and fun activity 4ALL. Somehow everything is possible when it is 4ALL, starting with the realisation of their dream to living life creating fairy-tales for occasions like this fest or more so in private smaller spaces like they mention in their radio interview. “At some point, I wish to have a farm land with a small barn where theatre plays can happen,” Robert mentions his vision for the future of these lovely artists, who like everyone, will also earn and live with what they do best.
The most interesting for everyone who first heard about this activity in the preview on the Facebook event page was if there existed coloured shadows. While this was a question that also got the adults thinking, the children were the first to realise their dreams with the shadow theatre workshop. Not only did they make figures and even coloured shadows, but the then also showed us all how they looked like. Add a story-line to these creations of the children and a fairy-tale of dimensions was then possible. Robert’s makeshift stage, lights and shadow portrait displaying it all was simply more than enough, with a little more special attention to details, that of course come, only with experience. All else required were the children who were simply overjoyed with their own experiences. And then they were even ready to perform what they had learnt. It was really an experience—4ALL.
