PUPPET THEATRE PUK (LA PUPA KLUBO
in Esperanto) was founded by the late Toji Kawajiri, the elder
brother of PUK's Artistic Director the late Taiji Kawajiri(1914-1994),
in 1929, the same year as UNIMA foundation. PUK being an artistic
group based on free-expression and anti-war ideals, its activities
were mercilessly opressed and perspected by the authorities of
those days. PUK had to change its name several times and lost
many of its members before and during the World War II.
PUPPET THEATRE PUK started, right after the War , its free artistic
activities and then grew up to be a big groupe of more than eighty
members and owing its Theatre House is actually the meeting place
of puppeteers.
PUPPET THEATRE PUK has three main sections - Puppet Troupe Section,
Theatre House Section and TV Section. These sections are, sometimes
independently, sometimes collaborating each other, organising
various activities.
Several troups, being and small, are permanently touring all
over Japan. PUK goes abroad too. PUK already met people of Romania,
Hungary, Bulgaria, Czecho,Slovakia, Germany, Poland,Australia,
Canada, USA, Mexico and so on.
PUPPET THEATRE PUK started its creative activities with marionette
technique. However, PUK soon enlarged its technical range adapting
hand puppet, rod puppet, shadow puppet, Japanese traditional
puppets and many others so as to puesue a wider possibility of
theatrical expression. As Japan has a long and various traditional
and folk puppetry trends, PUK is very proud of making use of
those cultural treasures in modern creation. |
