Ben, the Bear
and the Dream Fish Riders
and the Dream Fish Riders
An internationallycomprehensible,
poetic puppet pantomime accompanied by the music of Gregory Charamsa.
Dreamed up and created, staged and
played by Marlene Gmelin and Detlef Schmelz.
Content
At the beginning we hear lively circus music. The circus director appears on stage, welcomes the expectant audience and – cancels the performance: "There are no artists …"
At the last minute Ben the Bear shows up and offers the surprised circus director to round up animals from all over the world.
For a circus you need elephants from Africa. Creatures from the land of red dawn, koalas and kangaroos from Australia, penguins from the Antarctic, coyotes from America's wild west and a unicorn from the large European lilac forests.
Ben visits all continents and discovers the different animals, watches them and takes them with him on his journey.
From one country to the next the vehicle he travels on – a fish-ship – gets more and more crowded until finally it looks like Noah's Ark.
Upon his return he meets a bear in the circus that mournfully plays his violin. However, the mood quickly changes: the show can begin. In the circus the animals put on a surprising, enchanting and very poetic performance.
The elephant dances a waltz, the penguin plays the barrel organ, the coyote does gymnastics on the trapeze, the kangaroo juggles, the koala walks on stilts and the unicorn appears at Moon Lake. Highly comical scenes alternate with scenes full of charm and grace.
How to play
The performance is staged with puppets between 30-60 cm on a stage lined in black. The players also wear black and stay in the background. The performance takes place on the stage floor.
Light is used in such a way that different scenarios are created. The pantomime ist the center of attention. Very few props are needed, the stage setting is scant.
Content
At the beginning we hear lively circus music. The circus director appears on stage, welcomes the expectant audience and – cancels the performance: "There are no artists …"
At the last minute Ben the Bear shows up and offers the surprised circus director to round up animals from all over the world.
For a circus you need elephants from Africa. Creatures from the land of red dawn, koalas and kangaroos from Australia, penguins from the Antarctic, coyotes from America's wild west and a unicorn from the large European lilac forests.
Ben visits all continents and discovers the different animals, watches them and takes them with him on his journey.
From one country to the next the vehicle he travels on – a fish-ship – gets more and more crowded until finally it looks like Noah's Ark.
Upon his return he meets a bear in the circus that mournfully plays his violin. However, the mood quickly changes: the show can begin. In the circus the animals put on a surprising, enchanting and very poetic performance.
The elephant dances a waltz, the penguin plays the barrel organ, the coyote does gymnastics on the trapeze, the kangaroo juggles, the koala walks on stilts and the unicorn appears at Moon Lake. Highly comical scenes alternate with scenes full of charm and grace.
How to play
The performance is staged with puppets between 30-60 cm on a stage lined in black. The players also wear black and stay in the background. The performance takes place on the stage floor.
Light is used in such a way that different scenarios are created. The pantomime ist the center of attention. Very few props are needed, the stage setting is scant.
