via 31 Marzo 1943, n. 20
Monserrato (CA)
Italy
- Arts
The company cofounded in 1981 by Antonio Murru and Donatella Pau is a cultural presence that has strongly helped to spread and to become acquainted with the puppet theatre in Sardinia, a theatrical tradition till then unknown in the Mediterranean island.
Its main objective are to contribute to preserve the theatrical culture as fundamental experience of socialization and education, especially with regard to the young generation.
Is Mascareddas created twentytwo shows and played in France, Spain, Austria, Tunisia, Argentina, Mexico, Canada and Brazil. The last ones are: “Giacomina e il popolo di legno” (“Giacomina and the wooden people” – 2008), a show with sixty six animated sculptures as a tribute to Eugenio Tavolara e Tosino Anfossi, two figurative artists who in the early ’20s founded in Sardinia a toys design and making laboratory, including mostly turned polychrome wooden manufactures representing folk characters from Sardinian urban, rural and pastoral world;
“Le mosche” (“The flies” - actors and puppets - 2009), a reflection upon contemporary democracies based on the William Golding’s novel “Lord of the flies”;
“A regime di brezza” (“Light breeze” - puppets with out words – 2009), a light meditation upon heaviness of life;
“Doni” (“Gifts” - animation theatre with micro puppets – 2009), based on European and Arabic tales. The show tell about the meaning of the gesture of giving.
In 2010 Is Mascareddas collaborated on an Anthology by Gioachino Rossini’s lyrics “The Barber of Seville” produced by Lyric Theatre of Cagliari. The company created two big puppets and performed along with Lyric Theatre’s Choir.
Besides the production activity, Is Mascareddas plays an important role in the diffusion of puppet and children theatre, by planning and organizing courses and laboratories, festivals and reviews with both Italian and International companies.
The company believe to the social role of theatre and direct its activity to improve the life quality in the territorial contests where it works: from 1987 to 2007 it organised regional circuit of puppet theatre in 40 Sardinian towns having less than 2000 inhabitants. In the 1985 it worked with a group of young boys held in the Quartucciu’s Detention Home and produced “La Giara”. The puppets show based on the homonymous Luigi Pirandello’s novel was played in sardinian theatres and represent one of the first episode when detainees come out from prison, involved in cultural projects.
In 2001 Is Mascareddas created “Il Grande Teatro dei Piccoli”, the theatrical season for children organized for the first time in Sardinia (the eleventh edition in 2010).
Since 2006 the company organize in Teulada (the “International Theatre Festival of Animation in the Mediterranean” Animar (www.animarfestival.it). The project aims to stimulate the tourist development and to improve the cultural offer of the small centre in the Sardinian south west coast.
The others main events organized by the Company:
(1997-2003) 2009: International Theatre Festival of Animation for adults L’altro volto del teatro (Quartu S.Elena and Monserrato, Cagliari)
1994-1996: International Theatre Festival of Animation Al centro del Mediterraneo (Quartu S.Elena, Cagliari). The festival entertained companies from Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Egypt and Mali.
1985-2002: Burattinando in Città, puppet festival (Cagliari)
The most important presences at international festivals:
1991: IX Festival Mondial Des Theatre De Marionnettes (Charleville-Mezieres - France)
1992: VIII Festival Internacional Des Marionnettes (Tunis - Tunisia)
1992: I Festival Internaciònal de Titeres (Buenos Aires - Argentina)
1996: Festival Internacional de Teatro de Titeres (Segovia - Spain)
1998: Rassegna Internazionale di Teatro di Figura Incanti (Torino – Italia)
1999: Festival de Teatre de Teresetes de Mallorca (Spain)
1999: Festival Internazionale Festiteres (Alicante –Spain)
2000: International Puppen Theatertage Mistelbach (Austria)
2001: XIX Festival Internazionale Titirijai (Tolosa - Spain)
2001: Rassegna Internazionale Gijon en el pais de los titeres (Gijon - Spain)
2002: Festival Internationales Figurentheaterfestival Wels 2002 (Austria)
2004: International Puppet Theatre Days – Mistelbach (Austria).
Presentation of Rebecca. Adventures of a chicken
2004: Festival des arts de la marionnette ManiGanses (Canada – Québec)
Presentation of Areste Paganòs and the giants
2004: By invitation from AQM, Association de marionettists québecois, Is Mascareddas worked in Montreal (Canada) on a puppet making and animating workshop for applicant puppet players, under the title La marionette à gaine a l’italienne
2005: Festival Internacional Titerias (Guanajuto – Mexico).
A run of seven successive nights of the show Areste Paganòs and the devil’s flower
2008: X Festival Internacional de Teatre de Teresetes and
2008: XI Fira de Titellaires Romà Martí (Spagna)
Presentation of the show Areste Paganòs and the giants
2009: XVI Porto Alegre em cena (Porto Alegre – Brazil)
- Presentation of Giacomina en voyage - (special set up of “Giacomina e il popolo di legno”)
- Puppet making and animating workshop for applicant puppet players