Beate Droppelmann and Rita Schiller
The Joy of Not Having The Missing!
Before a theatre curtain goes up, there is
always a certain electric suspense! But, The Kasperlbühne Schillerdrops –
The Schillerdrops Glove Puppet Theater –
has turned the magic of waiting into the fun of involvement, for, the joy of it
all are the songs which determine the course of the play, and, these are learnt
by the kids to sing as part of the action. And so, because of all this, when the curtain goes up, there’s a feeling of
high voltage oneness that carries on till the end of the play!
And involvement is the biggest component of
Beate Droppelmann’s and Rita Schiller’s success. The children’s singing is the
one thing that sets their productions apart from the rest. Everyone knows the
traditional puppet shows which demand nothing other than shouting and screaming
and bashing and beating! But, that’s not
all! Another thing that makes their
productions unique are the souls of the puppets. Every single puppet is lovingly created by Beate
and Rita, and, that’s why only these cleverly crafted miniature actors and
actresses are able to perform in these very special pieces, which, too, have
been entirely created and written by Beate and Rita.
And, although each play has its own individual
story, each performance is different! The performances are completely
spontaneous. The puppets, themselves,
although sticking to the story, are
always in charge of that which is spoken, and, only the children decide which
song is the right one!
But, of course, the biggest thing about this
super little theater is the thing that nobody sees! Children never miss that which is missing,
and the thing that’s missing at Kasperlbühne Schillerdrops is the traditional
aggressiveness of Punch and Judy! No kid
goes scarily home for their tea after
singing and laughing! The only message
they take is one of great joy and the hope to see it all once again.
And, if you are in Vienna on the 16th
of June of this year, the Kasperlbühne Schillerdrops is putting on a show, Kasperl und der
Entfernte Krokodile, at the Kabelwerk in the 23rd district. Start 16.00hrs. All kids, no matter how old, are welcome.
Nj.
Lochinvar - Pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES
Lochinvar
by Sir Walter Scott
Verses 1 and 2
O, YOUNG Lochinvar is come out of the west,
Through all
the wide Border his steed was the best;
And save
his good broadsword he weapons had none,
He rode all
unarmed, and he rode all alone.
So faithful
in love, and so dauntless in war,
There never
was a knight like the young Lochinvar.
He stayed
not for break, and he stopped not for stone,
He swam the
Eske river where ford there was none;
But ere he
alighted at Netherby gate,
The bride
had consented, the gallant came late:
For a
laggard in love, and a dastard in war,
Was to wed
the fair Ellen of brave Lochinvar.
To be
continued.
