UNIMA 2012 to host two Iranian puppet shows

TEHRAN,Feb.28(MNA) -- Two Iranian theater troupes will perform puppet shows at the 21st UNIMA Congress and World Puppet Festival which will be held from May 27 to June 3 in Chengdu, China. The Moaser Theater Troupe will perform “Macondo” at the festival. Directed by Azadeh Ansari, the play is based on a story written by the great author Gabriel Garcia Marquez named “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”. The play features the story of a supernatural being in the form of an old man who arrives in an imaginary town, and relates the strange events that subsequently take place and influence the lives of the residents. The Arian Theater Troup will perform a puppet show named “Girls from the Gardens of Carpet” at the festival. The play is directed by Afsaneh Zamani. The puppet show narrates the story of a naughty carpet weaver girl who looses the plan for her mother’s carpet. Anxious to find the plan, the girls painted on the carpets in the garden come to life in the real world to help her. About 60 theater troupes were invited to the festival which will offer 180 performances altogether during the event. The festival aims to display excellent cultural elements, to lead art innovation, to initiate an art gala for citizens, to build a platform for exchange and friendship, and to realize the aims and means of UNIMA. UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette - International Puppetry Association) is a Non-Governmental organization affiliated with UNESCO, which was founded in 1929 in Prague-Czech Republic. In the same year, they had a meeting in Paris. So far, it has 75 member countries.