And so my latest creation made its debut appearance at Swords Castle on Saturday. Layers of hand crafted materials all combined to come to life on the stage found their way to a tent in the castle grounds for all to enjoy. One of my favourite takeaway moments of the day was when I overheard a parent (whose 4 year old was mesmerised) comment to another parent “…amazing how something so simple…”. It delighted and amused me to hear that comment. My impression was that she found it fascinating that something made from such simple materials could seize and hold the attention of so many children. Or perhaps she felt it was the idea that was simple? I guess I’ll never know. But simplicity is definitely something I strive to return to.
The sock puppets were also a big hit. Again, so simple: Get sock, add eyes and mouth, leave lying around for kids to pick up and play with. The ways they entertained themselves with these socks was endless! And when Mabel, my dear Wolfe-cat puppet joined in, the fun really started!
For me, the beauty of Teatrino Meccanico is that it keeps playfulness at its core. In my humble opinion, and from memories of how I played as a child, children don’t need complicated sophisticated inventions to have fun. I don’t see my theatre as a complicated sophisticated invention. Yes, it took time to build, and a lot of imagination, some skills and the willingness to teach myself basic engineering by messing around with bits and bobs. But that doesn’t make it complicated. Just, well, a bit time-consuming! But time spent building these mechanisms, sets and puppets is never time wasted. I am playing whilst I build, and in doing so I am always focussed on how a child might want to play and interact with what I create. I invited visitors to turn the wheel and move the boat from side to side, to pick up the baby animal puppets and pop them in their beds at the end of their journey….and yes, its simple. Getting baby animals from one side of a forest river to another in a boat. Sure what else would you rather be doing?