Profile Water Earth Water

fire
earth
water
Elisabetta Potasso
50 rue Château Landon 75010 Paris France
Phone: 0033.6.64.54.30.47
email: elisabetta_potasso @hotmail.com
Faizaan Peerzada
25-F/3, Block D, National Homes,
New Muslim Town, Lahore - Pakistan
Telefax: +92 - 42 - 5885074, 5885075, 5885079
email: rptw@brain.net.pk
www.peergroup.com.pk
Presentation of the Project
Was created as a memory to celebrate the residency of Elisabetta Potasso, the Italian puppeteer at the
Museum of Puppetry Lahore-Pakistan, from January to March 2004. The production was designed and
constructed by Elisabetta Potasso, in collaboration with Rafi Peer Theater Workshop.
During her stay, getting to know Faizaan Peerzada (the founder of the Puppet Museum and the president of
Unima Pakistan) sharing their experiences in puppetry and theater, both Elisabetta and Faizaan came up
with the idea of creating an intimate performance, full of emotion. With movement, poetry and music, create
a magical thought provoking story. Thinking it to be the best cultural exchange between two artists, who
come from different cultures, different traditions,
two different peoples, believing in two different
philosophies, but artistically so similar.
In this 40 minutes thought provoking
performance, with the message of Peace,
Freedom, and Hope, that humans may grow
and develop in harmony with their environment
and fellow humans.
Two puppeteers give life to one puppet.; Yes it is
possible to bring ones dream alive with one
puppet. It also shows the possibility, with
esthetically well chose, precise movement and
action how a creative artist can express and
communicate their dreams and ideas.
Faizaan Peerzada
Born in Lahore-Pakistan, the son of Pakistan's foremost playwright Rafi Peer, Faizaan began his
career at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in 1977, which he now heads as its Artistic Director.
He has experience in organizing cross-cultural events that the company has arranged with over a
thousand different programs for children as well as adults all over the country. Some of these shows
are pioneering efforts in the upcoming history of the performing arts in Pakistan.
Faizaan Peerzada is a puppeteer with distinction and has been awarded the President's medal for
the Pride of Performance in 2003. He has performed regularly in all the major towns of Pakistan and
in many cities abroad. The puppets have
also given a sense of achievement to
Faizaan as an artist both for stage and
television. He has created more than
2500 puppets for an assortment of
puppet plays, and has produced over
one hundred TV puppet shows as a
director as well as the stage and puppet
designer. He has also traveled
internationally on over 7 major
international tours and festivals with
various productions.
Another major step in the development of
the puppetry art form is the setting of the
Museum of Puppetry in Lahore, of which
Faizaan is the Project Director. This
museum will be the first of its kind across
South Asia.
Faizaan has been the integral driving
force in creating fifteen International
Festivals of Puppets, Theatre, Music,
and Dance beginning in 1992. These
Festivals have had participation from 56
countries, with over 3000 artists
representing over 300 groups. The
Fourth International Puppet Festival
1998 held in Lahore was declared
internationally as the biggest
international puppet festival in the world.
Faizaan has also been a founding
member for UNIMA Pakistan, he is
presently the president, which was setup
on the 15th February 1993.
Elisabetta Potasso
Elisabetta Potasso was born in Italy, but for
some years has been residing in France
and makes artistic works in Paris.
She has formed an Academy of Fine Arts in
Milan that offers a thesis of masters on the
pedagogy of the contemporary art of
puppet.
Her career began as a set-designer, but her
passion for the puppets has transformed
her profession after participating in
numerous international workshop, where
she has learnt different methods of
manipulation and fabrication of the
puppets.
Elisabetta Potasso follows a pedagogy
based on a contemporary registry: the
search of the theatre space, the study of
the movement and the presence of the
puppeteers on the theatre stage. The
theatrical talent has been transmitted to
Elisabetta by the great masters like Alain
Recoing. The passion, the force and the
determination of Elisabetta Potasso makes
her travel around the world and discover
new cultures with only axe: the magical
world of puppets.
The actually political situation in Pakistan
stimulates the artistic growth and this is the
reason she found it an honor to creat the
show “Fire Earth Water” with Faizaan
Peerzada.
The Play
The world came into being with the
union of natural elements, “Fire
Earth Water” and wind. It was these
elements that created the seas, the
sands and life began with the breath
of love.
The Puppeteers give life to a puppet,
to discover the world around it, and to
have a great adventure. Until the
puppet discovers, that the built
environment is taking place of
Nature. Buildings walls and creating
cities in places where these and
flowers grow. Adding multitude of
distractions; the humans are lost and
absorbed in their self created chaos
of life (done in shadows).
Suggesting human beings and the
nature of human beings if the same,
irrespective of race, religion, class or
culture. Humans can love, or hate, all
have dreams and they all want to
achieve many things. Finally saying
that we as humans can not turn back,
therefore we must and can only go
ahead. Facing everyday our own
fears and the problems of this
society. We should not forget who we
are, where we came from and where
we wish to go. We all hope, because
we all have dreams.
The Museum Of Puppetry, Lahore - Pakistan presents
Fire Earth Water
Original idea by Elisabetta Potasso and Faizaan Peerzada
Technical Conditions:
Stage: minimum 2m height, 2m width, 2m depth
Set: 2m height x1.80 m width 80 cm depth
Puppet 60 cm high and manipulated visible
Voice and dialogue live with musical support recorded
Sound and lights supplied from the company
Duration of the show: 40 minutes
Age of the spectator: from 4 to 94 years
Indoor theater darkened and 150 max audience
Set up:45 minutes
Tear up: 35 minutes
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