Jury Members

Pam Johnson
theatrical designer
Studio 58
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Anton Backleitner
director, Dusseldorfer Marionetten Theater
Dusseldorf, Germany

Terry Snyder
puppeteer
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.

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Production Title: "Pinocchio"
Premiere Date: 3 December, 2004
at the Martha Cohen Theatre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(Click Image to Enlarge)

Designer's Statement

"Pinocchio's puppet character was designed in a grotesquely neutral manner, to stimulate as much of the audience's imagination as possible. This helped to deconstruct the audience's preconceived, pop cultural relationship with Pinocchio, and return it to the mischievous imp that rampaged through Collodi's original classic. Elements of the set were intended to help illustrate the tension that Pinocchio struggles with, the tight rope between being a puppet and becoming a real boy."

Jury's Comment

"The great variety of the different techniques at play is very special. Besides rod puppets and puppets with mixed techniques, which are carried, pulled over the stage or suspended from above, the actors themselves transform into puppets. The design is not naturalistic, but artistically stylised and very expressive. The unity of thought throughout the production from puppets to sets to lighting is all fully integrated. The whole show is very energetic visually with another surprise to look at around each corner like a fine pup-up book."