WORKSHOP WITH JAPANESE PUPPETEER NORI SAWA

Would you like to learn from Japanese puppeteer Nori Sawa? Would you like to participate on the new street show? The Art of Being Invisible is an extraordinary project introducing a series of workshops focused on designing puppets and discovering the world of Japanese puppet theatre in combination with European puppet tradition. The participants will be given the opportunity to learn to make puppets and eventually take part in preparation of The Art of Being Invisible street performance. The special mechanic of Japanese puppet (25.3.-30.3.2013) During the six days workshop, the participants will be encouraged to design and make their own model of Japanese puppet (head and construction) according to the traditional Japanese technique Bunraku. Neck and head are mobile, then they could show us wonderful possibility of expression. The workshop will take place in MeetFactory each day from 10am-5pm, in a facility specially equipped for puppet designing. Cost: 1.800,-CZK or 75,-€/six days workshop/person. The Art of Being Invisible (2.4.-21.4.2013) The participates of the first part of the workshop will be given the opportunity to take part in preparing Nori Sawa's street performance The Art of Being Invisible and thus discover the process of arranging a theatre performance. Participants will design and make life-sized puppets. Consequently, the very premiere of The Art of Being Invisible will take place in July 2013. The workshop will take place in Prague, in a facility specially equipped for puppet designing. The number of participants is limited. Cost: 3.200,-CZK or 135,-€/person. For more information click here. Nori Sawa Since 1991 Started his professional activities in Europe, selected by The Cultural Ministry of the Japanese Government and supported by The Japan Foundation. By now, performed in more than 25 countries. Taught courses and instructed workshops in many schools and festivals, like DAMU (Academy of Performing Arts)-Prague; The University of Chicago; London Puppetry School and so on. Member of UNIMA (International Union of Puppetry). 1992-93 Performed in "The Babel Tower" produced by IIM (Institut International de la Marionnette), Charleville-Mezieres, France and DAMU-Prague, Czech Republic. 1999 To the performance "Forest" and his global artistic activities, The European Prize "Franz Kafka Medal" was given. 2000-2001 Produced the international project "A Plague O' Both Your Houses !! -Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" with Theatre DRAK, Czech Republic and The Japan Foundation. 2002 Directed "Japanese Fairy Tales" for the children's theatre <TY-JA-TR> in Prague, and given The First Prize of The Prague Children's Theatre Competition 2002. 2003 Prized "Best Performance For Children" to the solo performance "Fairy Tales" in the International Puppet Festival in Ostrava "Spectaculo Interesse 2003", Czech Republic. 2004 Invited to the Stanford University, USA and performed “King Lear”, Also instructed the workshop for students. Performed "FOREST" in The International Puppet Festival in New York, USA produced by The Theatre LaMaMa, etc. and The Jim Henson Foundation. 2005 Wrote, directed and designed the performance in DLO (the municipal puppet theatre in Ostrava, Czech Republic), “Four Fairytales with Wolves behind the Gate” and the show was prized “the Best Design” in the International Puppet Festival in Katowice, Poland. 2006 Toured with solo-show, in Italy, Spain, Finland, UK, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Created puppets for the MGM movie "Hannibal Rising". 2007 Instructed the workshop for making and manipulation of the Japanese Traditional Puppets in PQ (Prague-Quadrennials; International Stage Design Exhibition) for different country’s students. Produced the International cultural and educational exchange program between 
the young artists of Buxton Puppet Festival, UK and the Municipal Children’s Theatre in Sapporo, Japan. 2008 Invited and instructed the Master-Class of “Making the Traditional Japanese Puppet’s Head” in UNIMA (International Union of Puppetry) 2008, Perth, Australia. Had the exhibition of own designed puppets organized by the National Museum of Opava and in the Cultural Center of the Japan Embassy, Prague, Czech Republic. Solo performance “Fairy Tales” was prized “the Best Acting” in the International Puppet Festival in Katowice, Poland. 2009 Created a new show NINJA and some new packages of solo-tour. New tours to Russia and Poland. Price for the Acting Skills and the Original Music on the 16th International Children´s Theatre Festival "Subotica 2009" for "The Legend of the Forest". Created the special TV program with puppets and song "Minna no Uta" produced by NHK, Japan Broadcast Association. 2010 Cooperation with Polish puppet theatre scene: performances on festival ANIMO Kwidzyn, in Festival Gliwice and created the new show with Katowice Theatre "NARANASHI". NINJA had the premier in Tokyo, Japan. The special performance project in Japan, Puppets with the animals in Zoo, and the Opera "Iolanta" (Over 1.500 audience). 2011 Tour to Perm (Russia) - Imatra (Finland) - Katowice and Zywiec (Poland) - Kosice (Slovakia) - Nagano and Tokyo (Japan). Received "the Special Prize of the Agency, European Capital City of Culture, Katowice 2016". 2012 Directing and design "Cinderella" for the Theatre Ateneum, Katowice, Poland. Performed and had workshops in The International Puppet Days 2012, Izmir, Turkey. Tour to USA, Chicago Humanities Festival. Performed and had workshops in The Northwestern University and The University of Chicago. Created a new solo show "Monkey and Crab" and had premier in Europe (Theatre DRAK, Theatre European Regions, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic) and in Japan (Iida Puppet Festa, Japan). Started the special course for "Over 60 years old" participants in Iida, Japan. Directed and design "Fisherman story, Taro URASHIMA" for Yumemi-Trunk, Nagoya, Japan and LGM (Puppet Theatre Maribor), Slovenia.