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Puppet - Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre, Aspasia, 1960s
Reg. No: SH 911437
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- Summary:
- This puppet was made in the 1960s by the Greek puppeteer and popular artist Abraam (Antonakos) in his Athens workshop, and used in performances in Greece during the 1960s. This and most of the puppets in the collection were brought to Australia by Abraam Antonakas for his performances at the Astor Theatre in Melbourne in 1977. He then left the collection with Dimitri Katsoulis who used them in all his subsequent performances in Victoria and in South Australia from 1978 to 1991. Dimitri Katsoulis migrated to Australia in 1974 to escape a regime that repressed Greek artists. He had trained in Greece with theatre and film companies as an actor and technician. A master of the traditional Greek shadow puppet theatre, his performances explored contemporary issues such as the isolation of migrant women and children. Unable to obtain funding and support, he returned to Greece in 1991, leaving his entire collection to the people of Victoria. It includes 32 shadow puppets and around 170 props, set backdrops and technical tools and stage equipment. Dimitri has since returned to Melbourne and assists the Museum to continue to document this rich art form within both local and international contexts.
Aspasia is a character in the centuries-old Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre (Karaghiozis) tradition.She is kind, polite, obedient, ethical and compassionate. Dimitri Katsoulis only used her in comedies. In the comedy 'Karaghiozis the Brave' Dimitri used this puppet as old man Stavridis' daughter instead of Eleni [another Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre character]. In that story, old man Stavridis does not want his daughter to marry her beloved Dionisios because he suspects he is an opportunist and gold-digger. He engages Karaghiozis as his servant and hired thug, but tells his daughter that he has only hired him as a servant. She becomes suspicious and extracts the truth out of Karaghiozis, that is, that he has been ordered to beat up and scare off Dionisios when he comes to serenade Aspasia. Aspasia bribes Karaghiozis with money not to scare off Dionisios, but to allow him to come into the house. On one of these occasions, a mix-up occurs and as Dionisios is trying to sneak out of the house, he bumps into old man Stavridis. He becomes furious, but Karaghiozis intervenes and persuades the old man to give him permission to marry his daughter. Aspasia is a secondary puppet. The puppeteers who use her identify her by any Christian name they wish.
The puppet is manipulated by a puppet rod [there are many examples in the collection] mounted at the top of its shoulder.
Information supplied by Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre master Dimitri Katsoulis, 2007. - Description:
- An acrylic figure of a woman, jointed at the waist. She has blond hair and wears a green contemporary-style dress with pink sleeves.
| Discipline: | History |
| Dimensions: | 63.00 cm (Height), 21.00 cm (Length) |
More information
| Tagged with: | cultural maintenance, greek communities, greek immigration, karaghiozis theatre, shadow puppetry, theatres, working life |
| Themes this item is part of: | Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre - Dimitri Katsoulis, Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre - Lighting Technology, Greek Shadow Puppet Theatre - History, Cultural Diversity Collection, Migration Collection, Working Life & Trades Collection |
| Primary Classification: | CULTURAL IDENTITY |
| Secondary Classification: | Ethnicity - Creative Practice |
| Tertiary Classification: | puppetry |
| Artist: | Mr Abraam Antonakos, Athens, Greece, 1960-1969 |
| User: | Mr Abraam Antonakos, Athens, Greece, 1960-1977 Abraam made the puppet in Greece, and used it in performances during the 1960s and 1970s; and then in Victoria in 1977. |
| User: | Mr Abraam Antonakos, Victoria, Australia, 1977 Abraam made the puppet in Greece, and used it in performances during the 1960s and 1970s; and then in Victoria in 1977. |
| User: | Mr Dimitri Katsoulis, Australia, 1978-1991 Dimitri was given the puppet by Abraam in 1977 and then used it in his performances in Australia until 1991. |
| References: | http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/#; Malkin, Michael, R. Traditional and Folk Puppets of the World, A.S. Barnes & Co., Inc., N.J., 1977; Simmen, Rene, The World of Puppets, Elsevier, Phaidon, London, 1975; Hogarth, Ann & Bussell, Jan, Fanfare for Puppets!, David & Charles Publishers Ltd, USA, 1985; Yayannos, A & Ar and Dingli, J. The World of Karaghiozis, 1976 |
Themes
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