The Hindu Business Line : Spreading <I>The Enchantment</I>

THE stage was a platform at one end of the central hall of the British Library here. Shelves packed with books formed the backdrop. Three large white circular screens, three powerful flashlights and a hidden CD player were the only props.

But with these accoutrements, a cast of 60-odd shadow puppets and some eclectic music, the Macintyre family created magic as they told a simple story — The Enchantment — about betrayal, love, anger, redemption and forgiveness. The Enchantment is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, specially written to suit the requirements of shadow puppetry, explain Symon Macintyre and his wife, Kim Bergsagel, who are the founders of the Edinburgh-based Puppet Lab.

In India, on the first leg of a `puppetry exploration tour' supported by the Scottish Arts Council, Macintyre and Bergsagel are accompanied by their daughter, Rachael, and son, Ewan. While Rachael is one of the puppeteers, Ewan has composed, and performs, the music for the show and also plays a character in The Enchantment.

The idea behind the tour is to learn about puppetry in Asia, Australia and North America, says Macintyre. So rather than be just visitors, the family decided to take The Enchantment along and wherever possible stage shows as a sort of icebreaker. "Our aim is to meet local puppeteers and people interested in puppetry and the show is one way of doing this," explains Bergsagel. And the responses they've had to performances in Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Thrissur, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram have been quite encouraging.

The Macintyres are also hoping to do a show in collaboration with an Indian partner. While this production is likely next year, the details still have to fall into place. There is, for instance, the matter of finding a suitable story — one that can cross cultures and appeal to audiences in India and the UK, explains Macintyre.

Travelling through the country, the family has also learnt that puppetry has a place in modern India. "There is still a lot of interest in the art form," says Macintyre. Many puppeteers are now trying to tell stories that interest modern audiences, he adds.

At the same time people working with puppets also need to understand that puppetry today is like a business, he says. Being a puppeteer is not just about the creative aspects, but also about administration, audience research, trend spotting and so on, he adds.

From Thiruvananthapuram, the Macintyres travel to Chennai where they will perform several shows over the next week before leaving for Thailand. And for those who want regular updates on the `puppeteers' progress,' log onto the family's Web site www.puppet-lab.com.

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