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Interview with Anneta Stefanopoulou, Founder of the Greek Puppet Team Bufos Puppet Theatre


Puppet tradition, which also takes an important place in performing arts goes back to 14th century. Bufos Puppet Theatre is one of the crews that gives the best examples of puppet performances in our ear. Since its establishment in 2011, this Greek crew has had many experiences on the stages ,in the streets  and  different festivals. Bufos Puppet Theatre,which was founded by Anneta Stefanopoulo İn Athens attended in the 4th Puppet Fest  organised in İzmir in March,2018. Buffos Puppet Theatre does not only performs in festivals and events, but also performs as spontaneous acts in streets. You can read the interview we’ve made with the founder of this crew, Anneta Stefanopoulou.

Welcome Anetta! First, can you introduce yourself a bit?

Hello dear neighbors! So, my name is Anneta, I am 38 years old and I study the art of Puppetry since 2000. In the same year I started studying Theory of Theatre in National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Since I was a child, I loved painting and constructing things. I also loved stories and I had a strong curiosity and a vivid imagination about the world that surrounds us, the human creatures and their character, movement and attitude.

What are the things that Kapodistrian Univesity in Athens gained your life positively in general?

The main think that I feel it was important is that through university you can open and deepen your mind and you can practice a critical way of thinking. You find out that there are many aspects on how you understand art and life itself, there is no “correct” way . Through research, you can always deepen your knowledge . That posing questions about everything might be tiring sometimes, but leads you to new paths of thinking.  It also gave me the chance to attend lessons of some great teachers on philosophy and history of theatre, poetry, cinema. Also, we had the chance to have many wonderful books on a wide range of themes.

When did you say that “I will  be a puppeteer” and how did this duration progress?

When I was around 26 years old, the idea became strong in my head. But I didn’t know the way yet about how it could happen. I continued studying puppetry through workshops and making experiments through the exercises we did at these workshops, or by myself in front of the mirror. I started working as a Drama teacher, using a lot the puppet as a tool, so the first practice with an audience was with the help of my students.  Then, my teacher Franscisco Brito, suggested to work for his performance. I started having the first experience on stage. In 2011, when Jovan appeared I managed to work constantly with him on the street, exploring all the small or big issues you have to face in order to be a puppeteer. Breath, eye focus, lip synchronization, weight, rhythm, pause. Also, the way you have to start and end your show, how you must choose and adjust the lights, the way you have to handle the management of your work ect. From 2013, I quit everything else and focused on puppetry. I couldn’t imagine how rich- difficult and at the same time wonderful- experiences this work offers to you.

You established Bufos Puppet Theatre in Athens. Who are the others involved in the team there?

In the show we can see Jovan and two performers, but many friends and family members are behind the three of us! In 2011, my friend and coworker  Lita Aslanoglou told me “Take a puppet and go perform on the street!”. I constructed the puppet and we started performing with my friends Vangelis Adamidis and Agni Papadeli- Rossetou. Soon, my cousin Georges Mitropoulos started performing with me. He is a musician and he offered me a lot of knowledge on this part. Then, Jovan started growing up and I asked some puppetteers to help me. Angeliki Gounaridi, Evgenia Tchihlia and Lita Aslanoglou came to support this project. The last 3 years, we mainly work with Lita for several projects. But there are more people behind him…Our technical support on many aspects all these years is Natasa Stamouli, a childhood friend, who is an architect. My father, Michael Stefanopoulos, who was a captain and loved messing up with materials and constructions inspired us on many aspects. My mother loved our attempt as well and gave us her emotional support and fair critisism. Another friend from school, Danae Stamouli, always gives me a feedback on any idea. Through the years though, many more friends helped us with their photos, videos, booking performances or even with their feedback. I feel Jovan is a personal puppet born under a collective family.

In which places have you experienced to show your plays so far?

We started performing on the street. Soon we went to cafes and bars. We wanted to go where the people already are. Then, we started performing in hospitals and institutes. We performed in houses, as well. We also participated in musical concerts of some great musicians- Dimitris Mystakidis and Eleni Tsaligopoulou. In 2015 I gave some shows at the Off Program of World Puppet Theatre Festival in Charleville-Mézières. After this, we started participating in several International Festivals around the world. The first one was Fimo festival, in Portugal. Since then, we have travelled to more than 30 countries with him, mainly in Europe but also in Turkey, Russia and Korea. We have performed in many scenes, but the scene we love most is always the street.

How was the puppet festival you attended in İzmir in 2018?

It was a beautiful experience. Jovans’ roots are in Izmir, it was like visiting his home town. We love Turkey and its people and it is very moving how attached the people are, even though the politicians try strongly to create “hate”. Izmir Puppet Festival is very rich. Except the numerous performances that it hosts, we had the chance to visit exhibitions and attend lectures on puppetry from people around the world. We also love the city and its people. The connection to the sea, the atmosphere of a constant movement, the traditional products, the sense that the past is present always awakens a lot of feelings and inspiration.

What might be the differences between the performances which you are realizing at street and festivals?

The street is the most powerful and free theatre scene. No one has to stay and watch your show, no one has to pay for it. This freedom of choise, the surprise and happiness you might see in the audience’s eyes, is very moving. The street in Greece might be hard sometimes, especially the last years that people are more stressed and nervours. Sometimes, shop owners or other performers might be rude. Rarely, I had to confront some bizarre stereotypical attitude just because I am a woman and I perform on the street, even though we are in the year 2020! But fortunately this is not quite common. In Nothern Europe, people are more educated about Street Performance. At the festivals, you never have to worry as there is an organisation behind who sets the condition and the audience is prepared for the show.

It seems like Jovan is the shining star of Buffos Puppet Theatre and also he sings rembetiko while performing. Can you tell us more about Jovan?

Jovan appeared somehow by himself! His character and actions were not pre-designed. I constructed the puppet and I went immediately to perform on the street. So, his animation, character and actions are not from the conscious part of my brain. This gave him a freedom to be himself. He built his character with the help of the audience. The people were his main director. He loves communicating with simplicity and joy with them and I think this is one of the reasons why people show interest to him. He also expresses a wide range of feelings. He might feel sad, bored, happy, moved and he tries to be as sincere as possible. The period Ι constructed him, I loved listening to Rebetiko and imagining the people who created it and their lives. They were marginalized and in poverty but this didn’t stop them of being tender and creating high quality music. I also liked how deep feelings appeared from the simplicity of the lyrics.

How is Jovan performing?

Jovan is a tabletop muppet with articulated body. His face and hands are from carved foam and his body from wood and wire. He has some sticks on his hands and feet. He needs two performers to move properly. My hand in in his head, moving his mouth and with the other I move his right hand. The other performer, Lita, has his left hand when he plays the bouzouki and his feet when he walks. It is a mix of muppet, a type of puppet made by Jim Henson, the creator of Muppet Show, and of Bunraku Style marionnets. It is a very old technique that comes from Japan, where there are 3 puppetteers who move a middle sized puppet with sticks.

You also have a workshop for the ones who are interested in making puppets. Are you still working on this issue?

I organize workshops for children and adults but I do not have my own workshop yet. We have done wonderful creations from many techniques- marionnets, bunraku, shadow theatre, black theatre, sock puppets, stop motion puppets and of course muppets!  I have groups only for once or others that we make a project for a whole year. For this year, due to Covid and some really good luck , I have the joy to teach Drama and Puppets in a primary school. This week we did our first constructions and there are a lot more that will follow! It is amazing to see how people of any age materialize their imagination and the freedom of expression our puppets offer us.

Can you tell about rembetiko for the ones who have never heard about this music genre?

A very small description from our Press release is the forward: “Rembetiko is the music genre shaped in the 1920s in Greece by folk musicians and Greek immigrants from Turkey. The lyrics touch the themes of love, joy and sorrow but also reflect the lifestyle of a marginalized subculture, and thus Rembetiko was prohibited for many years before it became popular and widely accepted”. Rembetiko is very popular nowadays. You can find it everywhere and people of any age are attached to it.

How is your life going on recently, especially in the duration of pandemic?

At first, it was very hard to realise that I have to stop working on my field. All of our projects or festival participations were cancelled. We were supposed to go to Turkey, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Italy, Portugal, Korea, but we had to stay at home. Also, the support in the cultural domain in Greece is always in the minimum and with the pandemic, it is like all the people that work in the field of Arts do not exist. We have no support at all. It is very hard. I was quite lucky to work as an usher in Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the summer. It is a beautiful theatre and I have alredy missed a lot being away from the theatre space from March. Now, I work as a Drama and Puppets teacher in the Primary school I mentioned above.  Recently, I had a conversation with my 5 year old godchild and I was explaining to her that for this year I will mainly be a teacher.  It was hard when she asked me “Anneta, why you cannot be a puppeteer anymore?”. Hopefully, the specific school has a very inspiring attitude towards education and the children always offer an optimistic and funny way to see life!

Thank you for everything. Can I get your final words generally?

Thank you too. I hope that we all stay with health and joy in this difficult period of time when we struggle around the world.

Mert Bekçi

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