Shows for Shelters
“Mangofriends” are the best kind of friends one can have in Sri Lanka. The puppet society named for them presents puppet plays to communities of children and families that continue to suffer in post-tsunami transitional housing.
How You Can Help
- Donate to sponsor part of a show, a whole show, or any number up to our goal of 30 shows between May 2008 and May 2009.
- If you yourself can’t afford to sponsor shows yourself, you can still help by raising funds to accomplish our goal of 30 shows. Some ideas: Work with your neighborhood or church. Pull together weekly “help parties.” Spread the word. Anything you can do to help will have major impact, even if you don’t immediately see it.
Our goal
Sponsor thirty full-day “Rukadeh” marionette workshops and plays for children continuing to live in temporary tsunami shelters around Sri Lanka. Shows are performed by a traditional Sri Lanka puppeteer team called the Mangofriends Puppet Society. Download and view a short QuickTime movie created by program director Steve Brick (16.7 MB) here.
Cost:
Full-day workshop and show: $650
All 30 full-day workshops and shows: $19,000
Prices include salary, cash allowance, overnight accommodation, food, and transportation for the 15 people that conduct the shows.
Return to supporters:
Donors of $300 or more will receive a digital photo slideshow or video of the production they sponsored, with their name in the “Credits.”
P2P Rescue President Sean T. Kelly discusses the marionette play benefits with Her Highness Alexandra Princess of Denmark during a show sponsored by UNICEF in Katalua, Sri Lanka.
Background
Rukadeh – a traditional Sri Lanka puppet play performed by the Mangofriends Puppet Society — serves as a “relief tool” for all generations, especially for children in tsunami-devastated areas. The peaceful togetherness through puppet play in temporary accommodation engenders a new spirit of community. Because of this community, members are able to acknowledge the trauma they have suffered and face the future positively.
As a result of the shows, trust between transitional housing organizers and the community has grown, leading to better management and cooperation. The proposed play will be held as a two-hour open air show (late afternoon/evening) and features six performing puppeteers and three musicians (tabla, drums, bells, harmonium, flute and violin).
Prior to the performance, one puppeteer and one musician will conduct a two-hour workshop with children, which shows how to create puppets out of basic materials, provides an introduction to puppetry in general, and offers a sing-along to the music.
Malee (Singhalese for “little brother”–a marionette) is the communicator between the performers of he acrobatic and magic shows and the audience. The character shows some tricks and “demonstrates to the
children what can be possible even when you are small: “When Malee can make it – YOU can make it, too!”
Previous experiences have shown clearly that the whole day, including the building of the puppet-stage (five to six hours) and the program itself opens a door for follow-up programs, such as creative and educational programs, relief and peace work, and building multicultural bridges.
The goal of the performances is to strengthen the community, provide positive input, and build morale during a transitional housing situation that may still take years to complete.
Prior Sponsors of Mangofriends Puppet Society
More than 50 full-day workshops and marionette plays have already been performed thanks to the gracious support of individuals and agencies, including:
- UNICEF
- IOM
- Isra Aid
- Danish People Aid
- the late Arthur C. Clarke
- and more