Winnie-the-PoohRecycled puppetry performance based on the motives of A. A. Milne, length 30 min

The protagonist of the performance is Eeyore, a tailless donkey celebrating his birthday in his house. In a room full of objects that carry memories of one kind or another, the adventure of the main characters from a well-known story collection slowly begins to unfold. Pooh, Piglet and Tigger set off in search of the perfect present for their friend, who at first glance doesn't seem to like or want anything. And although, as Tigger says, "sometimes it's hard to love when you're missing what's necessary ", the gang put their heads together and, with imagination and compassion, transform Eeyore's sad refuge into a place of friendship and love.

This is the puppet directing debut of Benjamin Zajc (LGL's in-house dramaturge) as part of the BiTeater programme. Based on A.A. Milne's famous stories, the production emphasises the perspective of the donkey Eeyore and speaks about building trust, while breaking away from the popular imagery through which we usually see Pooh and his friends - in this children's performance the girl becomes Pooh, Tigger speaks through the plush bunny and the multifaceted forest shines through the multitude of objects that through association now become roots, now become the cutest cupcakes.

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

The puppetry performance Winnie-the-Pooh was created by reusing puppets, objects and scenic elements that were made for earlier performances of Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana but not used. Zajc's basic idea for the production stems from the fact that theatres produce a lot of waste every year and with every new production, while rarely reusing materials in subsequent productions - set elements, props and puppets often end up in the bin or get caught in the interstices of theatres. And just as Milne found the sources of his writing in his son's toys, Zajc and his creative team have created the space of their performance through the puppets, which were waiting in various corners of Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana and for one reason or another never experienced the performance for which they were made. Milne's canonical collage of different characters and stories is thus woven into a collage of various scenic elements, visual images, objects and materials that would otherwise either end up in the rubbish or remain on the shelves. Milne has given his Christopher’s toys another life, while the creative team of Winnie-the-Pooh gives the rejects from Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana a chance at life.

The production features unused puppets by Alena Pavlović from The Seamstress of The Mist (dir. Tamara Kučinović, 2021) and Jakub Šulík from In Good Hands (dir. Jakub Maksymov, 2024). Eeyore's costume was created as a collage of costume remnants from Macbeth (dir. Matteo Spiazzi, 2023) and A Doll's House (dir. Yngvild Aspeli, Paola Rizza, 2023). The set design consists of the constructions of Sara Slivnik's exhibition for the production Still Life (dir. Tin Grabnar, 2020) and various objects that the creative team found in hidden corners of Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana - including a plush bunny that will play the role of Tigger and the magnetic footprints of Igor Šinkovec from the production Bear and Piggy (dir. Marko "Mare" Bulc, 2024). 

Premiere: 24 October 2024, Small Stage LGL

Benjamin Zajc (1997) is a dramaturge, critic and performer. In 2022, he earned his Master’s degree in Dramaturgy and Performing Arts and commenced employment at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. His work as a dramaturge primarily involves puppet productions and original performance art. His insights on the performing arts are frequently featured in various professional journals, publications and theatre programmes. Additionally, his reviews can be found on various web portals, including his current contributions to the daily newspaper Delo. 

BiTeater has long been a programme set of Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana. The programme has to some extent changed its focus over the years, but has always maintained the nature of a platform intended for young theatre creators, providing them with opportunities for their artistic development and creation. This will continue to be the case in the future, although BiTeater performances will now put a greater emphasis on the puppetry medium, which Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana perceives as including very broad forms and ideas. The performances created within the BiTeater programme will continue to be conceived as solo projects or performances involving a small number of performers, centred around a young theatre artist, who is the architect of the idea and (often but not necessarily) also one of the performers. BiTeater is a programme set that encourages the upcoming generation of theatre artists to enter the world of puppets and puppetry and find their own original puppet expression as directors, actors, visual artists, costume designers, set designers, dramaturges...