Gulliver

Julian Strøm played the role of Gulliver. He was a very experienced actor and genuinely interested in puppetry. In 1953, he became the leader of the puppetry at Folketeatret, and in 1959 he became an employee of Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre), when Folketeatret and Det Nye Teater joined forces and became Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre). In 1966, the puppetry division moved into facilities of its own at Oslo City Museum in Frogner manor, where it stayed until the spring season of 1968. A labour conflict resulted in the puppeteers having to leave their jobs, as artistic director Toralv Maurstad did not want to give them the right to contracts as actors (A. Helgesen 2003:356-359).

One of the photos of this production shows Birgit Strøm interacting with two of the puppets. She had several roles in this production, but which are no longer known. 

SOURCES:

Helgesen, Anne M.: Animasjonen - Figurteatrets velsignelse og forbannelse. Norsk Figurteaterhistorie (literally: Animation - The blessing and curse of puppetry. Norwegian Puppetry History). Dr. Art. thesis in theatre theory, 2003, UiO. 

Encyclopédie Mondiale des Arts de la Marionette, UNIMA, édition L'entretemps, 2009. 

Donated by: Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre). Transported 24.03.2020.

The texts are based on photo documentation, as in texts about several other productions at Folketeatret in the first years.

Simple glove puppets are shown in the photos. The three rounded heads, shaped like spheres, were likely made of a synthetic material, similar to Styrofoam balls of the kind that can be bought in craft shops. They may have been covered by thin, elastic cotton, or the heads could have been painted directly on them. The costumes were sewn in a light cotton fabric, and the hands, looking like mittens without separate parts for the thumbs, were prolonged to allow the hands to form larger and clearer gestures. The hair was made of felt, the eyes were slightly protruding wooden spheres, and the noses were clearly marked.

In this production, the puppeteers were visible, not hidden behind a screen. There was direct interaction between puppets and puppeteers during the performance.

The puppets were simple in construction, a prototype of a glove puppet. On the other hand, at the time, the open interaction between puppet and puppeteer was a new and not established practice, in particular in Norway. The Czech writer Josef Pehr had likely brought the concept from his homeland, that is, the play and the puppets. According to one source, he also directed the production (Helgesen, Anne M. 2003:356). 

In addition to the open interaction between puppeteer and puppet, the photos also show a screen which can hide the puppeteers. The new stage practice with open interaction between puppet(s) and puppeteer(s) was meant to break with traditional fourth-wall theatre, and to lead to liberation of puppetry and the puppeteer. The 1960es was a time of change in puppetry in many countries, and the Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia) was in the forefront.

Josef Pehr (1910-1986) was educated as an actor at The Prague Conservatory (Academy for Performing Arts) in 1942. After the war, he became an employee of the national theatre in Prague, with puppetry as part of his creative work and repertoire. At the theatre's experimental studio, he staged several puppetry productions, in a mix of popular traditions and modern innovation. He also became known for his solo productions with the two popular puppets Doggy and Pepicek, in which he presented simple situations the children could recognise themselves in, and where they could easily relate to the adults. Pehr became popular for his sense of humour and improvisation. During the 1950es, he experimented with the relationship between puppeteer and puppet, and as such, he anticipated the coming theatre revolution. He wrote a number of plays for puppetry, including Gulliver in Glove Puppet Land. (Encyclopédie Mondiale des Arts de la Marionette, 2009:536)