by Mirela Sandu Gheorghiu, photo: Ana Maria Cucută Sandu
In a festival that celebrates the dialogue between artistic forms, spaces, and dimensions, “Box Theatre” arrives as a delicate and emotional surprise. A type of performance that is not shouted, but whispered. One that has no curtain, but a tiny door through which the viewer enters a magical world – lived on a small scale, but with full intensity.
Created by Ana Maria Cucută Sandu, Box Theatre blends two rare theatrical forms – Toy Theatre and Lambe-Lambe – to offer audiences, especially the youngest ones, an intimate, personal experience, completely different from traditional theatre.
“I fell in love with miniature theatre back in 2015,” the artist confesses. “I looked for a way to make it accessible to children, and I found it in Lambe-Lambe: a type of performance that takes place inside a box, for only one spectator at a time.”
Today, Box Theatre consists of three visual stories, each with its own box: The Goat and Her Three Kids, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White. Each child can choose which story they want to watch, sits on a small staircase, puts on headphones, looks through a tiny window – and becomes immersed in a world entirely their own.
“It’s a very personal experience – they’re not influenced by others, they don’t look at their mom to check if it’s okay to laugh. It’s just them, the story, and the magic happening before their eyes.”
The box becomes a complete theatre: set design, lighting, costumes, and miniature puppets – all handcrafted by the artist-puppeteer. Alongside Alexandra Postolache and Octavia Gheboianu, Ana Maria manages to reach several children at once, offering each of them a different story. And because the performances are accompanied by audio recordings and sound through headphones, the young spectators are completely immersed in the story – with no background noise or distractions.
Audience reactions have been both curious and enthusiastic. Many children wanted to watch the same story multiple times, captivated by the magic of the miniature universe. Some were eager to uncover the “behind-the-scenes” of the performance, closely observing the puppet movements and the mechanisms behind the box. Even the youngest spectators – just 2 or 3 years old – followed every detail with keen attention.
At first, parents watched from a distance, not quite understanding what it was all about, but as they came closer and the format was explained to them, they became increasingly intrigued – some even expressing the desire to experience the box theatre for themselves.
“Box Theatre” is an experience of closeness, a form of introspection for children, a space where theatre becomes refuge, play, and wonder.