by Mirela Sandu Gheorghiu, photo: Mihai Bălăceanu
Mirela Sandu Gheorghiu: How did the concept of “Theatre in a Box” come to life? What was the triggering moment?
Ana Maria Cucută Sandu: “Theatre in a Box” is a blend of two types of theatre: Toy Theatre and Lambe-Lambe. I fell in love with Toy Theatre in 2015 — it’s a miniature theatre style, everything happens on a very small scale — and I kept wondering how I could make it accessible to children. At first, I filmed the stories because that was an easy option. Then I discovered Lambe-Lambe theatre. This type of theatre takes place inside a box. That’s how I was able to perform live for children.
M.S.G.: How would you describe, in a few words, the essence of this type of performance? Is it closer to an art installation or to theatrical performance?
A.M.C.S.: I believe this type of theatre has a bit of both. It’s also an art installation, because everything inside the box is handmade by me and carries a lot of my inner world. But it’s also a theatrical performance, because I act out the story, the show, as if it were the first time – there’s playfulness, humor, surprise, the unexpected for the little ones (or grown-ups).
M.S.G.: What does the “box experience” mean for the audience, concretely? How does it unfold?
A.M.C.S.: I created three stories that are dear to me: The Goat and Her Three Kids, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White. There are three boxes with the three stories. The child is free to choose which story/show they want to watch. They sit on a small step, put on the headphones, and, through a tiny hole, they enter that world. My voice tells the story in the headphones, along with a soundscape. It truly is an experience. The child is alone with themselves. They’re not influenced by the other kids, they’re not looking at their mother to check if it’s okay to laugh. For 5, 10, or 20 minutes, they are just with themselves and the characters in the story.
M.S.G.: What challenges does the confined space of the “box” pose in building the story and expressing the characters?
A.M.C.S.: There were challenges, but I found solutions along the way. Being an artist — especially a puppeteer — I found ways to solve the problems. For example, at the beginning, it was just me and the stories weren’t recorded. That was a different experience. It was very demanding and difficult to perform when there was a lot of background noise around. I solved these two problems: now I work with two colleagues (Alexandra Postolache and Octavia Gheboianu), so each of us tells one story and that way, more children can watch. And as for the noise, the solution was recording the stories. In fact, Lambe-Lambe theatre is now commonly performed with headphones. I wanted to perform the shows live because I wanted there to be an energy exchange between me and the viewer. But in this version, I noticed the child is fully immersed in another world.
M.S.G.: How do you select the right stories for this unconventional format?
A.M.C.S.: In this case, I simply chose based on my own preferences. In general, it’s best to select stories with fewer characters and shorter duration. But that also depends on the age group of the children.
M.S.G.: What does a rehearsal for a “box” performance look like?
A.M.C.S.: We perform for each other and give feedback on what works and what looks better from the front. Because it’s difficult to be fully aware of your own performance when everything happens on such a small scale.
M.S.G.: How has the audience responded to this format? Can you share a story with a spectator?
A.M.C.S.: Many were curious to see it and amazed by the miniature puppets. What’s interesting is that a lot of people are curious to see “how do you do it?” They want to see behind the scenes, peek from the back, and understand the mechanism. Where does Snow White enter from? Just today, there was a little girl who was impatient to see the story, and because it takes longer than the others (Snow White is 23 minutes), she came next to me, trying to sneak a look at what I was doing, hoping I was about to finish. But after she saw what I was doing, she stayed to watch from behind and didn’t seem like she wanted to leave. There were very young children, even 2 or 3 years old, who followed the stories. And of course, some children wanted to see the same story over and over again because they loved it so much. From afar, parents don’t understand what it’s about when they see the white little houses painted red, but when they come closer and we explain, they become curious to see more. As far as I know, there’s no one else in Romania doing this type of theatre or anything similar. Abroad, there are even festivals dedicated to these kinds of intimate, very special theatre forms — Toy Theatre and Lambe-Lambe — which are truly dear to me.
