Wolfed Down: When the world is Cannac’s stage

From under a blanket on the stage at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Experimental Theatre Hall, a figure emerges. From the distance of the back of the hall, the figure has an uncanny resemblance to the performer so you do not question it. But something about the outlines seems a bit off, too rigid. That is when you realise, a half-body puppet replaced the performer and is being manipulated using the performer's legs. 

Laurie Cannac's one-woman theatrical performance of 'Wolfed Down' was filled to the brim with seamless transitions between puppets and performers, switching masks and identities right in front of your eyes. 

Wolfed Down is a gothic retelling of the Brothers Grimm's beloved fairy tale, 'Little Red Riding Hood.' The performance was directed by Ilka Schönbein, with Laurie Cannac behind the design and interpretation. The show was arranged by Alliance Française de Dhaka.

Cannac is a puppeteer who received her training from Théâtre-Ecole du Passage in the art of drama. While learning puppet theatre, she was led by Nils Arestrup and Alexandre Del Perugia with street performances. 

The performance was a combination of stage play and puppetry, pushing the boundaries of the stage. Cannac's company, Graine de Vie, was behind the puppetry work as well. 

In 2010, Wolfed Down was nominated for the Molières Jeune Public Prize. If you were able to register before the first show, then you were one of the lucky ones as it reached full capacity before the first day.

The gothic aspect of the performance comes through the dark themes that are an intrinsic part of the source story, and the atmosphere created through production. As the performance started, paper-white fingers emerged from the lump under the sheets of the bed and a growling sound filled the hall. The very start of the performance clearly sets the theme's tone. 

Though gothic, that does not mean the story has to veer away from comedy.

The protagonist, forever bound to a bed through the voice over the phone telling her to be wary of the outside world, finally rebels. At one point, the protagonist indulges in a bowl of spaghetti with a bottle of ketchup, getting on all fours on top of the table to devour the meal. The sound of the performance was drowned in the laughter of the crowd. 

The performance did not only captivate the crowd, it engaged it as well. 

With a pair of red shoes and a hat, the protagonist sees the world for the first time. As she raises her eyes, the spotlights turn on—blinding the audience! The moment you admire this clever trick of turning the spotlight around, she starts taking a step past the stage, traipsing and climbing over the audience, collecting balloons. 

The production was simple with spotlights illuminating the centre of the stage and background music and sounds only played to establish the flow of the plot. While this helped keep the spotlight on the sole performer of the show, it also meant that it was less forgiving when it came to distractions from the crowd.

Laurie Cannac's performance was commendable. Although she was the sole performer, it does not mean there was only one character. Cannac used her whole body to bring the puppets to life and switched between the characters right on the stage, yet evading the audience's vision, utilising the stage's props and set up.

As she devoured a bowl of spaghetti on stage, she emerged from the bowl with a wolf mask, switching to a new character. Moments of dramatic silence were cleverly placed to allow her time to switch puppets as well. It also did not go without notice that the sole performer pulled all of this off for the whole one hour of the performance. 

The exceptional performance was well deserving of the long applause and standing ovation it received from the audience. The production, planning, and detailed masks and puppets not only proved the expertise of the team but it marked their pure creativity too. 

There were only two showings of the performance from 9-10 July at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Experimental Theatre Hall.