Shadow Puppetry Breathes New Life Into True Story of War and Migration

The team from Bow & Dagger (The Beast & The Bride) return to The Blue Room Theatre this May with a brand new show about war, immigration, romance, and Italian fairy tales.

Italy, World War Two. Fierce and brave Antoinetta, a known communist, with two small boys, has to flee to Australia to safety. Her husband Sante, a gentle storyteller, stays to fight against Europe's rising fascist regimes. Arriving, in Australia, Antoinetta and her sons are imprisoned alongside thousands of other 'enemies'. Across the distance of war, Sante and Antoinetta are united by the stories they tell their boys.

Based on true stories, Tale of Tales fuses fairy tales with the horrors of war. Filled with shadow puppetry, romance, and violence, Tale of Tales takes its name from the classic Italian fairy tale collection and looks at how the stories we tell shape us and our families.

Testoni says, "I firmly believe that if you don't tell stories from history, it repeats itself. The fear and violence my family experienced is being faced by new groups. I want to remind people of the long term damage you do when you lock someone away."

Tale of Tales was developed with support from Spare Parts Puppet Theatre as part of its FirstHand Emergent Puppetry Artist Training Program.

Directors & Performers: Clare Testoni & Paul Grabovac // Writer: Clare Testoni // Producer: Natalie Di Risio // Dramaturg: Finn O'Branagain // Lighting Designer: Rhiannon Petersen // Sound Designer: Joe Lui // Stage Manager: Sally Davies

Bookings/info: blueroom.org.au