Reza Soroor

What was interesting for me in the play I, Sisyphus directed by Veselka Kuncheva from Bulgaria is his keeping distance with performing tradition of Greek tragedies and choosing puppet form to narrate a myth. There is a hidden advantage in choosing puppet form which makes harmony between the mythic meaning of Sisyphus and performing form. In the nature of puppet play, the relation of puppeteer and puppet implicitly mentions the relation of gods and creatures. As in Greek tragedies, gods(the representative of destiny) are moving dramatic characters to their doomed destiny, here in puppet show the puppeteer moves the puppet as he wants to the end of play. The vertical relation of gods and human is also seen in the relation of puppeteer and puppet. It has happened a lot while watching puppet show, we forget the puppeteer and see the puppet’s will as an independent will. This is the concept that we experience it in our daily life. We choose to do this or that, but in a vast scale this is a world choice actually which shapes our choice. Therefore, to narrate Greek and myths tragedies which their themes are about fate and relations of human with super power, the puppet form is naturally appropriate and from the aesthetics angel whatever is metaphor of destiny is appeared in invisible cords of puppet. In the play I, Sisyphus the puppeteer uses all various forms of puppet theatre to show Sisyphus myth from the birth to the end. Sometimes Sisyphus is made of small head with body made of mesh socks, sometimes it is only a skull on the finger of puppeteer and sometimes are half faces which merge together like accordion. In all these forms one common point is I, Sisyphus deliberately keeps distance with mimesis(imitation) and only represents the subject. According to mimesis logic, Sisyphus is a unique creature and is passing unique destiny. This is the logic that we see in the common set performing and the actor and his roles are together. Mimesis is the observer of body and destiny. But the logic of puppet theatre gives this possibility to director that every time substitutes new and different dramatic situation. Within less than an hour, Sisyphus changes from an only human rolling rock or a man reading book in solitude to different humans. Such humans that despite their physical difference with Sisyphus, are Sisyphus themselves. They are genesis and metamorphosis of it in another condition. In this play we are facing with the idea of Sisyphus and Sisyphus in different situations. Among all these Sisyphus I have seen one of them is more meaningful to me. This one was simple and delicate and made of small head and crème mesh socks. Sisyphus stands in front of stone in an average shape. It was his first facing with the rock which he is going to be in challenge with it to the end of his life.