Binodon Desk:

German theatre artiste Laurie Cannac brought different characters from the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood to life staging a monodrama titled Wolfed Down at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital on Wednesday.

Wolfed Down is based on the Brothers Grimm version of Little Red Riding Hood. The monodrama has been directed by Ilka Schoenbein and designed by Laurie Cannac.

The play was staged at the Experimental Theatre Hall of the BSA on Wednesday.

Laurie Cannac portrayed different characters from Little Red Riding Hood through acting, masks and puppetry. She depicted Red Riding Hood and her mother, grandmother and wolf on stage. This Gothic version of Little Red Riding Hood builds an eclectic connection between the puppet and the actress’s body, explores its animistic power, and successfully combines poetry and a sense of humour.

Wolfed Down was nominated for the Molieres Jeune Public Prize in 2010.

‘Wolfed Down has already been staged more than 500 times in different cities in Europe. We came to Dhaka to stage it for the first time in south-Asia. It is being presented by Alliance Française de Dhaka and Goethe-Institut Bangladesh in collaboration with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The event is partly funded by the Franco-German Fund for projects in third party countries,’ Laurie Cannac told New Age.

Laurie Cannac is a puppeteer. Earlier, she trained in the art of drama at the Theatre Ecole Du Passage, Niels Arestrup, Paris then she developed her skill as a puppeteer performing in public places. In 1997, she founded her company, Graine de Vie. In her plays, she aims to break taboos using masks and her expressionist aesthetic.

A large audience, comprising children and their parents, enjoyed the play.

‘She brilliantly depicted the story using puppets and masks. Besides, she is a powerful actress. I have enjoyed her performance,’ Shahinur Akhter Prity, an audience, told New Age.

Wolfed Down will be staged at the same venue at 7:00pm today.