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Homage to the puppeteer Pepe Otal

The show ‘¡Vamos que nos vamos!’ will be performed this coming Friday the 22nd of July and on Saturday the 23rd  

At Euskal Herria Square of Tolosa at 19:00 hours, thirteen puppeteers from the puppet workshop Pepe Otal will be pay homage now that the fourth anniversary of his death is commemorated. The show is titled ‘¡Vamos que nos vamos!” and it is mounted under the philosophy of uniting past, present and future, giving back life and movement to the big collection of puppets of the Casa Taller de Marionetas (puppet home and studio) of Pepe Otal, avoiding to turn into an old forgotten toy.

Pepe Otal, puppeteer, adventurer, interpret and great creator was the director and founder of ‘Grupo-Taller de Marionetas’, set up in first place at Barceloneta and later at his own Casa-Taller at Raval neighbourhood in Barcelona.

The Grupo-Taller de Marionetas was a mythic company within the world of puppets that became in a puppet school from where many prestigious puppeteers have succeeded. In Barcelona, apart from his role as director of Grupo Taller de Marionetas as well as a scenographer, he directed Puppets Department at the Centro de Estudios Teatrales Teatre Clave de Tordera, at the same time managing his own puppetry formation school. Meanwhile he kept giving lessons in various European countries. From his training laboratory school at the puppet theatre many big names of the technique have passed such as Carles Canyelles, Luis Fellini, Jordi Bertrán, Georgina Castro, Teodoro Escarpa, apart from other companies that were formed in Italy and France. 

Video and exhibition

One of the manipulators taking part at the homage is Jordi Bertran, Otal’s pupil who along with other puppeteers will offer an open show, diverse, a cabaret for all kind of mentalities. “Blacki” a one ball juggler; “Igor Chavalint” the strongest man on earth; “Mohammed Larvi” from the far and mysterious east, snake charmer; “Filippo” the clown transformed in tightrope walker risking his life over the tight rope... without any net. The biggest show on earth represented by the most little artists of the world: the puppets become in truly circus artists, little stars of the stage.   

“Apart from the workshop after the show there will be the chance to watch a video about the figure of Pepe as well as an exhibition with the most representative pieces of this workshop along his thirty years of professional career”, states Carlos Lopez, founder of Asvinenea and coordinator of the Casa-Taller de Marionetas of Pepe Otal.