flashback: bij het poppentheatre

the grounds.

poppentheatre muzipo is tucked within a neighborhood of row houses just three blocks from our home in breda. then tucked behind the small theatre is playground and our area's dierenpark--petting farm. this unmonitored farm is home to goats and rabbits and all manner of fowl. because it is sponsored by our area of breda, zandberg, local businesses keep it funded, volunteers keep it tidy and the city government hires the help to care for the animals. families are free to wander in among the animals during daylight hours. there are no problems with this system. the gates are always latched when we arrive. a container of disinfectant hangs on the side of the barn. i love this about the dutch. individuals are responsible for their own behavior. no litigation would follow a goat nip. just a scolding from a parent. so after we see the puppet shows, we wander over to the compound and into the tiny barn, where we leave an euro and choose ten eggs from a big wooden chest. the variety of fowl means that the eggs come in all colors and sizes. it's so fun to choose.

the puppet theatre.

the non-litigious nature of the dutch makes this theatre possible as well! the actual theatre is up a twisty, narrow, tall set of stairs, in what was the loft in an old house. i bring my folks to see a show and my mom comments, "if there's a fire, we'll all die." this is her first and last show.

i learn that the shows are easy to understand, regardless of language proficiency, from my own language tutor. she is right. not only is the content simple, but so is the production. we actually see the puppetmasters in action. i love this. joe enjoys it as well. tally not so much.

but we go quarterly because the cumulative experience is so quaint. each time we attend, it seems a birthday child is in attendance. after the performance, we sing to them the dutch birthday song, lang zal ze leven (which is the first song -dutch or american - tally knows by heart). on the "hoeras!" strands of colored lights pop down from the pitched ceiling and confetti falls. it' so old-fashioned and festive.

afterwards, we all stumble-trip down the stairs and purchase dixie cups of apple juice for 50 cents. then the children play. long tables are set up with puzzles and art books and colored pencils. a fantastic castle backdrop covers a fireplace, into which the owners have somehow crafted stairs. the children dress up as princesses and knights, disappearing into one side of the fireplace and reappearing on the other side. this experience becomes one of my favorites in our time in breda.