The SAMPO festival is one of the biggest puppetry festivals in Finland. This year, the festival features three Czech performances: Studio Damúza’s Me, You and That, Alfa Theatre’s Mr. Kaspar and His Goofy Family and Plata Company & mir.theatre’s Prefaby.

Alfa Theatre’s Mr. Kaspar and His Goofy Family  tells a story of Kašpar and his Kalupinka, known from old Czech puppeteers, having a baby. And because the puppeteers are fast puppets, the pace of their family life is fast and fun. The piece containing sharp and dark humour premiered in the Czech Republic this February and is accessible to children from 6 years of age.

Me, You and That produced by Studio Damúza is an abstract study of the roundness of the world for the youngest audience. The performance offers children their first contact with theatre – it respects their needs and sensitively introduces them to the world of movements, sounds and touches taking them on an imaginary tour around the world. 

Prefaby by Plata Company & mir.theatre is a visual-sound production that takes place on a plasterboard table and freely varies the motifs of everyday life in a prefabricated building – a symbol of the dream of modern living in the former Eastern Bloc countries. The intimate performance for seven audience members is recommended for audiences aged seven and over.

SAMPO Festival offers memorable, touching and entertaining performances for children and adults. The festival showcases artists from across the field, different styles of puppetry and visual theatre, and crosses borders between different fields of art. In addition to performances, the program also features films, workshops, outdoor performances, discussions and diverse artist meetings.

The presentation of Czech performances is implemented with the financial support of the European Union through the Czech Recovery Plan and the Ministry of Culture Czech Republic.

Me, You and That performance trailer by Studio Damúza; video credit: Studio Damúza 

Prefaby by Plata Company & mir.theatre; video credit: Plata Company & mir.theatre

Mr. Kaspar and His Goofy Family by Alfa Theatre; video credit: Alfa Theatre

Photo 1, 2: Prefaby by Plata Company & mir.theatre; photo credit: Plata Company & mir.theatre
Photo 3, 4: Mr. Kaspar and His Goofy Family by Alfa Theatre; photo credit: Alfa Theatre
Photo 5, 6: Me, You and That by Studio Damúza; photo credit: Studio Damúza