“Duck, Death and the Tulip”. Photo by D. Matvejev

The puppet theatre creator Jūratė Trimakaitė (b. 1987) studied puppetry at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in 2010, followed by a Master’s degree in 2013. Between 2011-2014, she studied at the National School for Higher Education in Puppetry Arts (École Supérieure Nationale des Arts de la Marionnette) in Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes, France).

Since 2015, she works as an independent puppeteer and director with troupes such as Les Enfants Sauvages, Eun Young Kim Pernelle & Co, Collectif 23H50, Compagnie ZA, Collectif MA-THEA, and plays in performances of the Center de créations pour l ‘ enfance.

Since 2016, Trimakaitė has been teaching puppetry at the University of Picardy Jules Verne, Faculty of Theatre and Film, in Amiens, France.

Trimakaitė made her debut on the professional stage in 2014 with the play Les Animaux Inéluctables. The performance, created in France, has been shown at festivals in Paris, Charleville, Valenciennes (France), Berlin, Stuttgart (Germany), and Łomża (Poland).

In Lithuania, Trimakaitė has directed five puppetry and objects performances in Lithuanian and French theatres: Klaipėda Puppet Theatre, Vilnius Puppet Theatre Lėlė and Amiens Puppet Theatre Le Tas de Sable.

One of Trimakaitė’s latest works is the 2019 performance for children Duck, Death and the Tulip created at Vilnius Puppet Theatre Lėlė. The performance is based on the 2007 work of the same name by German writer and painter, the laureate of Astrid Lindgren Prize, Wolf Erlbruch. The play, like the book, seeks to start a conversation about death to introduce children to the end of life as cyclicality of nature, a necessary counterbalance to life.

This elegant, subtle and sensitive performance is distinctly calm and talks coherently about death and life, encouraging children to get to know one through the other.

jurate.prod@gmail.com https://juratetrimakaite.wixsite.com