Teatro dei Fauni

"To grow together, children and adults, to create, remember, laugh, think and to learn to fly and sing."

ABOUT

The "Teatro dei Fauni" was created in 1986. It is led by Santuzza Oberholzer with actors and performers taking part in the productions. Our experience and research has shown that a puppet theatre is the best medium to make ancient myths and fairytales appealing to the public.
These stories with their archetypical characters, full of symbols and poetry, relate to contemporary subject matters. We give special attention to the female roles, which are often neglected in traditional theatre.

Performances in: Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Iran, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Cuba, Canada, Madagascar, Turkey.

The "Teatro dei Fauni" is a member of: TASI, ASTEJ, UNIMA, KTV.

Our activity is performances in theaters and school, rheater in public places and animations, courses and workshops for Adults and children on expressive techniques for acting and the puppet theater, seminars for teachers in order to integrate theater and puppets into education.

The company



Santuzza Oberholzer artistic director, author, puppeteer and director.
From 1976 to 1983 she works as puppeteer and actor in Ecuador and Latin America. She is first student and later teacher at the Theatre School of the Quito University.
Back in Switzerland in 1984 she found the Teatro dei Fauni in Locarno, her hometown. She is author of the manuscripts inspired by the mythological heritage from all the world and designs the puppets.
She wrote almost twenty manuscripts: L'upupa e il principe, first price at the International Festival of Teheran; Taglioretti non è morto, price Jeux repubblicains 1998 and L’uccello del paradiso, choose by the Swiss Authors Society to be translated and represent Switzerland at the IV Jeux de la Francophonie in Ottawa, Canada.
In 2005 she receive the recognition of renowned guest of the city of La Habana, Cuba for her solo performance The wood in the suitcase.
Her interest for the young theatre brought her to develop a theatre teaching method.
Since 1999 she is director of the International puppets and shadows festival "Il castello incantato" in Locarno and since 2001 she is the artistic director of the Teatro del Gatto, a theatre hall in Ascona, Switzerland.

Vicky Destefanis puppeteer, actress, musician and puppets builder. Autodidact puppeteer and singer, Vicky completes her education with the Teatro dei Fauni. Since 1997 she participates to all productions building the puppets and as puppeteer and actress. In 2003 she travels to Brazil (Bahia) where beside of performing her solo shows she creates a children theatre group and conducts a radio program for children, which releases a CD.
In 2006 she comes back to Switzerland and joins again the company.

Oskar Boldre is musician and composer. Vocalist, poliinstrumentalist and composer, starts with the music as autodidact in 1985 collaborating in several bands: from progressive rock to free folk and afro jazz.
Since 1998 he is director and singer in the vocal ensemble "Ancore d'Aria", that in 2002 reach the semifinal of the international competition TIM France. He is director of the ethnic polyphonic choir "Goccia di Voci".
Since 1998 he collaborates with many theatre companies (Teatro due mondi -Faenza, A.T.I.R. -Milano, Teatro dei Fauni - Locarno). Since 1997 teaches workshops about the use of the voice as an instrument, about improvisation and, through the listening, valorize the spontaneity and the playfulness in the learning process and in the group work.
Web site www.oskarboldre.com

Paolo Ambrosetti light designer and director.
Fisician and meteorologist. Founder member of the Teatro dei Fauni, he has been directing some performances, in the company he takes care of the light design and the technical side in general.

Giordano Bisi-Giottonini was born and lives in Valle Verzasca, Switzerland. He divides his activity between the work on the family farm, small craft and the passion for music. With an education on electronic multimedia, he is sound and light technician of the company since 2012. He also manages this website.

Comitato

Paolo Ambrosetti, Manuela Paganetti, Andrea Valdinocci

We remember among our members and collaborators:

Gianmario Arringa, Baladrüm, Martin Bartelt, Brianstorm, Walter Broggini, Ferruccio Cainero, Dona De Carli, Sergio Diotti, Yasha Ememzadeh, Gerardo Fulleda Leon, Mauro Garbani, Fausto Gerevini, Gioconda, Oliviero Giovannoni, Liliane Hodel, Sarah Lerch, Margrit Hubert, Francesca Kamber, Ray Knobel, Pilar Koller, Eveline Leopold-Picchetti, Michela Merazzi, Ennio Maggini, Armando Morales, Lio Morandi, Edoardo Oppliger, Manuela Paganetti, Rolando Picchetti, Luigi Sala, Juan Pino, Vrene Ryser, Hansueli Trüb, Tiziano Tomasetti, Ivano Torre, Orio Valsangiacomo, Deborah Jackob...

Direttrice artistica
Santuzza Oberholzer
Office:
via alla Scuola 10
CH-6605 Locarno
Atelier:
via alla Morettina 2
CH-6600 Locarno