The Boy Who Became A Hedgehog

The story of The Boy Who Became A Hedgehog would be nothing more than an ordinary story about an ordinary boy living an ordinary boyish life, if one fine day that boy had not changed into a hedgehog. Although many people might not believe it, the life of a hedgehog is anything but simple and lovely. It is difficult enough getting out of bed, not to mention crossing a street or hugging a friend. The hedgehog’s menu would not thrill any children either: only apples and pears, and sometimes perhaps the odd worm as dessert. But this is a performance about an otherwise ordinary boy-hedgehog, who one foggy morning decides that he will never despair and that, instead of apples, he will rather look for his lucky star.

This intimate production, created at the puppet theater in Maribor, surprises not only with its slightly Kafkaesque plot, but also with the way the puppets are born right before the audience’s eyes, directly from clay. Based on a Slovenian folk tale, the characters are constantly transforming, highlighting not only the transience of life but also the remarkable craftsmanship involved in working with natural materials.

Direction: Margrit Gysin
Set design: Zuzana Vítková
Dramaturgy: Irene Beeli
In cooperation with: Branko Caserman, Maja Švagelj, Jason Smith, Katarina Klančnik Kocutar, Alenka Borec, Mojca Redjko, Šimon Kočí

Cast: Elena Volpi