1980s artist considers his work "the passion of a lifetime"

An Italian old man and 12 theater dolls .. love from the first moment

Augusto: “We want an institution to be born so that this heritage is not dispersed and that the tradition is not lost.”

A.F.B.

When the octogenarian Augusto Gray remembers that gift that he received about three quarters of a century ago, his eyes are clearly affected, as a small theater and the 12 theater dolls he acquired at that time determined the direction of his life, and not only his profession, but above all, the passion of a lifetime.

In all his elegance, the 80-year-old Italian recounts: “It was in 1946, on the first birthday after World War II, and it was a moment of celebration, joy and a very special atmosphere.

I woke up and among the gifts was a large box with a small theater inside and dolls of theater, so I fell in immediate love at first sight. ”

It turns out that little Augusto, who used to live in Norino in northwestern Italy, had a talent.

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"I had my own presentation and they asked me to do it in all classes of elementary school, because the children used to enjoy it so much," the elderly artist recalls.

Augusto had no hesitation in letting the boys use his regular toys.

As for his theatrical costumes, they were not loanable, and "it was forbidden for anyone to touch them."

This small white and gold theater is placed today in one of the countless plastic boxes, and contains items that Augusto plans to include in the International Doll Museum (MIMAT), which is due to open in 2023 in a Turin public park.

The Gray family owns a collection of more than 20 thousand items, including theaters, string and dolls, handicrafts, Chinese shadows and silhouettes, sourced from all over the world, including 2,000 items from the East dating back to the 18th century.

In addition to exhibitions, the museum will hold performances in a 120-person theater, and will include restoration workshops and a documentation center.

The idea of ​​creating this museum was born 20 years ago with Augusto and his wife Mariarosa (78 years old), but the project was finally accelerated, led by their son Marco, who is also a puppeteer.

"We want an institution to be born so that this heritage is not dispersed," the eighty-year-old artist says, so that "tradition is not lost."

The magic flute

Augusto says that “40,000 puppet troupes were roaming all over Italy before World War II, and their number immediately after the war decreased to 7,000. Today, there are two or three puppeteers using string puppets, while there are between 400 and 500 who use puppets. Handmade, but only 10 or 20 of them are worth watching. ”

"It's impossible to describe how I feel when I'm on stage," the old man who is enthusiastic about string dolls adds: "It's so deep.

The puppet engine is part of the doll that is itself part of the doll engine. ”

Because of "parental requirements," Augusto studied mechanical engineering, and at first he practiced the hobby that formed his passion only in front of his friends or in schools.

In 1978, however, he decided to become a professional in moving dolls, and made respect for traditions a slogan for him.

Augusto used to perform performances for children and adults, among them in particular musicals such as: “The Magic Flute” by Mozart and “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini.

Take the puppet concept to the future

In his small workshop close to the Alpha Teatro theater, which he founded with his wife exactly 30 years ago, Augusto restores precious dolls.

In his drawer there are dozens of them, while an old wooden box contains countless.

He explains, "These dolls have been corrupted because of the large number of them used."

And the infection of passion for dolls passed to his son Marco, who was immersed in this magical world from his early childhood, and at the age of 14, he gave his first performance in front of the public.

To distinguish himself from his father's personality, Marco chose the hand puppets, an embodiment of "entertainment, an expression of our childhood side and our desire to continue playing," he says.

“It is also a pure expression of the actor who decides to sacrifice his selfishness, by conveying emotions through the dolls,” says Marco, who was crowned Italy's 2010 best puppeteer.

He believes that "a person can never leave this world when he begins to frequent it," expressing his keenness to "transfer the concept of dolls to the future."

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