Kamishibai
Kamishibai (紙芝居, “paper play”) Is an old form of Japanese street theater and storytelling, you might call it the grand father of television.
Kamishibai were performed by a kamishibaiya (“kamishibai narrator”) who travelled to street corners with sets of illustrated boards that they placed in a miniature stage-like device and narrated the story by changing each image
When I met the Kamishibai I fell in love instantly, it has a fascinating magic that helps the narrator and the audience by focusing attention with its beautiful illustrations.
I built my own Kamishibai 8 years ago and used it frequently for storytelling, I have also created my own illustrated boards for some of the stories I have wanted to tell using this magnificent and ancient tradition from Japan.
4 years ago I wanted to find something that had the same focusing effect that the Kamishibai has, but at the same time gave me more freedom to play, and move, so I built my own version of the Kamishibai that I call “Magnetobai”, which It is a magnetic theater.
Basically my MagnetoBai is a wooden portable theatre with magnetic walls. I design and make all the characters of my stories in colourful pieces of wood with a magnet on the back, so I can then place them and play with them on the fronts of the MagnetoBai.
Standard Show details:
- Duration: 45-60 minutes
- 4 to 5 stories
- Kamishibai theatre + Magnetibai theatre
- Publicum: from 2+ to 99+
- For best results, it is recommended that children sit on rugs or pillows on the floor, as close to the narrator as possible. Eventually I walk among the children, we sing, I ask them questions and I make them participate in the story.
Technical – Musician:
- 1x voice microphone
- 1x guitar plug 3.5mm mono
- 1x midi plug 3.5mm mono
- 1x face spotlight
- Chair, guitar support
Technical – Storyteller:
- 1 head microphone
- 1x face spotlight
- 1x Kamishibai spotlight (wooden theatre 80x60cm)
- 1x table 60-70 cm height x 80-120cm width x 35-50cm depth