Naranjarte

Naranjarte – Puppets & Circus in
Aotearoa/New Zealand. 

Naranjarte, formed by Ana Lorite and Sergio Aguilar in 2011, is a Spanish company that mixes the arts of puppetry and circus, offering a new theatre format. After developing their careers as performers and educators in Europe, they embarked on a new adventure… From September 2017 to January 2020, they developed a world tour and an educational project: “Puppets and circus: a trip around the world’s schools”. They visited more than 20 schools in 14 different countries, performed over 200 shows, and interviewed over 80 international teachers and puppeteers as part of their research. In 2018 they arrived in Aotearoa/NZ for the first time and fell in love with the country. They returned to make a life here in January 2020, to continue sharing their passion and skills, and to develop their artistic careers in their chosen home.

Step into the magical realm of Naranjarte, an extraordinary Spanish company founded by the visionary artists Ana Lorite and Sergio Aguilar in 2011. Naranjarte’s performances are not merely shows; they are immersive journeys that challenge perceptions and transport audiences to realms of wonder and delight.

Since 2020, Ana & Sergio have made New Zealand their cherished base, settling down and immersing themselves in the vibrant arts community. They have been actively engaged in various creative endeavours, including leading workshops funded by the Creative Communities Scheme, captivating audiences with their performances in diverse venues, like Circa Theatre (2022) and Te Papa museum in Wellington (2023), in collaboration with Wonderlight Theatre Aotearoa. They also developed the program “Puppets & Pāniora,” which took place during term 3 of 2023 at Te Kura o Te Koutu in Rotorua. This project was supported by the Creatives in Schools Program, and they have already developed 5 workshops about Puppetry and Circus in the Waikato region, showcasing the duo’s commitment to sharing their artistic talents and skills with ākonga around Aotearoa/ NZ.

Investigation: “Puppetry and Circus: a trip around the world’s schools”

This investigation has 3 different phases, as you can see in the video:
1– Observation: Naranjarte will attend regular daily classes as observers.
2- Practice: Naranjarte will work on a particular language subject with the students by using the 4 main types of puppetry and circus to develop the 4 skills of a language (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) or to work on different aspects of communication through visual stimuli and using puppets and circus in the lesson.
3- At the end of the observation and practice phases, by way of exchange and to thank the school, Naranjarte will offer one show for all the school, suitable for all audiences.
Analysis of the outcomes: through interviews with the teachers and questionnaires for the students, Naranjarte will analyse the practice from the 2nd phase, in order to gather enough data to contribute to a wider sample for this global research. We normally give the questionnaires to the children after phase 2 and doing the lesson with them. We also interview the language teachers during the last day.

 

Experience:

Naranjarte has participated in several festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland, 2011), Illawarra Folk Festival (Australia, 2018), Fringe Festival Dunedin (New Zealand 2018), Skipton Puppet Festival (England 2013 / 2015), Titirimundi International Puppet Festival (Segovia-2011/2012/2014/2016), the Redondela International Puppet Festival (Galicia-2012/2013/2016) , Estampes Festival des Marionnettes (France – 2016 / 2017), as well as in theatre halls and cultural centers.
Naranjarte has developed teacher training programs (FUHEM Montserrat School 2015, UNIMA Summer School 2016, and Ciudad Real “Jornadas Pedagógicas” 2016) and conferences (Trash Puppets 2018 – Australia, Wellington Victoria University 2018 – New Zealand, Yogyakarta Bersatu Papermoon Puppet Theatre Program 2017 – Indonesia, Segovia UVA 2016 – Spain, Madrid Congress “Aprendemos jugando” 2016 – Spain).
Naranjarte has collaborated with various musical bands in Sala Clamores, Sala Caracol, Cafe Berlin, Sala Sirocco, Sala Galileo, Reggaeboa and Rototom Sunsplash.