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 Journal A Voz de Alcobaça from 1981
José Maria Frade
Lisbon Puppet Museum 2022
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2022

José Manuel Valbom Gil

Born in Alcobaça in 1968. PhD in Art History and Master in Theater - actor/puppeteer branch at the University of Évora,  founding member and Artistic Director of the company SAMarionetas - Teatro & Bonecos based in Alcobaça since 1997. Lived with one of the last Portuguese puppeteer masters António Dias, thus discovering the Dom Roberto theatre. President of UNIMA Portugal from 2009 to 2017. Member of the Commission for Europe (2016 to 2019). Member of the Commission for Heritage since 2020. Member of the Board of UNIMA Portugal since 2021.  Researcher of traditional Portuguese puppet theater and author of the book Teatro Dom Roberto - the traditional itinerant Portuguese puppet theater - the saloio de Alcobaça and the new Palheta, published by the Puppet Museum in Lisbon. Operas, Ballet, Theater, Music, Cinema and Television, always with puppets of a little bit of everything already done. His works are at the Puppet Museum in Lisbon, TOPIC - Centro Internacional del Títere de Tolosa / Spain, Le Théâtre Royal du Peruchet - Musée International de la Marionnette in Brussels / Belgium, The Center for Puppetry Arts Museum   in Atlanta / United States of America and  Museu Internacional de Marionetas de Macau. Honorary Live Member of The Punch and Judy Fellowship and Professor Extraordinarius of The Punch and Judy College of professors. He is the author and co-author of more than 50 dramatic texts for puppet theatre. Builder of Puppets and Scenography, Stage Director, Trainer, Author and Puppeteer. He has several articles published in magazines and pages dedicated to puppet art. He has received several international and national awards for his work in the field of puppet theater. 

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Awards and Nominations

2021 - Award - "Best Audience Show" - MÓ Festival Marionetas e Objectos de Oeiras - Portugal 

2021 - Award - "Best Handling" MATERINKA Festival - Liberec -Czech Republic 

2020 - Award - "Best Original Music" Blog Guia dos Teatros - Portugal 

2019 - Prize - "Gulliver Junior" 27th Festivalul International de Animatie Gulliver - Galati - Romania 

2017 - Prize - "Preservation of traditions of ancient street theatre" 1st Kyiv international Festival of Puppet Theater - Ukraine

2017 - Award - "Best Director" - Word Puppet Festival EXPO 2017 Astana - Kazakhstan 

2016 - Prize - "Artistic Innovation Award" - 5th Golden Magnolia Shanghai International Puppet Festival - China 

2016 - Award - "Best Animation" - Animart Festival - Lodz - Poland 

 

2014 - Award – “Best Traditional Show”  Harmony World Puppet Carnival – Bangkok, Thailand.

 

2013 - Award - Best traditional street puppet show at the Wayang World Puppet Carnival – Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

2013 - Nominated for best street show at the Wayang World Puppet Carnival – Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

2013 - Prize - "Alcoa d´Ouro" - Culture category, Alcobaça.

 

2012 - "Award of puppetry" 21st UNIMA congress & world puppet festival. Chengdu, China.

 

2012 - Nomination for best production for children in the international award “Golden Gander” Kremnické Gagy, Slovakia.

 

2010 - Nomination for Best Manipulation (14th World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague.), Czech Republic.

 

2010 - Special prize from the jury for the preservation and continuity of traditional European puppet theater with the show “D. Roberto".

 (14th world puppet art festival in Prague.), Czech Republic.

 

2006 - 2nd place at the National Street Theater Festival, Póvoa do Varzim.

 

2002 - “Best Production” award for National videoclip, Question of love - the Gift - TMN gala, Lisbon.

Positions

Since 1997 - Artistic Director of the company SAMarionetas - Teatro & Bonecos.

Since 2020 Member of the Board of UNIMA Portugal.

Since 2020 - Member of the Commission for Heritage of UNIMA International

2016/2019 - Member of the Commission for Europe of UNIMA International

 

2012/2016 - President of the Board of the International Marioneta Union/União da Marioneta Portuguesa, UNIMA-Portugal.

 

2009/2012 - President of the Board of the International Marioneta Union/União da Marioneta Portuguesa, UNIMA-Portugal.

 

2011/2015 - General Coordinator of the official magazine of UNIMA Portugal “UNIMA Portugal Magazine” http://www.unimaportugal.com/magazine/

 

2004/2015 - Administrator of the blog “marionetas em portugal”      http://marionetasportugal/blog.

 

Artistic Events

Since 1998 - Artistic Director of the festival “Marionetas na Cidade” – Alcobaça.

 

2014 - Artistic Director of the Valongo do Vouga Puppet Festival.

 

2006 - Artistic Director of the “2nd National Theater Meeting of Robertos” Alcobaça.

 

2003 – Artistic Director of the 1st Show of Theater in the Municipality of Alcobaça.

 

2000/2003 - Member of the Artistic Direction of Parlatório Café programming.

 

2001 and 2002 - Member of the Artistic Direction of the festival “Alcobaça Jazz”, Alcobaça.

 

2001 and 2002 - Co-producer of Jazz no Café – National Contest of New Jazz Bands, Alcobaça.

 

2000 – Producer and Artistic Director of the “Mostra de Sons e Gestos” Alcobaça.

 

1999 - Artistic Director of the “Encontro Nacional de Teatro de Robertos” Alcobaça.

 

1999 - Member of the Executive Committee of the Commemorations of the 25th Anniversary of the 25th of April organized by the Civil Government of Leiria.

publications

2013 - Teatro Dom Roberto - the traditional itinerant Portuguese puppet theater - Saloio de Alcobaça and the new Palheta, ISBN: 978-989-8167-14-9, Lisbon, Museu da

Marioneta de Lisboa/EGEAC (Master's thesis)

 

2013 - Inês de Castro – dramaturgy in puppet theater by the company SAMarionetas, ISBN: 978-989-97725-2-6, Pedro e Inês – The future of the past. Congress

Internacional, Coimbra, AAPI.

 

2009 - Inês de Castro - Teatro de Papel, ISBN: 978-989-20-0838-7, Alcobaça, AAMA.

 

Articles published in magazines and newspapers

Brief history of UNIMA in Portugal, Unima Portugal Magazine, nº1, March 2011

 

30 years working for the puppet,Jornal Região de Leiria, 23 November 2012

 

Dom Roberto: Portuguese puppet Theater – Puppet Notebook ,Issue 21, Spring, 2012 (UK)

 

Teatro Dom Roberto: from near extinction to rebirth, UNIMA Portugal Magazine, nº3, October 2013

 

Don't kill the “saints of the house”, Jornal de Leiria, 22 January 2009

in update......

 

congresses

Participation with communication

2012 - Inês de Castro – dramaturgy in puppet theater by the company SAMarionetas

International Congress Pedro and Inês: the future of the past, University of Coimbra.

 

participation without communication

2012 - UNIMA World Congress – International Union of Puppetry – Chengdu (China)

 

2010 - World Congress of the International Union of Puppetry, Dordrecht (Holland)

Seminars

- 4th Évora International Puppet Seminar, 2011, Évora

“Music, sounds and puppet theater”

 

- 3rd Évora International Puppet Seminar, 2006, Évora

“Current trends in puppetry research”

 

 - Traditional Puppet Theater of Europe MAC, 2005 , Birmingham (England).

 

- 2nd Évora International Puppet Seminar, 1999, Évora

“Historiography of Puppets”

“Training and Research in Puppets”

“Urban, suburban, rural”

Monitor in training actions

1996 - “Marionetas e o Português” Monitor in the partnership project with Inês de Castro Secondary School, Alcobaça

 

1997 - Monitor of the training course "Initiação ao Teatro" in Caldas da Rainha

 

1998 - Monitor in "Initiation to Puppet Theater" training courses in Caldas da Rainha, Alcobaça and Vestiaria; and "Introduction to Theatre" in Alcobaça

 

2003 - Monitor in training actions in the area of construction and manipulation of puppets as well as in the area of actor theater in Alcobaça, Caldas da Rainha and Pedrógão

 

2005 - Trainer in the project to create the Companhia de Teatro de Bonifrates in Funchal, Madeira

 

2005 - Monitor of the "Sponge Marionettes" training at MAC, Birmingham (England)

 

2007 - Training monitor "Initiation to Puppet Theater", Alcobaça

 

Professional qualification

2014 - workshop “Strings” directed by Bernd Ogrodnik, Bangkok (Thailand)

 

2013 - Workshop “Puppetry and puppets” directed by Heather Henson, Jakarta (Indonesia)

 

2011 - Course   “Interior landscapes: introduction to the universe of Philippe Genty” directed by Eric de Sarria – Évora

 

2009 - Workshop “Puppets and  light” directed by Clive Chandler-  Birmingham (England)

 

2009 - Workshop “Guarattelle: Traditional Neapolitan Marionettes” directed by Gaspare Nasuto – Lisbon

 

2008 - Course “Manipulation of Large Puppets” directed by Jan Luc Courcoult - Royal de Luxe – Gent (France)  

 

2008 - Workshop “Punch And Judy” directed by Glyn Edwards – London (England)

 

2003 - Workshop “Visual effects in puppeteering” directed by Dan Bishop – Lasseube (France)

 

2002 - Course “Teatro de luz negra” directed by Nuno Theias - Vila do Porto - Santa Maria

 

1989 - Course "Puppet construction techniques" directed by Manuel Costa Dias - Évora

 

1988 - Workshop “Improvement of manipulation and construction techniques” directed by Michel Broquin - Viseu

 

1987 - Course   “Teatro de luz negra” directed by Victor Valente -  - 11th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Viana do Castelo

 

1986 - Course "The staging of the show" directed by Christian le Diourom - 10th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Santarém

 

1985 - Workshop “Shadow Theater Techniques” directed by Michel Broquin - 9th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Viseu

 

1985 - Course "Body preparation and manipulation techniques" directed by João Paulo Cardoso - 9th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Viseu

 

1984 - National Puppet Theater Training Course directed by José Dantas and Manuel Costa Dias, Viseu.

 

1984 - Course "Dramatic expression and puppets" guided by Isabel Alves Costa and João Paulo Cardoso - 8th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Mangualde.

 

1983 – Course “Animation of puppets and animated forms” Directed by Victor Valente and Clara Bento - 7th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Alcobaça.

 

1982 - Workshop “O Teatro de Robertos” directed by Francisco Esteves - 6th National Puppet Theater Meeting, Porto.

 

1982 - Workshop  “Glove puppets - traditional construction” directed by Isabel Andréa - 6th National Puppet Theater Meeting, Porto.

 

1981 - Course “Puppet construction and manipulation techniques” by Manuel Costa Dias, 5th National Meeting of Puppet Theater, Aveiro.

 

academic research

Research carried out within the framework of the Master's

 

2012 - Theory and practice of theatrical translation

Translating the word into images from the reflection of the crystal in the puppet play “Tempestade” Theater of Glass, Puppet Link Company, Directed by Clive Chandler

2011 - Research in Traditional Forms

 The Teatro Dom Roberto after António Dias and Domingos Moura.

Teatro Dom Roberto and its continuity as a “social mirror” or its “reinvention” into a testimony as a living “museum”.

 

2011 - Show Analysis

Teatro Dom Roberto (A Tourada) presented by the puppeteer Manuel Costa Dias

 

2011 - Dramaturgy for puppet theater - The Vitality of Teatro Dom Roberto and Teatro Dom Roberto vs Bonecos de Santo Aleixo.

 

2011 - Research in Theater of Objects - Tales of the World “O Patinho Feio” presented by Marionetas de Lisboa

2013 - Trainer in the area and domain A31 Expressões (Dramatics/Theatre) of the Scientific-Pedagogical Council of Continuing Training, Braga.

1987/1989 - Complementary Course of Secondary Education – Humanistic Studies – Inês de Castro Secondary School – Alcobaça

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