Mikko Matti

"The Sami boy Mikko Matti lives far inland, on the plains of Finnmark, where he herds all the reindeer for his father. The wolf and the fox plan a gangster coup and want to steal the whole herd. The crow hears of this and sends two hares to Mikko Matti. This leads to an exciting race across the plains. Mikko Matti has several steady helpers, first and foremost the dog Sampo, but also Ane and Pelle (who makes the best pancake batter in the world), the wise madam Owl and no less than a thousand hares." (Wang, R. and Helgesen, V. 2000: 198).

Birgit Strøm played the Sami boy Mikko Matti. She quickly developed into a competent puppeteer, both due to the rhythm of her acting and her credibly child-like voice. "She was praised for her skill in handling the eager crowds of children who wanted to talk to the puppets onstage. The dialogue between the stage and the auditorium was at the time considered the best sign that the children were having a good time in the auditorium." (Wang, R. and Helgesen, V., 2000: 196).

Mikko Matti og vennene hans* (Mikko Matti and his friends) "was a 100% Norwegian production from a very special and little-known community, but it had also great significance for puppetry's popularity and position in Northern Norway. A group of pupils at Karasjok lower secondary school staged the production in Sami under the direction of Birgit Strøm, and with school administrator Trygve Madsen they went on tour in Northern Norway, Northern Sweden and Northern Finland, using tents in the correct Sami manner."  (Helgesen, Vibeke, 1974: 44).

Sceneweb refers to the other puppets registered from the production. These are the hares, the fox and the wolf. 

SOURCES:

Dukketeater i Norden (literally: Puppetry in the Nordic countries), Helgesen, Vibeke: Dukketeater i Norge (literally: Puppetry in Norway), Naper Boktrykkeri, Kragerø, 1974. 

Helgesen, Anne M.: Animasjonen - Figurteatrets velsignelse og forbannelse. Norsk Figurteaterhistorie (literally: Animation - The blessing and curse of puppetry. Norwegian Puppetry History). Dr. Art. thesis in theatre theory, 2003, UiO. 

Wang, Ragnhild and Vibeke Helgesen: Den magiske hånd. Dukkespill og figurteater gjennom tidene (literally: The magic hand. Puppetry throughout the ages). Pax forlag, Oslo 2000.

Donated by: Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre).

Transported 02.04.2020.

*Not yet translated into the English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

Willie Nordrå made the puppets for Mikko Matti og vennene hans* (Mikko Matti and his friends) at Folketeatret in 1954. According to Birgit Strøm, Nordrå made charming puppets which were good for acting. (Helgesen. Anne M., 2003:340).

We assume that Nordrå's stage design and puppets were reused at the revival in 1966, at Oslo Nye Teater (Oslo New Theatre)'s puppetry theatre.

One cannot disregard the possibility of a certain French inspiration on Nordrå's puppets, via puppets earlier made by stage designer and puppet designer Jane Mykle. She collaborated with Agnar Mykle in the first year at Folketeatret (1952-1953). Jane Mykle was inspired by the French puppeteer and modernist Marcel Temporal (1881-1964).

The head of a glove puppet made by Jane Mykle would be cast from a clay mould. One assumes that the head of Mikko Matti was made this way. The cast, hollow head was glued together, pasted, polished, and painted. The undersleeve was adjusted for the puppeteer's hand and sewn in a soft cotton fabric. The oversleeve/costume gave character to the puppet, but also had to be dimensioned to the puppeteer's hand.

*Not yet translated into the English. The title within parentheses is the Norwegian title's literal meaning.

The construction of a glove puppet must be "tailored for", that is adjusted for, the puppeteer's hand, which is also the puppeteer's instrument. 

The French prototype has an undersleeve and an oversleeve (costume), preferably made from light-weight and flexible materials, to help the puppeteer. To give expression to a glove puppet demands strength and elasticity, sense of rhythm and playfulness. Small margins may have large effect: There is a limit to how much a little finger or a thumb can move. Precision is necessary, for the audience to understand what the puppet conveys. One should not be fooled by the puppet being small and light-weight, it is technically and physically demanding to act with.

The production won second prize at The International Puppet Theatre Festival in Bucharest in 1960, arranged by UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette). The driving force behind this festival was theatre manager and director Margareta Niculescu.  

The popularity of the production was great. One of the sources (Wang, R. and Helgesen, V.) writes that at a time, it was "the most performed Norwegian theatre production, with more than a thousand performances." (2000:198). Sceneweb lacks documentation for this number.

The puppetry ensemble also collaborated closely with schools and a theatre committee within the municipality of Oslo warmly recommended Mikko Matti og vennene hans* (Mikko Matti and his friends). As did the association of kindergarten pedagogues, represented by Else Wildhagen. (...) Birgit Strøm had the support of the teachers. For instance, head teacher Bernhard Stokke, who led the theatre committee of Oslo School Board, wrote a letter to the Oslo schools:

"No, let the small ones join Mikko Matti in catching the wolf and finding the reindeer again (...). The children are fully involved in the play. They stomp their feet and yell and take sides against the crook, in the body of a human or an animal. Ask them after some weeks or some years. They remember it all clearly (...). It does good to experience that there is such an excellent entertainment method, capturing the children to such a degree, and delight them in such a healthy way, while good, moral principles are illustrated." [Helgesen, Anne M., Brev fra Stokke 1958 (literally: Letters from Stokke 1958), 2003: 345).