Please smile!

German-Iranian co-production based on a story by Sharareh Tayar.

The young giraffe Gigi goes into the jungle one day to find friends. She meets Porcupine, Monkey, and Elephant, and they all have a lot of fun. Porcupine rides on Gigi's long neck, the Monkey jumps from her into the cool lake, and the Elephant even ties his hammock to Gigi to gaze at the stars. Everyone finds a giraffe quite handy.

However, Gigi soon grows tired of the games. 'For them, I'm not Gigi; I'm just a long neck,' she says to herself. And when she's not included in the birthday selfie at Porcupine's party, she finally loses her patience.

'Please smile' by Sharareh Tayar is a play for young audiences in Iranian and German language. Compassionately and with great dedication, it tells the story of how challenging it can be to find friends without losing oneself in the process."

A puppet theater play about friendship and mindfulness.

from 4 - 8 years
32 minutes plus discussion with the Audience, without break
copyrights Sharareh Tayar

Produktion 2023

With: Sharareh Tayar und Bärbel Maier
Directing: Peer Damminger
Stage: Sharareh Tayar und Peer Damminger
German Text: Bärbel Maier
Photography: Joelle Oechsle

If you focus exclusively on the faces of the figures created by Saba Ghadimi for an extended period, Gigi and her companions almost seem lively. This is primarily thanks to Bärbel Maier's and Sharareh Tayar's captivating, energetic performances. Maier, who also serves as the narrator of the piece, gives the jungle inhabitants not just a voice but also character. And this often brings laughter. Only when Gigi speaks do the young and adult audience members not laugh. The Iranian actress Tayar, who came to Germany for the play, endows Gigi with a sensitive and empathetic nature, which one immediately sympathizes with - and mostly in Farsi.
Die Rheinpfalz