Argentine puppeteer. Settled in Brazil since 1961, Ilo Krugli gave a series of performances with Pedro Turón Domínguez and became a fixture in Rio de Janeiro. In 1966, the “duo” Ilo and Pedro opened the Teatro de Fantoches e Marionetes Carlos Werneck de Carvalho (Theatre of Fantoches and Puppets Carlos Werneck de Carvalho) on the occasion of the inauguration of the Parque do Aterro do Flamengo, a large park on the Baía de Guanabara in Rio. Krugli conceived this theatre by visualizing a stage adaptable to different manipulation techniques.

In the 1960s, he joined forces with the plastic/visual artist and poet Augusto Rodrigues (1913-1993), creator of the Escolinha de Arte do Brasil (Little School of Art of Brazil) where he taught for eleven years. This institute saw the birth of A História do Barquinho (The Story of the Little Boat), one of Krugli’s most awarded shows, which continues to be staged.

Krugli’s innovative conception of the puppet, and puppetry art as a pedagogical tool, are the very basis of his work. This orientation became more coherent with the formation of Teatro Ventoforte in May 1974, during the 10th Festival de Teatro Infantil de Curitiba-PR (Curitiba Children’s Theatre Festival), with the creation of Histórias de Lenços e Ventos (Stories of Scarves and Breezes) conceived and directed by Ilo Krugli. At the time, this show was considered to be an important moment in children’s theatre.

In 1980, the troupe toured São Paolo before deciding to settle down there. Setting up shop in the Parque do Povo (People’s Park), the Ventoforte troupe began work on researching language of the stage, addressing an audience of both adults and children. Their repertoire always uses actors, music, dance, objects and puppets in combination. In 2004, to celebrate thirty years of their existence, Ventoforte presented Bodas de Sangue (Blood Wedding) by Federico García Lorca, which obtained the Shell Prize for the best scenography.

(See Brazil.)