THE MAGIC TOUBERLEKI (IN DEVELOPMENT)

BY MINAS KOUROGLOU

The restless and hyperactive MARKOS is a 9 year old ROMA boy.

ouberlekiOne of the hottest nights of the summer, he can’t sleep, tomorrow he has the big fiesta and he really needs to learn to play the tumbler. He has a good reason- to be the first to make the shy and beautiful MAIRA dance. Markos is a special kid, he plays in his own unique way! Instead of banging the drum, he sings the rhythms with his voice while pretending to tame the tumbler with skill. His delirium stirs up the whole neighborhood, his father lashes out and tells him coldly and bluntly that he can’t and won’t be able to play at the fiesta because he’s never played the tumbler before, his mother suggests he calm down and reminds him that he’ll find another opportunity at another fiesta to play, while his mean sister finds a chance to play. He is stubborn. His GRANDMOTHER, after trying to put him to sleep, convinces him that she has cast a spell on his touberleki, touching it magically for the first time. Everyone asks him to go to sleep, but he stays awake, drunk on the idea of the magic in his touberleki and obsessed with his desire to make Maira dance.

On the day of the fiesta Markos will be confronted with all kinds of adventures and challenges, his friendships and family relationships will be tested, he will feel the competition, he will experience for the first time the echo of the conflict between desire and reality, he will discover the dark and light aspects of his existence, he will face the problems of Greek society, he will offer his little sister the best meal of her life. He will find it difficult to refute his own narrative and will only do so when little Valentina clings to hers. All of this will happen before he faces himself, before he accepts his weakness and his strengths in front of a large audience, before he takes a big step towards adulthood and self-awareness, then, when the moment he’s been losing sleep over finally arrives, when he steps onto his own special stage and tries to move Maira to his rhythm.