Sharmanka Travelling Circus

Sharmanka, from the Russian for barrel organ, is a performing mechanical theatre sure to delight young and old. Sound and movement combine with striking images to make for a humorous and at times macabre experience.

Artist and inventor Eduard Bersudsky began making kinetic sculptures in 1974 in the Soviet Union, with no hope of official approval. In 1987, as the regime collapsed, Eduard met theatre director Tatyana Jakovskaya who suggested a fusion of the animated elements with music and dramatic lighting, creating a unique theatrical performance. Sharmanka launched to audiences in St. Petersburg in 1989, before moving to Scotland in 1993. The third member of the team is lighting and sound designer Sergey Jakovsky.

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