Ljubljana Puppet Theatre

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre was established in 1948, shaped by various developments in Slovene puppetry during the first half of the 20th century. The theatre focuses on performances for children but also offers a programme for adults. Its productions receive wide national and international acclaim. The production of Spotty the Ball [Žogica Marogica], written by the Check puppeteer Jan Malik, remains unchanged in the repertory of Ljubljana Puppet Theatre since its première in 1951.

History

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre emerged as a follow-up to numerous semi-professional puppet groups organised since the beginning of 20th century. Soon after its establishment, the theatre found its own mode of expression and became the leading puppet theatre in the then Yugoslavia. The first seasons focused especially on works by Slovene authors, though the theatre's most important performances were adaptations of foreign works. At first, the performances were based on the marionette technique, but soon the theatre started to develop also hand puppets. The repertoire included more and more original works by Slovene authors and included an increasing number of collaborators. From the seventies on, the theatre focuses on advancements of technical, technological, and purely puppetry possibilities and cultivates a captivating mixture of classical contents and experiment, which results in high quality puppet production, which is often included in distinguished Slovene theatre festivals. The theatre collaborated with great number of renowned theatre directors (Zvone Šedlbauer, Janez Pipan, Robert Waltl, Vinko Möderndorfer, Mile Korun, Silvan Omerzu), visual artists and musicians.

About

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre repertory programme encompasses the classical puppetry tradition as well as contemporary forms. The theatre works with domestic as well as with international authors, and is open to young as well as established writers. The theatre cultivates all main puppetry genres (marionette, Hand puppets, Java puppets, shadow puppets, mimic puppets) and preserves around 2000 puppets from past performances. The main target audience is children, however the theatre has expanded its youth and adult programme, thus the programme is divided into two segments, namely, puppet performances and drama performances, including eight to ten premières annually. It also organises puppetry workshops for children and since 2009 also a Puppet Forum, a series of gatherings of puppet creators and the audience through which the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre wishes to advance the art of pupperty.

Since 1992, when the International Puppetry Association (UNIMA) congress was held in Ljubljana, Ljubljana Puppet Theatre has organised the biannual Lutke International Puppet Festival, at which the Little Prince Award is bestowed.

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre has toured in more than 80 cities in 30 countries and received many awards at international festivals, such as the International Puppet Theatre Festival Pierrot, Bolgaria, PIF Festival, Croatia, International Puppet Festival Golden Spark, Serbia, World Festival of Puppet Art, Check Republic, etc.

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre also preserves an important collection relating to the Slovene puppetry heritage - see Ljubljana Puppet Theatre Museum Collection. In 2008, on 60th anniversary of its activities, the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre published the book, which gives an overview of all productions and collaborators.

Programme

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre programme includes stagings of classical children works as well as performances based on fresh children's texts by Slovene authors (Svetlana Makarovič, Boris A. Novak, Vinko Möderndorfer). Its most successful performances for children are Twinkle Sleepyhead [Zvezdica zaspanka], still in the repertory today but staged for the first time in 1955 (followed by the first Slovene colour feature film, which greatly contributed to the huge success of this first production, though many other successful Slovene and international productions of the play followed in the following years), This Merry Day or Matiček's Wedding [Ta veseli dan ali Matiček se ženi] (2002) (a Slovene stage classic by A. T. Linhart), directed by the theatre director Vito Taufer, which won a number of awards, among others, the Little Prince Award for best performance at the Lutke International Puppet Festival, Ljubljana, award for best performance at Slovene Drama Week in 2003, award for best animation at the International Puppet Theatre Festival - PIF, Zagreb, Croatia, etc., the performance Papageno Is Playing the Magic Flute [Papageno igra na čarobno pišča] (2002) (Streul’s adaptation of a famous Mozart opera), in co-operation with Slovene National Theatre (SNG) Ljubljana - Opera and Ballet and directed by Diego de Brea, Sapra Mouse [Sapramiška] (1986), written by the widely translated Slovene poet and children's writer Svetlana Makarovič.

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre recent performances include a highly engaged puppet performance for adults about alienation in contemporary society Love Dolls (2009), co-produced with the Dutch DudaPaiva Company, which fuses modern dance, puppetry, music and multi media, The Lost Tune [Izgubljeni ton], co-produced by Forum Ljubljana, based on the motif of the Chinese legend about the empire which has lost its primary tune, and Doctor Faustus [Doktor Faust], based on the motifs from the first Slovene production of the play by Milan Klemenčič, the founder of Slovene puppetry, after whom the most prominent Slovene award for achievement in puppetry is named (Klemenčič Award). The performance is a rarity in an international context as it uses puppets from the original staging.

Venues

Large hall

Type of venue: theatre hall; main use: puppetry performances; seating: 253 seats total; performing area: 10m W x 12m D x 3.4m H, flat wooden stage floor suitable for dance; wing spaces: 1.2m W SR, 1.2m W SR; suspension equipment: 3 lines, maximum load 125kg; soft hangings: black house curtain, black legs and borders; lighting: Compulite 164-channel desk, basic lighting rig; sound: Soundcraft K2 mixer, 8 loudspeakers, 12 microphones; stage equipment: stage lift; backstage: 4 dressing rooms accommodating 24 persons, technical crew available; climate control: air-conditioned; availability: available for hire

Small Hall

Type of venue: theatre hall; main use: puppetry performances; seating: 100 seats total; performing area: 5m W x 5-6m D x 4.2m H flat wooden stage floor suitable for dance; wing spaces: 1m W SR, 1m W SL; soft hangings: black house curtain, black legs and borders; lighting: Compulite 68-channel desk, basic lighting rig; sound: Soundcraft K1 mixer, 2 loudspeakers, 4 microphones; stage equipment: stage lift (aluminium structure); backstage: 4 dressing rooms accommodating 24 persons, technical crew available; climate control: air-conditioned; availability: available for hire

Stage Under the Stars

Type of venue: multipurpose hall; main use: puppetry performances; seating: 300 seats total; performing area: 8m W x 30m D x 2.6m H to stage canopy, parquet floor unsuitable for dance; wing spaces: formed by removable panels; soft hangings: details on request; lighting: Compulite 36-channel desk, basic lighting rig; sound: Yamaha 12:4 mixer, 6 loudspeakers, 6 microphones; film equipment: 35mm and 16mm cinema projection equipment and cinema screen; backstage: no dressing rooms, technical crew available; climate control: air-conditioned; availability: available for hire

Culturoom

Type of venue: theatre hall; main use: puppetry performances; seating: 70 seats total; performing area: 5m W x 5m D x 3.4m H, flat wooden floor suitable for dance; wing spaces: none; soft hangings: black house curtain, black legs and borders; lighting: 12-channel analog desk, basic lighting rig; sound: Soundcraft 12:2 mixer, 2 loudspeakers, 6 microphones; backstage: 1 dressing room accommodating 4-6 persons, technical crew available; climate control: air-conditioned; availability: available for hire

External links

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre website

Ljubljana Puppet Theatre

Contents

History

About

Programme

Venues

See also

External links

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