Puppetry

Figure Theatre, formerly known as puppet theater or puppetry, is a form of performing art, act in the figure player with figures on a suitable stage in front of spectators.

On Definition

The puppet theater is called the theater the scientific sense as an exclusion of the traditional puppet theater also as "an artistic puppet theater ". This are the new forms of play, such as open play, mixing of all shapes, sizes and of various arts, meant. Many theater scholars and puppeteers use the term puppetry as an umbrella term to cover the broad field of puppet theater, artistic puppetry, object theater and similar forms. Often, the term " other theater " this usual.

The term puppet theater instead, is more traditional, mostly covert forms of figuration game. The term " puppet theater " appears only at the beginning of the 19th century.

History

Early period and origin

Archaeological evidence suggests that moving before our era figures on religious and ceremonial celebrations were used.

An actual form of theater with dramatic action developed well until later. Initially, starting from the representation of religious events that figures with dwindling spiritual function lost more and more important. Therefore, the sources are relatively scarce.

As a source space for the hand puppet theater Persia is adopted. Puppets ( puppets ) are already known in ancient Greece. Aristotle describes a character who turn their heads could move the neck, limbs and even eyes. Plato used in his writings the image of the drawn on threads doll as a symbol of human dependence. In the 6th century, the Bishop of Alexandria refers to small wooden figures that are shown at weddings and can dance remote control by some kind. In China, the puppet theater can be detected reliably only from the Tang Dynasty, but it should not undergo significant proliferation. In Asia, also the shadow theater, which even today is dedicated to the traditional mythical substances partly developed.

Middle Ages

Only after the Crusades can be found in our culture first images of game characters. The oldest known representation of a puppetry dates back to around 1160 and is found in the Hortus Deliciarum the abbess Herrad of Landsberg. The next picture is to be seen again until the border decoration in Alexander song to 1344. It is a farce castle, a hand puppet theater with viewers. Both manuscripts go in the text not in the form of theater, since they probably now known, although in general, but still was insignificant. In Schwerin the head of a hand puppet was found, which is also dated to this time.

Renaissance

To Shakespeare - time (16th century), the first substances and libretti for the puppet theater created. In Turkey, the Karagöztheater developed, and Italy won the Commedia dell'arte important. From this time include traveling puppet theater to the usual image on the markets. The fabrics are often about archaic and mythical things like heaven and hell, good and evil. The puppet show by Dr. Faustus is one example. Some German touring companies could offer puppet theater as an alternative to spectacle. Often remain standing rolls or funny people who no longer are modern on the stage, in the puppet theater receive ( or Pulcinella Punch, Pierrot, buffoon, Staberl ).

Enlightenment and Romanticism

The Enlightenment intellectuals turn against the typical materials of the former puppet theater - the preoccupation with the supernatural is despised. In addition, have jugglers of all divisions to fight with city regulations, which limit the possibilities of troops (see also: Paris market theater ).

In the 19th century the puppet undergoes a romanticizing. Although new pieces are designed specifically for this form of theater, but unlike before children are now addressed.

20th century

After the revolution, Russia recognizes the ways to use this form of theater for the " education of the people ." The Nazis use them for propaganda purposes little later.

Shortly after the Second World War seems to be the puppet, as well as other arts to be able to get out of the " straitjacket of expediency ." Experimental pieces arise, as are new types of figures to pure material, as well as compounds of various stage forms. In addition, however, the " populist " and often targeted pieces continue to exist. Thus the figure of the mutated Kasper, once obrigkeitsverleugnend and enjoyment inclining, partly for cute teeth cleaning and road model.

East and West Germany

In the GDR, the puppet theater was one of the divisions of the performing arts and was in almost all districts (including Schwerin, Gera, Erfurt, Dresden, Berlin, Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg ) is a solid state venue with the most extensive range of ensemble and workshop. Correspondingly comprehensive training for puppeteers at the Academy of Dramatic Arts " Ernst Busch" Berlin, which was based on the renowned drama methodology of this university, gave to this was / is there more than in other countries, a detailed puppetry technique training.

Was also in West Germany and there are solid ensemble theater (including Lübeck, Dusseldorf, Munich, Schwäbisch Hall, Augsburg, two in Cologne), but which do business privately from time immemorial and subsidies or sponsors fight (except eg the the local color undertook urban dialect theater Hänneschen theater ( puppet of Cologne ) ). For this reason, the puppet theater (man - woman) made ​​in West Germany mostly as traveling solo stage or player duo dar. For the players, it was often by self-taught artists who visit for their continuing responsible seminars or had to sit in on an existing platform.

Only in 1977 German puppet theater was founded in an Education Committee by the Association, which reached in 1983, that was established at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, the program " Puppet Theatre ", the first training center for puppetry in Western Europe. University of Education Karlsruhe puppetry of tungsten Ellwanger was involved in the educational science teacher education and further developed by Siegbert A. Warwitz in the form of traffic Kasper as a modern teaching theater for traffic education.

Matter

The German tragedy " from erschröcklichen Erzzauberer Johannes Faustus, his soul deal with the devil and his eventual descent into hell " then brought the most played piece for the puppet theater on the small boards. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was inspired by such a puppet theater to his own.

Heinrich von Kleist wrote in light of a puppet theater performance his essay On the Marionette Theater.

One of the great poets of the puppet literature Franz Pocci heard, who wrote mainly for the Munich Marionette Theatre, whose artistic text are printed to this day, and served in the 1970s for several children radio plays.

As materials for the puppet theater served for a long time especially the classic fairy tale, well-known children's books such as Janosch or Otfried Preußler as well as stories that are developing the puppeteer himself for both children and adults. To a writer working on the usual level puppeteers include Jo Micovich and Heinrich Maria Denneborg. Today in professional puppet theater contemporary writers are often adapted to the for the stage, there are contracts awarded to writers or advertised competitions. In addition, the game materials are often developed in a team on improvisation and brought to the stage of maturity with the inclusion of playwrights.

However, substances of the "big" theater sometimes find collection in the puppet show. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre is known for its performances of great works of the opera repertoire.

The Augsburger succeeded in 1953 a successful connection of television and puppetry. The Wuppertal puppet brought from 1960 to 1970 on behalf of the WDR and NDR total of 45 shows for the afternoon program of the ARD on the themes Biblical history, Greek legends, etc.

Different character shapes

• Bunraku figures from Japan
• Fantoches from South America
• Finger Puppets
• Flat Figures
• Hand puppets
• Handstick figures
• Kaukautzky
• Klappmaul figures
• Puppets
• Quirks
• Masks
• Shade, shadow puppets
• Stick figures
• Stock puppets
• Sock Puppets
• Table puppets
• Animated characters, objects ( Mechanical theater, object theater )
• Water Puppets of Vietnam

Known puppet theater

• See list of related puppet theaters
• See Category Puppenbühne

Puppet Theatre Festival

• The international festival FIDENA ( Figure Theatre of Nations ) of the German Forum for puppet theater and puppet theater in Bochum since 1958 presents outstanding performances in the field of puppetry. Since 1998, most discharged annually festivals.
• The International Puppet Theatre Festival in Erlangen, Nuremberg, Fürth and Schwabach is the largest puppet theater festival in Germany and has been held since 1979 every two years, in 2009 for the 16th time.
• The " Festival of figures, Object and Other Theater - globus ", every year since 1992 at several venues in and around Leipzig
• The Imaginale - International Puppet Theatre Festival in Mannheim, Stuttgart, Tübingen and Karlsruhe was held for the first time after several events were held in 2008.
• No Strings Attached - puppet theater & more - Festival in Mainz.
• The International Festival of Puppet in Lingen (Ems ) takes place since 1983 every two years, in 2009 for the 14th time.
• The Lindenfelser West Wing (Leipzig) with his puppet theater.
• The International Figure Theatre Festival in Brühl find every two years, in 2010 for the 13th time
• The " International Puppet Theatre Festival in Mistelbach " Austria the end of October, annually, in 2010 from 26 October for the 32nd time
• The "International Welser Puppet Theatre Festival ", Austria, takes place annually beginning of March, 2014 for the 23rd time

Known puppeteer

• See list of puppeteers

Schools, training

• Academy of Dramatic Arts "Ernst Busch ", Department of Puppetry
• University of Music and Theater Zurich
• State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart
• Puppet Theatre College of Bochum

Elocution

In addition to the depicting speaking, acting basics and the production of figures and the specialist speech training is offered. Elocution can be studied within bachelor and master degree programs as an independent field of study or as a focus / specialization.

Museums

• Lübeck Museum of Theatre jr figure Fritz Fey
• Munich City Museum
• Museum of puppet theater, Bad Kreuznach
• Mitteldeutsches traveling puppet theater in Bad Liebenswerda
• Puppet Theater Museum Berlin
• Dresden State Art Collections, Puppentheatersammlung
• Augsburger
• Poppenspäler Museum in Husum

Intangible Cultural Heritage

The puppet theater experiences worldwide currently increasing protection by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO has been the Sicilian Puppet Theatre "Opera dei Pupi " (2001), the Indonesian Wayang Kulit (2003), the Japanese Ningyo Jōruri Bunraku (2003) and the Cambodian shadow theater sbek Thom Khmer ( 2005) Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of mankind declared. The People's Republic of China has declared both the shadow play as well as the Marionette Theatre 2006 Intangible Cultural Heritage of the People's Republic of China and ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2004. In German-speaking countries have acceded to this Convention to all States to Lichtenstein.