eWire
June 07, 2004
From Virgin Mary to Marionettes
FROM VIRGIN MARY TO MARIONETTES
Puppets Still Live in Czech Republic
By Susan Hallett
603- 18 Nepean St., Ottawa Ont. K2P 2L2 Tel: 613-233-2085 email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com
Marionette performances or puppet plays are a living art in the Czech Republic, especially in the capital, Prague. In fact, there is even a puppeteer magazine, LOUTKAR, which is the world’s oldest puppeteer magazine. For a glimpse, visit www.divadlo.cz/loutkar.
The term “marionette” comes from the French “Mariolette”, a diminutive of Mariole, a name once given to little figures of the Virgin Mary in France. Our word “puppet” also comes from a French word, the word for doll. When we say puppet in English, we mean a small image, usually in human form, moved by the fingers, cords or wires in a mock drama.
And mock dramas abound in Prague. Puppetmasters are trained at a special school, DAMU, the School for Alternative and Puppet Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. And if you are lucky enough to be in Prague, a visit to the National Marionette Theatre is a definite must. Mozart’s Don Giovanni has had more than a thousand performances at the National Marionette Theatre, founded in 1991. Around 50 professional puppeteers work on this theatre’s plays which are performed at Zatecka l in Prague’s Old Town. The Magical Theatre of the Baroque World offers a second glimpse into the world of puppetry, this time using stage design and technology that is entirely baroque. Their first performance was in 1993. Plays are staged in a unique baroque palace at l3 Celetna Street in downtown Prague.
Czech puppets started out as simple stick forms which later evolved into hand puppets. The first time history records the use of “mechanical figures” in Czech puppet theatre was in 1563. At that time most puppeteers had trained in other parts of Europe. At the end of the 16th century Czechs were being entertained by British, Dutch and German pupeteers who used string marionettes. They had first been developed in Italy. But these very string puppets, thousands of which are sold in gift shops and street markets in Prague to this day, are considered by most people to be of Czech origin. They are still made by hand in and around Prague.
As early as 1750, marionette theatre had become an independent profession in the Czech Lands. In 1782, the first Czech puppet play, a story about Don Juan, was written. By the middle of the 19th century, however, performances had become stilted. Czech puppeteering was in decline. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that puppet theatre was revived. In fact, there was such a strong trend to preserving folk cuture that it was raised to the level of mainstream theatre. Puppeteers no longer had to travel with their shows. Permanent puppet theatres were opened and this contributed to further development of the art form.
In the 1960’s, so-called “Black Theatre” influenced Czech puppet plays and rod marionettes came into use. Marionette masters used darkness with light playing on the puppets to create unusual effects. Rod marionettes, which are operated from the bottom with rods, led to a new movement called “The Theatre of the Third Kind” in which puppeteers became actors rather than hidden players on the stage. But even as professional puppeteering evolved, amateur puppet theatres survived. There still number approximately 200 amateur groups in the Czech Republic.
Anyone interested in puppeteering should know about UNIMA or the Union Internationale de la Marionette, which originated in Prague in 1929. From a small circle of friends, UNIMA has become an international organization “for anyone who enjoys puppet theatre regardless of race, politics, and culture.” There are members in around 77 countries and besides puppetry itself, UNIMA is involved in puppet therapy and higher education. Their main office is located at Celetna 17, Prague l, Czech Republic.