Puppet theater

Puppets have been dancing in Salzburg for 111 years

Romeo and Juliet at the Salzburg Marionette Theater

(Bild: Marionettentheater)

The Salzburg Marionette Theater is giving itself a new festival for its anniversary, but is also celebrating its rich history, as Managing Director Susanne Tiefenbacher and Artistic Director Philippe Brunner told the "Krone".

"Krone": Mr. Brunner, how do you approach a 111th anniversary at a house with such a special history?

Brunner: Of course we want to present the rich history, but we also want to show what is currently happening at the theater and what we are planning for the future. With the new PUPPETS! festival (24.-27.10.), we are inviting various companies for the first time who, like us, are dedicated to puppetry, to celebrate the anniversary with us and the people of Salzburg.

Will the festival take place every two years in future?

Brunner: Yes, for the time being we didn't want to set any specific themes, but rather present a different form of puppetry every two years. We are starting with the supreme discipline, the string puppet. Puppetry with strings is now a rather rare art form. In future, the theme may also be dedicated to hand puppetry or shadow puppetry, for example.

Susanne Tiefenbacher, Managing Director of the Marionette Theater and Philippe Brunner, Artistic Director.

(Bild: Marionettentheater)

Do you actually still have puppets from the time of Anton Aicher, the founding father of the Salzburg Marionette Theater?

Brunner: Yes, we still have the first puppets with which he performed "Bastien and Bastienne" in 1913. The old figures are smaller than we have them today. A lot was certainly lost or destroyed during the world wars, but fortunately we have a chronological thread through this long history, and in addition to the figures, we also have stage sets, designs, photos, program booklets and so on.

Has there been a highlight for you in recent years?

Brunner: Many. "The Sound of Music" in 2007 was certainly very special. That was really the first time that a musical was staged here in the theater. Until then, it had mainly been operas, plays and fairy tales. It was an important, large-scale production in which we worked with international artists, American creative teams, singers and musicians. It was the first time that "The Sound of Music" had ever been seen on a stage here in Salzburg.

Ms Tiefenbacher, you repeatedly emphasize how important it is for you to open up the theater to the outside world and take it on tour. Do you also reach your limits?

Tiefenbacher: Well, the limits became particularly apparent during the pandemic years, when there was a very hard cut. We have not yet been able to resume touring and traveling to the same extent, but we are very pleased that in 2025 we will be performing in Japan again for the first time in a long time, namely at EXPO 2025 in Osaka. And in terms of opening up the house, there are wonderful collaborations, such as with the Mozart Week, which we are constantly developing.

Do you already have ideas about this?

Tiefenbacher: Fortunately, capacity utilization has developed positively in recent years and is a great boost for us. We are once again much more present on the cultural map, and thanks to the support of the public sector, we have also become an attractive partner for business again. Apart from financial security, it is essential to position ourselves both in terms of content and program, to be curious and open. We are a great team, the ensemble is unique, and yet we have to make sure that young people are trained and involved here too. There is a lot to do, but I am confident and look forward to the future.

Interview: Larissa Schütz