The puppeteer's hand, covered with a glove, takes the form of different creatures. From the late 1940s onwards, Yves Joly used this technique in Les Mains seules and several other shows at the Parisian cabaret La Rose rouge. In Profondeurs sous-marines (1951), for example, the puppeteers' hands formed fish, sea anemones, octopuses, etc.

Gloved hand

Zanetti Girolamo

Molnár Gyula (aka Giulio Molnár)

Jaubertie Stéphane

Depero Fortunato

String marionette

Truitonne quarrels with her sister Florine – she is unhappy with her own name and reproaches her for being loved by everyone while she is despised. She would like to inflict pain on others and to be loved anyway. Their godfather Enchanteur Rotomago (Sorcerer Rotomago) announces that he would like them to marry: Truitonne with Prince Charmant (Prince Charming) and Florine with himself. Gilles, Prince Charmant’s servant , comes in and announces Prince Charmant’s arrival, but at first the characters mistake him for his master. When Charmant arrives, he immediately notices Florine, while Rotomago tries to draw attention to Truitonne. A Fée (fairy) steps in to warn him that Florine is the woman he must love. Rotomago bribes Gilles so that he helps him set up a trap. He will have Charmant believe that Florine has asked to see him. But taking advantage of the dark, they will make Truitonne come to the rendezvous instead. Thus, Truitonne poses as Florine and Charmant gives her a ring as a token of his love. As he believes that he is speaking to Florine, Charmant wishes out loud that a devil would carry her sister away, and his wish is fulfilled – a devil carries Florine away, but Charmant launches himself after her. Once at the cemetery, Charmant and Gilles meet an apparition of her that tells them that Florine is still alive. Rotomago asks Charmant to marry Truitonne, and when he refuses, he punishes him by changing him into a bird for seven years. Florine is made captive in a tower under the supervision of Gilles, who has them believe that Charmant died of sorrow and of an indigestion of rum babas. A blue bird (Oiseau bleu) enters her room, and Florine understands him to be Prince Charmant. He takes hold of a cane and hits Gilles. Rotomago, Truitonne and Gilles go after Oiseau bleu. The latter comes back to Florine and receives a letter brought by a Bourdon (bumblebee), in which he is told about an attack on his kingdom. Gilles glimpses Oiseau, shoots him with a gun then puts him in a magical coach that takes him to his own castle. There, he convinces the Seigneurs (lords) of his court to let him lead an army to battle. Rotomago appears and offers to give him back his human form on condition that he marries Truitonne. Charmant agrees in order to protect his subjects. As Charmant and Truitonne’s marriage is about to be celebrated, a Génie (Genie) appears with Florine. He transforms the Enchanteur into a turkey and convinces Gilles and Truitonne to marry, while Charmant will marry Florine.

France

Paris

L'Oiseau bleu, first page of the manuscript.

L'Oiseau bleu

Geisselbrecht Johann Georg

Conference of Javier Swedzky, puppeteer, stage director, researcher and teacher, founder of the company Trabajo a Reglamento (Buenos, Aires, Argentina)
Conference organised by the PuppetPlays project at the Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry

Credo Fugace, a scenic approach using puppets, objects and actors

Detective

Évangile

Faithfulness

Futur

German Democratic Republic (GDR)

Guerres napoléoniennes

Livestock

Marseillaise

Middle school

Milky Way

Poverty

Quiproquo

Rivals

Social harmony

Space flight

Switzerland

Trickster

Biblioteca comunale dell'archiginnasio

Huma-Num

IdRef

Isidore

Jagiellonian Library

Münchner Stadtmuseum

Musée de la Vie Wallonne

Musée des Arts de la Marionnette - Gadagne

Nakala

Pôle International de la Marionnette – Jacques Félix

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Université Haute Alsace

The work tells the legendary story of the city of Elx (Elche), which is surrounded by palm forests, and of an angry dragon who sees his natural kingdom threatened by the development of the city beyond its walls. To prevent this, the dragon kidnaps the girls of the town and, by means of a spell, turns them into slender palm trees. An improvised hero puts an end to this curse: with the help of a fairy, he reaches an agreement between the dragon and the inhabitants, so that they preserve the palm grove forever.

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