The Earth being in a near-apocalyptic state after several wars, the survivors seek universal reconciliation and want to create a world in which everyone will be happy, albeit identical and average. Pierrot arrives; the song he is singing about the Moon stirs up a desire for military conquest. When they land on the Moon, the Terriens (Earthlings) are so well received that they do not dare speak of their plan of conquering the Moon; instead, they forsake war once and for all. Mutual visits are planned: the Lunariens (a made-up word for “residents of the Moon”) will come to the next Chicago Fair.

Shadow theatre

Not specified

Utrillo Miquel

France

Paris

États-Unis

Chicago

Printed summary

Science fiction

Peace

Happiness

Monotony

Uniformity

Boredom

Journey

Poetry

Party

Procession

Visit

Universal Exposition

Social harmony

Moon

Conquest of space

Invention

Satirical

Programme of the Théâtre des ombres parisiennes, Columbian World's Fair, Chicago, 1893.

French

Pierrot

Inhabitants on the moon

Opposite worlds

Plot twist

Song

La Conquête de la lune

The Conquest of the Moon

The Roi and the Reine de Mars (King and Queen of Mars) wait for the arrival of a prodigious being, Matoum, but he is preceded by his doppelganger, the impostor Tévibar. While the poems told by Matoum bring light and colour to the planet, those delivered by Tévibar prompt melancholy and gloominess. During the sparring match between the two poets, Tévibar makes the Reine faint and the Roi die, but Matoum brings them back to life before flying to Earth to take part in the war.

Glove-puppet

Albert-Birot Pierre

Italy

Rome

Printed

Mars Planet

Impostor

Vanguard

Seduction

Unwelcome seducer

Fainting

Miraculous cure

Resurrection

Ascension

Futurism

Comical

Fantasy

Pierre Albert-Birot, Matoum et Tévibar, edition SIC, 1919 (cover)

or the enlightening and recreational Story of the true and fake poet

Prologue

Address to the public

Sticking

Interrupting

Misunderstanding

Transforming scenery

Light effects

Blow-with-a-stick

Fight

Metamorphosis

Matoum et Tévibar

Matoum and Tévibar

The comet Halifax 712 is approaching Earth. In the absence of the astronomer, Kasperl, his assistant, makes a journalist believe that a collision is imminent. Sensationalist press spreads panic. Kasperl denounces the selfishness of the Minister, who only thinks about himself. He also mocks people for stupidly believing in what the newspapers say, hires a telescope from a passer-by in order to get a closer look at the comet and suggests ridiculous measures (spraying water towards the comet, sending a spaceship). As the comet approaches, Kasperl disguises as a Capuchin monk and hears the confessions of the Minister as well as those of the journalist and of a salted meat master. When they want to bring their wealth in order to redeem themselves from their wrongdoings, they realize that the comet has drawn away, but Kasperl explains to them that their belongings and their superstition will be the subject of many other plays.

Young audiences

Maticka Adolf

Austria

Disaster

Astronomy

Telescope

Panic

Sensational

Press

Credulity

Ignorance

Comet

Politics

Media

Enrichment

Front page of Rote Kasper-Texte

German

Ein Handpuppenspiel in 3 Akten

Kasperl

Teacher

Journalist

Pork butcher

Change of social status

Naive character deceived

Disguise

Hidden Object Lazzi

Der Komet

The Comet

The Wiseman Weitschuss has built a rocket to go to Mars. When Kasperl messes with the buttons, he accidentally causes the rocket to take off. He arrives on the red planet, where he teaches German to Martian Zweikopf, who brings him before the king. The latter wants to inspect the rocket and, pushing the wrong button, flies to Earth. The king is treated as an exotic creature and is exhibited at the zoo while the rocket returns to Mars. Kasperl escapes the vengeance of the Martians and returns to his parents.

String marionette

Schuster Ludwig

Germany

Rocket

Glory

Curiosity

Exoticism

Otherness

Communication

Hazard

Hunger

Accident

Couch

Fall

Didactic

Marionettenspiel in sechs Aufzügen

Father

Mother

Engineer

Tamer

Martian

Minister

Monster

Imaginary language

Comic equivocation

Flying machine

Apparition of a monster

Falling from hangers

Fake death

Die Fahrt zum Mars

Le voyage sur Mars

The Professor discovered how to use atomic energy to power interplanetary flights. With his rocket and Kasperle, he wants to fly to Eros and trusts the Doktor (Doctor) to watch over his laboratory. The latter steals his calculations, and pairs with Death and the Devil to produce atomic energy in order to sell it. On Eros, a minor planet inhabited by beings who carefully watch what happens on Earth and are concerned about the violence of its inhabitants, the Professor and Kasperle learn that the Earth is in danger because of a new type of energy. They quickly go back and discover that the city has been destroyed. In a different version, Death and the Devil run away after being exposed by Kasperle; in another one, the wrongdoers are sent to space where they will stay forever.

Diezmann Gerhard

Chemnitz

Typewriting

Planet

Radio

Spaceship

Laboratory

Energy

Celestial body

Alien

Responsibility

Consequences

Ein phantastisches Spiel in 4 Bildern für die Marionettenbühne geschrieben

Worker

Doctor

Extraterrestrial

Counselor

General

Pact with the devil

Catastrophe

Die Atomrakete

The Atomic Rocket

A TV presenter invites the audience to time travel to the year 2084; he ages rapidly and dies. A foetus floats in space and hums the music from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Numbers 3 and 5 harass number 11 who wants to be left alone, driving him to suicide several times. The voice from the speaker congratulates 3 and 5. Two robots talk using only letters and acronyms. Mozart, afraid of being forgotten, doubts his own identity. The creatures Têtedelard and Boutdechou reflect on their potential, and then the former dismembers the latter while Lumgo, a deceitful creature with disorganised syntax, tries to convince Boutdechou to become the king of humanity. Clones have to play family but no longer understand the concepts of man, woman or love. An alien mother listens absent-mindedly to her son tell stories of life on Earth in the past. Behind them, the planet Earth rises.

Tabletop Puppetry

Dorin Philippe

Strasbourg

Dystopia

Future

Violence

Despair

Love

Family

Surveillance

Clone

Absurd

Dramatic

Tragic

Parodistic

Un futur plein d'avenir

Announcer

Foetus

Haut-Parleur

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Robot

Saynète

Revelation

Spying scene

Comedy of language

Tragic conflict

Failed suicide

Metadiscourse on puppet theatre

Dance

Theatre within the theatre

Running gag

Argument

2084

The plot takes place in 2080, on Earth - an utterly polluted planet on which live a little girl named Laetia, her sidekick dog, and Dragonis, her friend. Laetia enjoys stargazing, while her friend loves seeking remains of the past using a detector. Inside a meteoroid, they find an encrypted note regarding a treasure that could be found on a dead planet. Laetia and Dragonis decide to go after the said treasure. After many adventures on other planets, they finally get the treasure chest back thanks to enchanted phrases they learnt. When they return home, they find that the treasure is not gold, but rather seeds that will help making Earth a green planet again by growing trees on it.