- 1981
- Spain
For many years during Franco’s reign, puppets were not welcome in Spain. Powerful figures, be they Hitler or Putin, Ceausescu or Pinochet, could not be mocked without consequences. In 1981, six years after the death of the dictator, Jaume Policarpo founded Bambalina Teatre in Albaida (a village just outside Valencia). In 1997 he also founded Spain’s only puppet museum.
Since 2002, Bambalina’s productions (which have toured all over the globe) have taken a turn for the political, often focusing on eminent personalities: Passionaria, Lorca, Lennon… But the company has also staged performances inspired by The Soldier’s Tale, Ubu and La Sonrisa by Federico Garcia Lorca. Much of the company’s appeal lies in the performers’ total mastery of puppeteering, singing and percussion, dance and movement. Faithful to their spirit of all-round artistry, all of the company’s props are made by hand. Eschewing artifice and emphasis, Bambalina Teatre invites audiences to step into their surreal, poetic universe.
