CONTEMPORARY PUPPET THEATRE
About us
11
years of activity
16
awards
958
festivals
9
countries visited
The heart of our investigation is the constant experimentation of a communion between poetry and technology. The centrality of Research and the strong attention for Dramaturgy, not only textual but also visual and musical, embrace every aspect of our creation, embodying that need for content and essential questions that are the atomic components of each of our staging. The Company has produced several shows, performed in Italy and abroad. It also builds scenic machines for cinema and theatre and works to promote art and media as creative, educational and communication tools.
Team Members
Awards
The Company’s productions have received several awards: CLOCKWORK METAPHYSICS, surrealist drama for robotic puppets and actors freely inspired by the art of the painter Remedios Varo, won the “Best original music” award at the Valise International Theatre Festival (Poland, 2016); STAR HUNTER, chamber micro-theatre, was selected by MIBAC (Ministry of culture) to be included as an example of Italian theatre excellence on the website of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 (http://annoeuropeo2018.beniculturali. it/); WOOD SHAVINGS, a tribute to the poet Camillo Sbarbaro, won the “Best animation trailer” award at the Bristol International Puppetry Festival in 2015 and it is finalist in the Mirabilia BiCAP 2020 award (Biennial of Circus and Performing Arts); BORN GHOST won the production call – as first place – of ERT (Emilia Romagna Theatre Foundation) and it is also finalist in the national “Forever Young 2020″ award, as well as it is finalist in the ” Over Theatre Emergencies 2020″ award by Argot Studio and Nest Teatro; the dramaturgy of WITCHY THINGS won the “Narrating Parity International Award – A prize for Europe 2019” and the show is finalist in the “Childhood Scenario Award 2020”; the dance-theatre performance CHIMAERA is the winner of the “International call for young artists for Dante 2020” promoted by Ravenna Festival (producing the show in 2021); it is also finalist in the “Call for The Aisle” 2020 by Micro Teatro and Terra Marique; finalist of the “Fantasio Festival, international theater direction award” and it has been selected for the international call “Mysteries and Drolls 2018” by Festival Mercanzia – Italy section; the project THE CREATURE inspired by Mary Shelley’s masterpiece received a special mention in 2019 at “Call for New Heretics” of L’Arboreto.
5/5
What is said about us...
It's all in their name, a name made up of knots and joints, of liturgical and dialectical possibilities and deviations: Coppelia Theatre, the puppet maker, scenographer and visual designer Jlenia Biffi and the actress and author Mariasole Brusa. Coppelia recalling the character, disturbing and terrible, protagonist of the "The Sand Man" by E.T.A. Hoffmann where the dream, the nightmare and the automaton come together in an inseparable jam of sensations, returns, dark and symbolist settings. A Company that is about ten years old born after Biffi had spent four months in Siberia, precisely in the city of Tomsk, geographically suspended between Kazakhstan and Mongolia, learning the techniques of wrist puppets from Master Vladimir Zakharov, a puppeteer who mixed engineering and puppetry. Craftsmanship and creation are the basis of each of their projects: mechanisms and gears, giant wings or heads of monsters, stilts or 3D masks, for a gestation that comes from an intuition passes to the hands and then translates into objects that, touching them, you have the distinct sensation that they have a soul, a transport, a deep, thoughtful and solid alchemy.
Press review
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Michele Di Mauro
Artistic Collaborations
Among the numerous artistic collaborations of the Company are: Michele Di Mauro, Francesca della Monica, Marcello Prayer, Ilaria Drago, Marco Cavicchioli, Marta Cuscunà (theatre); Marco Antonio Pani, Federico Alotto (cinema) and the Trio Amadei of the Mozart Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, the New Yorker Natalia Paruz and Francesco Morittu (music).
Between art and nature
The Company resides in Tuscany, where it opened in 2015 Hybris, a research and training centre for the performing and multimedia arts in a former 12th-century Capuchin convent.
CONTEMPORARY PUPPET THEATRE
Shows
The Company has produced several shows of Puppet Theatre and Performing Arts, performed in Italy and abroad, mainly aimed at an adult audience. Since 2020 Coppelia Theatre has opened up to the world of children's theatre.
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For professionals
Master Classes
The Company organizes, upon request, workshops and master classes in puppetry for adults and professionals: actors, playwrights, set designers, artists. (photo: from Bluebeard by G. Trakl with Marco Cavicchioli).
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for children and teenagers
Workshops
The Company offers puppetry workshops, physical theatre workshops and storytelling workshops for children and teenagers aged 3 to 18.
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Theoretical research
Conferences
In the belief of the profound link between art, theatre and intellectual research, Coppelia Theatre offers, in addition to shows and workshops, also informative conferences addressed to adult audience (students, academics, etc.).
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trailer shows
Video
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List of Festivals
Festival internazionale di Teatro di Figura Arrivano dal mare, Ravenna (2020); Festival Volterra Teatro, Volterra PI (2019); Mercantia, Festival internazionale del teatro di strada, Certaldo (2019); Festival delle arti di strada di Olginate LC (2019); Arrivano dal Mare, Festival internazionale del teatro di figura, Ravenna (2019); I fasti Verolani, Veroli FR (2019); Pupi & Pini, Festival internazionale del teatro di figura, Lignano Sabbiadoro VE (2019); In Borgo, Festival del teatro Urbano, Borgo Velino RI (2019); La città immaginaria, Festival internazionale del teatro di figura, Sabbioneta MN (2019); Mercantia, Certaldo FI (2018); Pupi & Pini, Lignano Sabbiadoro VE (2018); Apritiborgo, Campiglia Marittima LI (2018); Artemigrante; Macerata (2018); Festival dei Cantastorie, Russi RA (2018); I Festival internazionale della robotica di Pisa (2017); Gustatus, Orbetello (2017); Festival Salamarzana, Fucecchio FI (2017); Festival dei burattini di Villa Severi, Teatro dell’aggeggio, Arezzo (2017); Fasti Verolani, Veroli (2017); The magic castle, Gradara (2017); Babkarka Bystrica- Festival internazionale di teatro di figura, Polonia (2016); La città in tasca , Roma (2016); Sognambula, Castagneto Carducci (2016); Sarnico Baskers Festival, Sarnico BG (2016); Kilowatt Festival, Arezzo (2016); Mercantia 2016 - Festival internazionale dell'arte di strada, Certaldo FI (2016); Rassegna Pillole - Teatro studio Uno; Roma (2016); Festival La Luna è Azzurra - Festival internazionale di teatro di figura, San Miniato FI (2016); Festival Valise - Festival internazionale di teatro, Lomza, Polonia (2016); La Fiuma - Festival di teatro di figura, San Benedetto po’ MV (2016); Rassegna teatrale, San Vito di Leguzzano TV (2016); Oblom poesia Festival, Torino (2016); Le Domeniche a teatro - Rassegna teatrale del Teatro Mancinelli, Orvieto (2016); Rassegna Teatrale 2015, Teatro Comunale degli Arrischianti, Sarteano S I (2015); Impertinente Festival - Festival delle figure animate, Teatro delle Briciole, Parma (2015); Battiti – Rassegna internazionale di Teatro-Circo, Teatro Furio Camillo, Roma (2015); Festival Teatro nel bicchiere; Orbetello, Scansano GR (2015); Le Fiere del teatro, Sarmede TV (2015); Bristol Puppetry - Festival internazionale di cinema di animazione, Bristol UK (2015); Rassegna di teatro Casaforte Borrelli, Napoli (2015); Festival La luna nel pozzo – Festiva l internazionale del teatro in strada, Caorle VE (2015); Sognambula - Festival del teatro in strada, Castagneto Carducci LI (2015); Santa Sofia Buskers Festival - XXV Raduno degli Artisti di Strada, Santa Sofia FC (2015); Festival del Burattino a Villa Severi, Arezzo (2015); Festival delle figure animate, Teatro delle Briciole, Parma(2014); IF- Festival internazionale del teatro di figura; Teatro Verdi, Milano (2014); Teatro in circolo - Rassegna teatrale di San Vito di Leguzzano VI (2014); Immagini e figure - Festival di animazione dell'Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna (2014); Sarnico Busker Festival, Sarnico BG (2014); Cantieri teatrali - Festival internazionale di teatro, Soleminis CA (2014/2013); Festival Valceno Arte; Parma (2014/2013/2011); RIC Festival - Invasioni creative, Rieti (2013); Festival Il paese dei Balocchi; Rosignano Marittima LI (2012); Salento Buskers Festival; Uggiano la Chiesa LE (2012); Figure - Festival internazionale di teatro di figura; Parma (2012/2011).