History of puppetry2/20/2023 ![]() ![]() The development of the popular puppeteering was further affected by the onset of realism the aesthetic postulates of which the popular puppeteers were not capable of fulfilling with the means of expression of the puppet theatre. Laštovka, who tried to adapt to the new social conditions by a revival of the repertory as well as by style of staging. The programme orientation on the less mature audience only furthered its isolation from the general cultural development. ![]() In the productions of itinerant marionetteers, who at this time could no longer keep up with the rapid development of Czech culture, a considerable decline occurred. In the second half of the 19th century a puppet theatre form developed in towns particularly in Prague, the so-called mangers, originally intended for the introduction of Christmas Bethlehem plays. At the time when the emancipation movement for the enlightenment of the Czech nation came to its peak, the folk puppeteers filled an important social role, offering the people a strong emotional experience and at the same time, despite the naivety or lowered literary standard, indirectly inspiring them with the ideas of enlightenment and national revival in the Czech language. The typical comic figure of Czech puppeteers was Punch, later little clown, whose humour conformed to the mentality of the popular spectators. Among the most interesting plays were a number of anonymous plays (Posvícení v Hudlicích – Fair in Hudlice) most probably written directly for Czech puppeteers. Since the beginning of the 19th century, the repertory also began to include adaptations of plays from the Czech drama scene, particularly those about knights, robbers and historical patriotic plays. The repertory cnsisted of original plays taken over from foreign puppeteers, e.g. This led to a unique staging style where the rigid movements of the marionettes on a wire were compensated by a highly stylized pathetic vocal expression. The stage design of Czech puppeteers was in the artistic sense derived from Baroque traditions which was most evident in the marionettes made by wood carvers of religious plastic sculptures.The puppeteer himself manipulated all puppets and spoke for all figures. The most famous puppeteer and a symbolic representative of puppeteers of the first half of the 19th century was Matěj Kopecky. Thus gradually the tradition of puppeteering families (Maisner, Kopecký, Fink, Dubský, Kockovi, a/o.) came into being where the operation of the puppet theatre was inherited as a family craft. However, in the latter part of the 18th century puppeteers of Czech nationality began to appear in the Czech lands, wandering with their marionettes through towns and villages of the Czech countryside. since the 17th century, part of the Austrian Monarchy and the germanization endeavours affected mostly the population of larger towns, the performances were held predominantly in German. In view of the fact that the Bohemian Kingdom was. Their repertory covered various genres and topics of the European theatre (biblical plays, English tragedies, Italian improvised comedies, opera librettos, the Germanaupat-und-Staataktionen) a/o. Many of these theatre groups gradually specialized in the puppet theatre. Among the first significant puppeteers of this era were Johann Hilferding, Girolamo Renzi, Antoni Geissler a/o. In the 17th century English, Dutch, Italian and later German theatre groups started coming to the Czech lands, who next to the performances by live actors also presented marionette shows as an added attraction. In medieval times mainly finger puppets were used, as documented by iconography materials, and became part of the entertainment performances by comedians at fairs and markets. Puppets and the elements of the puppet theatre in the Czech lands probably appeared already at ancient times, primarily in cult rituals, religious ceremonies and folk customs. ![]()
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