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Austria's great small operas - 7th April 2023

It takes as long to train to be a puppeteer at the world famous Salzburg Marionette Theatre as it does to become a doctor. The puppets and their strikingly lifelike movements take years to learn, and this may be why the Austrian theatre's work has UNESCO status for its cultural importance.

As a young boy in Paris, Edouard Funck became obsessed with puppets, and in 2011 he got his lucky break when he was able to continue his training at the Salzburg Marionette Theatre.

For him and his fellow puppeteers, turning up for the evening performances is only part of the role.

Edouard Funck: "I arrive in the morning, I work in the costume workshop from 9 am to 2 pm, I leave in the afternoon and I come back in the evening to play, for the show. That's really a typical day. Each puppeteer creates and is an integral part of the fabrication."

The theatre was established by Anton Aicher, who also invented the clever bar which controls the marionettes so effectively. This small but sophisticated crossbar – attached to each model by 11 strings – is fundamental to the method. It's contributed to the craft being recognised and protected by UNESCO.

Edouard Funck: "All these little cross-braces allow us to get them to interact closely, so they can kiss each other, hug each other, hit each other, whatever we want, and it's this diversity of movements contained in this little cross that is protected."

Some of the puppets are more complicated, operated by a team of up to five experts. Their movements can be so slight that audiences might almost be convinced that they're alive. The magical experience can have a lasting impression on spectators.

The puppet theatre was the first such experience for Ilse Laubbichler as a youngster and she's now accompanied by her own grandchildren, to appreciate the shows' extraordinary charm.

Ilse Laubbichler: "I love the characters, their movements, it's absolute art. You can portray everything from a ballet dancer, to a dog, to a dragon, anything you want, not to mention Kasperl. It's been with me since I was a child, it was my first theatre experience."