The ancient art of marionettes

Training to become a puppeteer demands as much time as studying to become a general practitioner at the renowned Salzburg Marionette Theatre, a venue where the puppets' dramatically lifelike gestures and naturalistic movements take years to master. This may account for why the Austrian theatre's craft is now on the UNESCO List of Cultural Heritage.

One puppeteer, Parisian Edouard Funck, was transfixed by puppetry from a young age, and in 2011 landed the opportunity to pursue his career at this noteworthy opera house. Like the other artists, showing up for the evening performances is merely one element in his daily routine.

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."

In 1913 the theatre's founder Anton Aicher created a bespoke control bar to direct the puppets' fine movements. This key component, fixed to the puppet via 11 strings, is what permits such impressive versatility of movement, making the art of the Marionette Theatre worthy of the UNESCO title.

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."

A more complex puppet requires a five-man strong team to manipulate it, but so subtle are the figures' movements that spectators can almost be persuaded that they've come to life. Audiences are often bewitched by the performances, a sensation which endures a lifetime.

Ilse Laubbichler's passion for the miniature theatre was ignited after a memorable childhood trip, her first theatrical experience, and nowadays she absorbs the magic on stage with her own grandchildren.

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." View Less