Maribor Puppet Theatre

Puppet theatre has a long and serious tradition in Slovenia and the rest of Central Europe, and Maribor, the country's second city, has a puppet company that has been part of the cultural life of the city since the 1970s. The Maribor Puppet Theatre is a repertory theatre with its own ensemble of actors, puppeteers, designers and technicians, and its main audience is children and young people, although many productions are made for families and some for adults. It performs on its own stage in the city and tours at home and abroad, taking its productions to festivals in several countries.

The repertoire is varied. Productions range from adaptations of classic fairy tales and folk stories to new plays written for the company, often drawing on the traditions of Slovene literature and legend, and they use a wide range of techniques, from hand puppets and marionettes to shadow theatre, masks and objects. Puppetry as practised today is a sophisticated art form, in which actors and puppets are often seen together on stage, and the best productions can be as moving and as funny for adults as for children. Performances are labelled with a recommended age, such as for young children or for older ones, and it is wise to choose a show that matches the age of the audience, since the language of the production is generally Slovene.

The theatre also looks after a small museum of puppetry, in which puppets, costumes, stage decorations and other items show the history of the art in the region and the techniques used to make and operate them. The museum is open on limited days and hours, and it may be visited by individuals, families and school groups, so it is best to check the current schedule. For visitors interested in craft and design, the collection shows how puppets are carved, painted and dressed, and how they move.

Tickets are generally required for all members of the audience, and they can be purchased at the box office, by telephone or online, and visitors should arrive a little before the performance starts. The company also takes part in public events, such as summer festivals on the Drava, where puppets and street theatre are brought into the open air, which is a good opportunity for families on holiday. Maribor has plenty of other places to visit with children in the same area of the old town, and the Beautiful architecture, the Lent district, the Drava River Promenade, Maribor Castle and the Maribor Art Gallery are all within walking distance, with Calvary Hill (Kalvarija) offering a view over the city.