Have you ever wondered what materials puppets are made of? Things on a theatre stage can be a bit unusual compared to our everyday world. With a little imagination, we can create something lifelike from entirely different, often even unexpected materials.
In this exhibition, visitors can examine how it is possible to depict a puppet’s bones, muscles, internal organs, skin, hair, eyes and everything else that makes up a living body.
Puppets can be made of anything. Materials on a puppet maker’s work desk include some that have been used for decades, but also many new and modern ones.
This exhibition opens up the behind-the-scenes of making puppets, and explores the numerous possibilities of various materials. Puppets have been X-rayed to make it possible to see through their outer layer and bring out not only various materials but also the joints of the puppets’ body parts and more complex mechanics.
The choice of materials for puppets depends largely on the designer’s wishes, and of course on which activities and movements are important in terms of telling the story and the production as a whole. Oftentimes, the material is what dictates which movements the puppet is even able to make.
The puppets chosen for this exhibition are created by Rosita Raud, the head designer of the Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences. They all have special superpowers – changing their head and body, losing internal organs, bending to the ground, removing a mask or turning loved-up eyes into flowers.
Rosita Raud has worked in various drama and musical theatres in Estonia for over three decades, both as scenic as well as costume designer. She is greatly interested in the aesthetics of visual theatre and, in addition to traditional means of expression, has often experimented with puppets and masks. Since 2017, she has been the head designer of the Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences, where she has created designs for many productions, such as The Magic Flute, The Little Prince, The Tin Drum, and As You Like It. She has received numerous theatre awards, including the Estonian theatre award for best designer in 2018.