A year ago we were invited to bring our puppet play KING MATT THE FIRST to the Teatro San Carlino in Rome, Italy. Published in 1923, this internationally acclaimed story is infused with the philosophies of child's rights activist Janusz Korczak and addresses the importance in the role of the adult to show children how to be; that children should have a voice and the same rights as adults. The show is presented as table-top puppetry along with projected animated backgrounds; for this special production we added Italian subtitles to the rear projections.

On September 21st, 2025 (as Rome celebrated the day of San Matteo, coincidentally) we performed our play as part of a beautiful festival at the theater, nestled in the beautiful Villa Borguese. The festival is spread out over several weekends - and it all takes place in the intimate, ingeniously designed theater that can transform itself within minutes to accommodate any style of puppet performance you can imagine. An inspiring combination of traditional old-school mechanics with the possibility of adding simple tech such as projections and microphones/recorded sound.

As for the rest of the festival - the 3 days we attended were non-stop and packed! We saw an amazing puppeteer named Laura Kibel, who performed singly using both arms... and both feet AND at times her face would become a character as well in variety of hilarious and colorful sketches. She had various suitcases with colorful illustrations that matched the story as she transformed. a beautiful dance duo TANA who performed using overhead animated projections that took the audience through all four seasons, then invited the smallest children onstage to be part of the ending of the show. Incredibly the many children matched the lovely and peaceful energy of the show they just watched. There were traditional hand puppet versions of their own THREE LTTILE PIGS and RED RIDING HOOD and of course, their mascot Pucinella (Italy's own Punch and Judy) and all the mayhem that accompanies the mischievous, outrageous character. 

The shows were inside as well as outside, and throughout the day children were invited to paint, play, and enjoy the beautiful park, while parents would buy all sorts of delicious refreshments. We would sit with the puppeteers and staff in between shows, outside, enjoying the day and company. We even joined an improv class led by one of their puppeteers, even with the language barrier the results were hilarious.

This is not so unusual, as Europe seems to have puppet performances and festivals everywhere you go… If you happen to visit Rome, be sure to see the offerings of Teatro San Carlino - in a world of iphones and streaming videos their work reinforces the traditional power of the puppet, proving the centuries-old craft is still alive and well.

Brian Hull

WAPASA Board Menber

Brianimations Puppetry Storytelling