For 10 lively days every second year, the charming French city of Charleville-Mézières comes alive with a spectacular puppet festival. The Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionettes draws thousands of professional puppeteers, artists, and casual fans to a showcase of the amazing talents of puppeteers from around the world. When it comes to puppets, Charleville-Mézières is no ordinary city – it is known as the world capital of puppet performance. Alongside the festival are lots of other puppet-related institutes, from puppet schools, puppet research institutes, and puppets on display in museums!
Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionettes
The International Puppet Festival of Charleville-Mézières was first held in 1961. It was founded by Jacques Félix (1923-2006), a local of the city who started the puppet company Petits Comédiens de Chiffons (Little Rag Actors) after WW2. Together with the International Union of Puppeteers (UNIMA), the first festival was launched to celebrate this underappreciated art form.
The festival was held every three years, changing to every second year in 2011, always held in the beginning of September. Today, over 250 puppet companies from 5 continents come to put their puppets on display.
For every event, the city of 55,000 people welcomes 170,000 puppet enthusiasts to enjoy the festivities. The city attracts artists and creators, professional and amateur puppeteers, families and casual spectators. For 10 days, puppet shows of all kinds are run throughout, with around 50 shows a day.
There are many different kinds of puppets on display at the festival. The most impressive are the giant puppets, as tall as houses and which are displayed in Place Ducale and are controlled by multiple puppeteers. Then there are smaller puppets, like cute hand puppets, puppets with strings, rod puppets with limbs attached to wooden rods, incredible and intricate paper puppets, and traditional puppets from around the world.
The Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionettes is also the chance to see some of the works of the most famous puppeteers in the world. Big names from the past include the New York based Bread and Puppet Theatre, known for their giant puppets. Belgian performance artist Agnès Limbos, who uses everyday objects as part of her stage shows. French artist Phillipe Genty combines puppets with illusions, dance and miming. Dutch puppet company Duda Paiva combines lively dance performances with puppetry. There are always new and wonderful shows to see.
UNIMA Headquarters in Charleville-Mézières
The International Union of Puppeteers (Union Internationale de la Marionnette), known as UNIMA was founded in 1929 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. In 1981, Jacques Félix moved the headquarters to Charleville-Mézières. The UNIMA has branches all around the world.
International Puppetry Institute
The International Puppetry Institute (Institut International de la Marionnette) in Charleville-Mézières is a non-profit organisation, intended to promote and celebrate the art of puppetry. It hosts instructional workshops by master puppeteers, has an extensive library of puppet-related literature, and organises networking and collaboration events.
The International Puppetry Institute also features a curious attraction. Named The Great Puppeteer, it is a huge automated clock installed above the entrance to the Institute. Every hour from 10am to 9pm, three knocks sound, and opening music plays. The golden face of the Great Puppeteer then gives the time, and his golden hands play out the story ‘The Four Sons of Aymon‘ in 12 panels. After the closing music, the puppet resets, ready for the next show.
ESNAM Puppetry School
Opened in 1987, the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette (ESNAM) is considered the leading educational institute in the world to learn the art of puppetry and acting. It runs three-year programs for students interested in puppetry. Upon completion, graduates are awarded a National Diploma in Puppetry Arts (DNSP), equivalent to a degree in theatre studies.
Ardennes Museum Puppet Collection
The Ardennes Museum (Musée de l’Ardenne) in Charleville-Mézières describes the fascinating history of the Ardennes region, on the border between Belgium and France. Inside, visitors can find artefacts and information from prehistory (including a mammoth bone!), Gallic settlements, glassware and crockery from the Merovingian era, and an impressive collection of Renaissance-era weapons.
For puppet fans, the Ardennes Museum has a permanent exhibition of puppets, with over 500 on display. Kids can even try their hand at puppeteering!
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Charleville-Mézières is the capital city of the Ardennes department of France, in the Grand Est department and close to the border with Belgium. It can be reached from Reims (1 hour drive), or Charleroi (90 minutes). The International Puppet Festival takes place in September every second year, on odd years (2023, 2025, etc).
Addresses
Official website of the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionettes
UNIMA Charleville-Mézières 10 Cr Briand, 08000 Charleville-Mézières, France
Musée de l’Ardenne 31 Pl. Ducale, 08000 Charleville-Mézières, France
ESNAM Puppetry School 16 Av. Jean Jaurès, 08000 Charleville-Mézières, France
International Puppetry Institute 7 Pl. Winston Churchill, 08000 Charleville-Mézières, France
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