UNESCO officials meeting in Ethiopia in 2016 added “traditional puppetry” to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The proposal was jointly made between the two neighboring countries -- the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Puppet theatre is an integral part of Slovak and Czech local theatre and literary tradition. It also plays an important role in socialization, helping audiences young and old develop as creative thinkers and learn about cooperation, communication, and strengthening their sense of identity in society. Now featured at festive events like feast days, markets, and fairs, puppet shows come in many different forms but still draw from traditional themes. Puppetry is its own cottage industry in both nations including performers, playwrights, puppet and costume makers, and stage designers.
However, like the countries, puppetry developed unique characteristics in the two neighboring Republics.
Traditional Slovak Puppets.
Traditional puppetry in Slovakia is an inherent part of vernacular theatrical and literary tradition. Initially, it was promoted by nomadic puppeteering families, making their living by performing from town to town. However, traditional puppetry is still considered an important expression of traditional folk culture. In the Slovak puppetry milieu, the original repertoires based on imported European patterns underwent a rapid Slovak culturalization.
The foreign stories quickly became enriched by specific Slovak linguistic and societal elements. Creating a uniquely Slovak artistic interpretation. Puppeteers were first mentioned in Slovakia in the 17th and 18th centuries. By the end of the 19th century, nomadic puppeteers had expanded the art form over all of Slovakia. Even today puppetry is still a vital part of the unique cultural heritage of Slovakia.
Traditional Czech Puppets.
The same nomadic traditions created puppetry in the Czech Republic as well, originally with nomadic German companies performing in German. Even as Czech puppeteers emerged, the repertory continued to consist of plays written for foreign audiences; Faust, Genevieve, Don Juan, Alceste, etc.
In the 19th century, repertories began to include adaptations of plays from the Czech literary canon, often action adventures featuring knights and villains in historical patriotic dramas. The typical comic figure of Czech puppeteers was Punch, a crowd favorite.
During the struggles for the Czech nation's emancipation, the folk puppeteers filled an important social role, offering the people a strong emotional experience, indirectly inspiring them with the ideas of enlightenment and national revival in the Czech language.
Written by Daniel Shepard