Puppet museum invites students to invent impossible theatre puppets

Estonia’s Puppet Theatre Museum has opened its third competition for student-designed theatre puppets, ERR’s Terevisioon reported. Students in grades 1 to 12 can take part individually or with family members, friends or classmates.

This year’s theme is “Impossible Theatre Puppet”, challenging participants to create a puppet that appears impossible at first glance because of its movement, construction, materials or operation.

The puppet may defy the laws of physics, transform, disappear, appear or move in ways that ordinary puppets cannot. The competition aims to encourage creativity and imagination by asking what kind of puppet could seemingly not exist, yet come alive on stage.

Participants may use any type of puppet or invent an entirely new form. Possible formats include rod puppets, shadow puppets, marionettes, hand puppets, body puppets and table-top puppets. Entries must include a design, a photograph of the completed puppet and a video showing it in motion.

Submissions are open until November 1. A jury will select the best works, with prizes awarded to all members of the top three teams. The winning entries will be displayed at the Puppet Theatre Museum.

The winners will be announced on November 13, the 102nd anniversary of Ferdinand Veike’s birth.