The XII International Puppet Theatre Festival named after Sergei Obraztsov will be held under the title “Technologies behind the Miracle” and will be dedicated to the Decade of Science and Technology. The festival will present performances with innovative stage design by outstanding Russian and international groups that preserve and develop the technology of puppet theatre.

The festival will be held in Moscow at the Obraztsov Puppet Theatre from 21 to 28 September 2023.

The program will present performances of 11 puppet theatres from 3 countries. Creative teams from the DPR, Israel, Iran, as well as from different cities of Russia : Bryansk, Vologda, Krasnoyarsk, Nizhny Tagil, Perm, Chelyabinsk, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

The festival aims to broaden the horizons in the world of puppetry. The festival includes performances with innovative stage solutions by outstanding Russian and foreign groups.
One of the important tasks of the Festival is to understand what are the “Technologies behind the Miracle”?  What is a “theatrical miracle”? Should we succumb to tempting fantasies that “the puppet is alive” on its own, “has its own soul”? Or should we steadfastly hold the defence of the rational principle – the miracle of “animating the inanimate" is performed by the masters of the theatre: director, actors, technologists? What is the future of the puppet theatre?  Will we print puppets and sets on a 3D printer, use androids in performances, and use the capabilities of an AI to write plays? Or will it still be possible to avoid a full-blown uprising of progress and technology? 

The program of the Festival consists of two parts: the main part — performances demonstrating the variety of technologies of the wonderful puppet theatre in Russia and the world.  And the educational part, which will include lectures and workshops by leading artists and directors of the puppet theatre, as well as two conferences: “Inclusive projects in the museum and puppet theatre” and “Technologies of the Miraculous in the Puppet Theatre”.

The events of the Festival will be held at the venues of the Obraztsov theatre and in  the Maly Theater.

September 23, Saturday
14:00 Flowers for Algernon 12+, Perm Puppet Theatre, Perm, Russia. 
17:00 Flowers for Algernon 12+, Perm Puppet Theatre, Perm, Russia. 
18:00 Playing Shakespeare 16+, Obraztsov puppet theatre, Moscow, Russia. Big stage
19:30 Lecture by the production designer, laureate of the Russian National Theatre Award “Golden Mask”, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Viktor Nikonenko. "Technology of the Miraculous". Lecture hall

September 24, Sunday
12:00 Love Machine 6+, Ornan Braier Theatre, Tel Aviv, Israel. Small stage
13:00 Public talk by puppeteer, actor, and musician Ornan Brier “Choice of material for non-verbal performances for children.” Small stage
17:00 A bedtime story 6 +, Vologda Puppet Theatre, Vologda, Russia. Big stage 

September 25, Monday
12:00 Conference "Inclusive projects in the museum and puppet theatre". Lecture hall
14:00 Lecture by Olesya Krenskaya, “Puppet theatre.The In/Animate.” Lecture hall
16:00 Marc Chagall's Strange Circus 12+, Donetsk State Puppet Theatre, Donetsk, DPR. Small stage

September 26, Tuesday
15:00 I want to be a wolf 6+, Nizhny Tagil Puppet Theatre, Nizhny Tagil, Russia. Big stage
16:00 Workshop by the Nizhny Tagil Puppet Theatre “Puppets and Time”. Big stage
19:00 “Visiting Obraztsov”, an evening of songs of romance.

September 27, Wednesday
11:00 Conference “Technologies of the miraculous in the puppet theatre”. Lecture hall
16:00 Kykhi 6+, St. Petersburg theatre "TSEKH", St. Petersburg, Russia. Big stage
19:00 The Mermaid 12 + Bryansk Regional Puppet Theatre, Bryansk, Russia. small stage

September 28, Thursday
18:00 The Earth and the Universe 12 + Yase Tamam Theatre, Tehran, Iran. Big stage
20:00 Closing ceremony of the XII International Puppet Theatre Festival