Pinnochio Puppet Theater

The Pinocchio Puppet Theater was founded as the Pinocchio Traveling Theater in 1972. Besides Živomir Joković, the founder of the theater, the small team that performed all over Serbia initially consisted of only three actors: Vera Ignjatović, Branislava Stanišić and Jovan Kovačev. During the first year of the Theater's existence, Slobodan Herceg, Boško Banjeglav, Nadežda Damjanović, Slobodan Aleksić and others joined. Performing at the Meeting of Puppet Theater of Serbia in Novi Sad, with the play "Two Stories", on 13th of September 1972, the Theater was officially opened, and the award for introducing new theatrical forms in puppetry was a recognition of the idea of ​​founding a traveling puppet theater. On 1st of April ,1973, "Pinocchio" got it`s headquarters in Zemun, at the University of workers, when the name was changed to "Pinocchio" Puppet Theater. The first play, performed on the Zemun stage in the original theater building, was "It Happened in a Puppetland", in May 1973, and already in September of the same year, the Theater was a guest with this play in Germany. In 1978, "Pinocchio" received the status of a permanent Belgrade theater, and to this day it remains the only puppet theater in Belgrade. Since then, besides the small theatrical forms, large ensemble performances were happening, and a permanent ensemble of actors has been formed. "Pinocchio" is starting to gather a large number of collaborators - writers, directors, artists, composers, and among them are the most important artists from the country and abroad. The manager of the Theater, Živomir Joković, who was on this position from the creation of the Theater in 1972 until his retirement, was replaced in 1998 by the playwright Igor Bojović. Since 2016, the function of the acting manager had director Vladimir Lazić. The new acting manager is Vladan Đurković.

The most of the repertoire are plays that are based on classical fairy tales, myths, legends and epic poetry, but also on contemporary dramatic texts. Different puppetry techniques and forms are used, often in combination with shadow theater and acting. The theater, so far, has participated in numerous domestic and international festivals (Italy, Greece, France, Sweden, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Poland, Taiwan, India, Canada etc.) and has won a number of significant awards and recognitions. The theater´s repertoire are consisting of over thirty performances, that are performed daily on the home stage and on numerous guest appearances. The Pinocchio Theater prepares five premieres every year and performs about 250 plays.

The theater is under the auspices of the City Government.

The Pinocchio Theater has 26 employees and numerous associates.

 

Sponsored by:

Partners: