Art, theatre, craftsmanship, passion, tradition, family, and people. The Opera dei Pupi brings all this together. A theatre with a miniature stage, yet capable of stirring great emotions.
Knights, ladies, paladins, and fierce enemies come to life through voices and sounds that still echo today, just as they did centuries ago, in Sicilian theatres and town squares.
The skills of the pupari: a heritage passed down through generations
In the Opera dei Pupi, everything is handmade: the puppets, the stage, the scenery. The marionettes – the pupi themselves – wear brass armour, complete with shields and swords, and helmets adorned with colourful plumes. Each puppet has a soul: Orlando is proud and melancholy, Angelica is sweet and beautiful. Even the villains, like Agramante and Ferraù, or modern characters like Uzeta (created by Raffaele Trombetta in the 20th century and now part of the Catanese repertoire) all have stories to tell.
These stories, performed on stage, are inspired by chivalric epics such as Orlando Furioso or La Chanson de Roland. Tales of impossible love and bloody battles, forming a kind of theatre that is both popular and refined, a theatre that speaks of honour, fate, and humanity.
The poetry of the stage
Hand-painted backdrops depict castles and remote cities, deserts and stormy seas. Every scenic element, from the signs announcing the story’s title, to the sound effects, music, and the clashing of swords and armour, helps create that suspended magic that captivates both adults and children.
Behind every puppet stands a puparo (puppeteer), and behind every puparo lies a lifetime devoted to this craft. They are artisans, storytellers, directors, custodians of an art and heritage passed down from generation to generation. During a performance, the puparo moves several characters at once, imbuing each gesture with theatrical flair. But it’s above all the voice that makes the show enchanting, shifting in an instant from epic to tragic to comic tones.
Where to experience the Opera dei Pupi today
Recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, the Opera dei Pupi is not a relic of the past but a living tradition that continues to evolve. Today, puppet theatres remain active across Sicily.
In Western Sicily, eight companies safeguard both the material heritage (puppets, sets, props, etc.) and the oral and intangible heritage of the Opera dei Pupi:
- Associazione culturale Agramante – Vincenzo Argento (Palermo)
- Associazione Culturale Marionettistica Popolare Siciliana – Angelo Sicilia (Palermo)
- Associazione culturale teatrale Carlo Magno – Vincenzo Mancuso (Palermo)
- Associazione Figli d’Arte Cuticchio (Palermo)
- Associazione Opera dei Pupi Brigliadoro – Salvatore Bumbello (Palermo)
- Compagnia TeatroArte Cuticchio – Girolamo Cuticchio (Palermo)
- Associazione Culturale Opera dei Pupi Siciliani “Gaspare Canino” (Alcamo)
In Eastern Sicily, five more companies keep the tradition alive:
- Marionettistica Fratelli Napoli – Napoli Fiorenzo (Catania)
- Associazione “La compagnia dei pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri” (Syracuse)
- Associazione culturale “Opera dei Pupi Messinesi Gargano” (Messina)
- Associazione Opera dei Pupi Turi Grasso (Acireale)
- Antica Compagnia Opera dei Pupi Famiglia Puglisi (Sortino)
Attending a performance means living a different experience each time, because each puppeteer tells the story in their own way. Yet the magic remains unchanged: the magic of a true theatre, of an authentic art that transcends time.
Photo credits:
Pupi, traditional Sicilian marionettes, Lucarelli
Archivio Compagnia Brigliadoro, Giuseppe Bongiorno
Famiglia Vaccaro Mauceri, Siracusa, Alexandre Dhordain
