Teatro dei Pupi (Opera dei Pupi)

It is difficult to establish when and where the Opera dei Pupi was born. "The chronicles say that the initiators of the Opera in Palermo were Don Gaetano Greco (1813–1874) and Don Liberato Canino, while in Catania they were Don Gaetano Crimi (1807–1877) and his antagonist Giovanni Grasso (1792–1863)". The so-called pupi in page (that is, without armor) certainly preceded the armored ones and were used to represent Sicilian tales and farces, which are still performed today. Studies also show that from the 16th century, shows of chivalry were staged with puppets throughout Europe; and in the 18th century such shows also took place in Sicily and Naples (being represented in the theater of Giuseppina d'Errico also known as "Donna Peppa").

However, only in the first decades of the nineteenth century, in Sicily, did the chivalrous repertoire achieve such resounding success as to supplant all the others and determine a series of technical and figurative innovations.This was probably due to the delayed effect of the pre-romantic and romantic style of the Middle Ages; but it is also a consequence of ingenious technical inventions which made it possible to give extraordinary effectiveness to combat scenes which become a sort of exalting dance, with a crescendo rhythm and which arouses an intense psychomotory participation in the audience.There are numerous studies dedicated to Sicilian Opera dei pupi. The most recent research by Ignazio E. Buttitta, Bernadette Majorana, Alessandro Napoli and Rosario Perricone followed the historically fundamental contributions of Antonino Buttitta, Antonino Uccello, Janne Vibaek, and Carmelo Alberti. Furthermore, we cannot fail to mention the fundamental studies of Giuseppe Pitrè and Sebastiano Lo Nigro as well as the book entitled Opera dei…

Equipped with a wooden frame, the puppets are provided with real armor, richly decorated and chiseled, and vary in movement according to the "school" they belong to: Palermo, Catania or Naples. They differ in some mechanical and figurative aspects and at times among different individual subjects.
In general, the frame is composed of a wooden torso, which the legs are connected to, allowing for a pendular movement. The pupi are maneuvered using threads and metal rods. The so-called main rod, where the threads are attached to in order to control the limbs, passes through the center of the head and connects it to the torso. The upper end of the rod is hooked, allowing the marionette to be temporarily suspended, even during the play; and inclining the rod permits the marionette to be moved.
From a figurative point of view, one can generically distinguish the characters with armor (armed) from those without (in page). The armor and costumes of the puppets respond to a complex iconographic code and adhere to the nineteenth-century romantic fashion of representing the Middle Ages.
Among the armed characters, the Christian and Saracen heroes can be distinguished. Christian warriors have kind faces and symmetrical features, wear a kilt (called faroncina in Palermo and vesti in Catania) and present their family's respective emblems on their helmets, chestplates and shields allowing the audience to recognize the characters. The Saracens have more marked facial features; they often wear trousers and turbans, and their armor is decorated with half moons and stars. Among the page characters, the more comical characters stand out: in Catania the best known is Peppininu, who acts as a squire for Roland and Renaud; in Palermo, Nofrio and Virticchio perform in farces, with a licentious…

The puppeteers, who make up the heritage community of the Opera dei Pupi, are the custodians of a vast and complex heritage that is still transmitted orally from teacher to apprentice, both within the family and outside. It is a heritage that includes the stories represented and the modes of representation, the performative codes (e.g. sound code, kinesic code, etc.), as well as the techniques of construction of the puppets and how to paint the scenes and posters. The transmission of this heritage takes place within the companies and craft workshops primarily through the listening and observation of the master by the young apprentice.
In the traditional context, the transmission of this intangible heritage was facilitated by the daily enjoyment of the evening show. By going to the theater evening by evening, one could listen to and watch the stories represented. Observing the masters at work every day thus ensured a successful generational change and the transmission of knowledge.
Although the crisis of the middle 19th century caused a significant irregularity of the shows (no longer being represented daily), even today the transmission of this heritage takes place according to traditional methods. To strengthen the process of transmitting the living heritage of the Sicilian Opera dei Pupi and to respond effectively to the challenges of the new millennium, in 2018 the puppet companies gathered in the "Italian Network of Organizations for the Protection, Promotion, and Enhancement of the Opera dei Pupi".

Among the main characters of the chivalrous epic of the opera dei pupi are the paladins in the service of Emperor Charlemagne, Princess Angelica, some Saracens (enemies of the paladins), and Gano the traitor:

Count Roland
Renaud
Ruggero
Ferragut
Angelica
Ganelon