Teatro de Teresetes
Magical moments
Shows based on puppets (teresetes, in Mallorcan) go back to ancient Egypt, where they enjoyed great renown. Today, sadly, they are only relevant in the framework of the proliferation of all kinds of shows. Competitions like the International Festival of Puppet Theatre allow spectators to discover this art full of emotion and nuance.
text César Mateu Moyà
Centuries ago, when there were no theatres or auditoria as we know them today, people would crowd into village squares to enjoy puppet shows. Their origins go back to the era of ancient Egypt, and they were very popular in Greece and Rome as well. In its early days, puppetry represented the feats of the mythological gods, in what was a combination of performance and music that enraptured both children and adults.
In Mallorca, puppets have always been known as teresetes. To understand the origin of this curious name, we need to travel to Naples, when what is now a city in southern Italy was part of the Crown of Aragon. The “father” of all versions of puppets from the 17th century on went by the name of Pulcinella or Polichinela. “Apparently the beloved of this theatrical figure was called Teresa, and in Naples she was known as Teresina. When puppets first came to Mallorca, they started to call this figure Tereseta, and the name stuck until today”, says Aina Gimeno, director of Mallorca’s international festival of teresetes, due to be held for the twenty-fourth time from 16 to 22 May.
During the 1970s this theatre genre underwent a golden age in Spain, as a symbol of freedom of expression, although it gradually became irrelevant as the years passed. It was for this reason that Aina decided to create the festival. “I wanted to dignify this type of theatre, and I also wanted to restore the Asistencia Palmesana theatre, which needed refurbishing in order to regain the significance it once had”, she explains.
The profile of the audiences who come to these shows is very varied, as there are performances both for children aged one and over and for adults as well. “This year,” says Aina, “a company from Canada will perform a silent version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Last year a company paid tribute to their grandfather, representing his exile using sugar lumps. Sometimes the shows blow your mind, you think that just isn’t possible, it’s pure magic. And people get hooked and, in the end, a very special moment is created”.
The International Festival of Puppet Theatre is held in 17 villages on Mallorca, in theatres and cultural centres of Palma, like Misericordia, and even on Menorca. It also [...]
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