Obraztsov State Puppet Theater in Moscow
Children listen to the history of puppetry at the museum at the Obraztsov State Puppet Theater in Moscow. The museum holds arguably the biggest collection of stage puppets in the world. The 77-year-old puppet theater was founded by Sergey Obraztsov, who was one of the worlds most celebrated innovators of the craft. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
A children’s show is put on in the smaller hall at Obraztsov theater. On weekends sometimes there as many as three shows a day. There are shows geared to adults too, the company stages Pushkin, Kipling and sharp works of religious satire. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
Puppeteers work their magic backstage during a children’s show. The puppeteers work six days a week, says one of the veterans, and take home paltry pay the average salary is less than $430. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
A scene during the recent premiere of “Gulliver’s Travels” at the Obraztsov theater. A jumble of oversize puppets, human beings and hand-sized figurines on the same stage conveyed an impossible jumble of scale. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
Artist and puppet creator Yelena Panteleyeva fixes old puppets in the workshop at the Obraztsov State Puppet Theater. ekaterina Obraztsova, granddaughter of the founder, says: Kids now live a different life, they see a lot of attractions and a lot of animated cartoons. The tempo of their lives is different. But for some reason in the puppet theater, they adjust to a different rhythm and theyre happy to fill the space, to watch and understand.” (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
Artist and puppet creator Vera Chernetsova checks the giant Gulliver’s head on the eve of the premiere. (Sergei L. Loiko / Los Angeles Times)
