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)
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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)
