Puppets 4.0 - Museum without walls

As part of Festival internationalCasteliers

Adults, 13 years +

Presented for the first time in America, this virtual exhibition created by the German Forum for Figure Theatre and Puppetry Arts (DFFP) introduces us to the history of puppet theatre in a fun and engaging way.

In 1948, Fritz Wortelmann, a citizen of the German town of Bochum, set about assembling a vast collection of objects from the world of puppet theatre. Today, more than 70 years later, the collection that bears his name can be admired in a most extraordinary way.

Fitted with a virtual reality headset, visitors move around independently, accompanied by an animated and enthusiastic 3D version of Fritz Wortelmann, who explains the characters, traditions and different puppetry techniques developed around the world. From folk fairs to propaganda theatre, from an Indonesian bazaar to a Sicilian opera house, Puppets 4.0 Museum without walls is an impressive tribute to the history of the 11th art.

Assembled here are the magnificent puppets themselves, an extensive amount of research work by the theatre management and an extraordinary technical achievement that is still rare in theatre. This museum without walls will entice you. You will be lured into a playful and atmospheric journey through the world of puppet theatre.
– Double, Magazin für Puppen-, Figuren- und Objekttheater

Little Mr. Wortelmann (German Puppetry Institute founder) can tell gripping stories and, as is usually the case in museums, you learn a lot in the process. (…) The VR experience opened up a new world of puppet theater and puppetry to me.
– Jörn Schumacher, Mixed, online magazine

Running time: 30 to 45 minutes

Calender
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 6, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday, March 7, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 8, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 

Company
The Deutsches Forum für Figurentheater und Puppenspielkunst (DFFP, German Forum for Figure Theatre and Puppetry Arts) is the leading German organisation for the nationwide promotion of all aspects of puppet, figure and object theatre. It was founded in 1992 by the City of Bochum and numerous associations and training establishments form across Germany dedicated to puppetry arts. The DFFP organizes the Festival FIDENA – Figurentheater der Nationen (FIDENA Festival – Puppet Theatre of the Nations), as well as symposia and the presentation of the City of Bochum’s Fritz Wortelmann Prize for amateur puppet theatre. It publishes works and runs a public library, media library, and archives.
 
Credits
Project management: Annette Dabs, Mareike Gaubitz
Development and programming: DIGIFACTURA, Team Alexander Philippi
Sound design: Maximilian Rodegra, Loop Post-production
Voice: Steffen Reuber, Roy Kift, Philippe Rodriguez Jorda

Puppets 4.0 - Museum without walls was funded by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, and the City of Bochum.