Mariona, the mascot of TOPIC.

We are back! Did you miss us? It was a fantastic summer of work, travel and getting to see some amazing puppetry in four different countries. But now that it is fall, we are hard at work in DC, designing, building and rehearsing for the world premiere of Fábulas Mayas with GALA Hispanic Theatre. You can find out more about the play here, and there will be posts coming soon with pictures of our work and the puppets as we finish them. Not to mention more information about our upcoming collaboration with Arts on the Horizon, puppet workshops in schools and getting started on research for our next full-length show…SO MUCH GOING ON.

Puppet created by Basque company Txotxongillo Taldea.

I saw many beautiful puppets on my wanderings this summer and I wish I had been able to take better pictures. I probably had the most success in Tolosa, a little town in northern Spain outside of Donostia-San Sebastian. The Tolosa Puppets International Center (TOPIC) is located there and it’s also just a beautiful place, between green hills and a blue river. The puppets in these photos were made by the company Txotxongillo Taldea, a Basque puppet company that performs plays in Euskara, the Basque language. They have been involved with TOPIC since the founding of the center and created Mariona, the puppet character that acts as the building’s mascot. If you are ever in Spain, check out TOPIC and their wonderful exhibits!