The International Festival of Puppets and Figures Arrivano dal Mare! is one of the longest-running festivals entirely dedicated to puppetry in Italy and the world. It was first held in Cervia in 1975, and since 2011 it has moved to the city of Ravenna and other locations in Romagna. Over the years, the Festival has become a reference point and an unmissable appointment for puppeteers, marionette players, puppeteers and traditional storytellers, as well as for emerging artists and companies involved in the search for new languages for the image and figure, theatre scholars, critics, amateurs and spectators.

This year’s 49th edition, the festival features two Czech performances:

Prefaby by Plata Company & mir.theatre is a visual-sound production that takes place on a plasterboard table and freely varies the motifs of everyday life in a prefabricated building – a symbol of the dream of modern living in the former Eastern Bloc countries. The intimate performance for seven audience members is recommended for audiences aged seven and over.

24 May 2024 at 11.00, 12.30, 15.30, 17.30 and 19.00, Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste, Piazza Kennedy 12, Ravenna

25 May 2024 at 11.30, 12.30, 14.30, 15.30 and 16.30, Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste, Piazza Kennedy 12, Ravenna

Punch and Judy by Cakes and Puppets is a slapstick puppet performance with English roots. When Judy challenges Punch to care for their screaming baby, he decides to handle everything his own way, including Judy and the other characters. But when death finally comes, the real drama begins. How will it end? It’s anybody’s guess.

20 May at 20:0, Ridotto Teatro Rasi, Via di Roma 39, Ravenna

The presentation is implemented with the financial support of the European Union through the Czech Recovery Plan and the Ministry of Culture Czech Republic.