All Shows

If history had revolved in a different direction by only a degree, the Czech engineer Karel Žlábek would have gone down in it as one of the greatest visionaries of his time. Not much is known about him, but he left behind him indelible dreams about a better future.

Angels ('Angeli', 2012) was the last volume of poetry by one of Slovenia's most celebrated contemporary poets, Tone Pavček (1928-2011). This literary testament rounded off an extraordinary body of work whirling with verses of life, love and fidelity.

In the beginning there is nothing. Like an empty piece of paper, just a moment before it is touched by a pencil or a crayon. And everything is still possible. Then comes a cracking sound and an egg suddenly hatches out of the mist – a tiny little creature, yearning for a cosy home, friends, adventures and the whole colourful World …

Barley lives near the lake. He plays on its shores every day. He floats his tiny boats on the lake and wishes to have a real boat ...

Big-Eyes the Little Owl is the first work that Svetlana Makarovič wrote for children and also her first work staged at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre. It was directed by Matjaž Loboda and premiered in 1972, bringing a pleasant and welcome refreshment to the repertoire, which at the time consisted mostly of foreign works. It was only thereafter that the most important Slovenian writers also started writing puppet plays. Makarovič created a sweet, nice and poetic story about a little whimsical owl called Big-Eyes, who decides she no longer wants to be an ordinary, nocturnal bird, but a day owl. The Moon tries to dissuade her, but to no avail. In the morning when the owl family crawls into bed, Big-Eyes puts on her sunglasses and boisterously flies into the bright day. On her journey, she meets a number of animals and has numerous adventures – also dangerous ones!

A comedy with running and singing designed for the youngest audience and directed by a versatile puppet artist Silvan Omerzu, features an artistically purified, musically inspiring, playful and dynamic work. A simple, modular stage assembly, with wooden puppets and props, unfolds before the viewers an exciting and - until the performance’s very ending - interesting competition between the two neighbours, who eventually become friends. Its witty text was contributed by the writer of the younger generation Saša Eržen, whose picture book »The One about the Fleas« ranked her among the five finalists for the Original Slovenian Picture Book Award.

Children-Spectators is an exhibition of illustrations by renowned artists created as part of Creative Europe's project Mapping.

Once upon a time there was a boy dog. And once upon a time there was a girl dog. He has been guarding his garden all days, and she has been running behind his fence until her owner whistles at her. And as it happens, in lives not only of dogs, the two has become fancy of each other, despite high planks of the fence that kept them apart. But she didn't want to go into an unknown garden and he couldn't leave his backyard.

Darkroom is an object-music cabaret based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Steadfast Tin Soldier, which is considered one of his most famous stories, but also the first one not based on a literary source or a folk tale. It thus marks the beginning of the author's original creative period. It was written almost 200 years ago and has been adapted numerous times, including for ballet performances and films.

Don't Cross the Line is a theatrical thriller of constant trial and loss. The stage has been commandeered by General Big Eye, who has refused entry to puppets and actors – for good.

Duck, Death and the Tulip is a gentle, friendly and discreet staging, confronting children with death without any embellishment or pathos, but rather through a refined sense of delicacy of the selected topic. The narrative about illness, departing and lost comes to life on the stage as a warm and vital story about the preciousness of closeness and friendship. It is a suggestive fusion of live acting, animation and shadow theatre, visually attracting and astonishing children and at the same time unobtrusively caressing them and presenting them with a thought about the transience and vulnerability of life.

The performance Emil and the Detectives is based on a novel for children by the German writer Erich Kästner (1899–1974) who is certainly acknowledged as one of the most widely read children’s writers. The novel, which was first published in 1929, is Kästner’s first and also most popular children’s book. It was translated into more than 60 languages and has already seen quite a number of stage and film adaptations, the last one premiered in Germany in 2001.

In 2021, the year of lockdowns, the high school students selected at the audition studied school as an institution. They were interested in the established school order and its effect on their growing up.

The performance Four Black Ants – a theatre adaptation of a collection of short stories by Anja Štefan, this year’s recipient of the Prešeren Fund Award – premiered on the Small Stage LGL in 2014.

Four Black Ants is a set of short parables about four little ants that contains just the right amount of everything – poetry, humour, rhythm, words, rhymes, heartiness and wisdom. They are full of little pleasures and funny adventures, inciting meditative reflections and arousing reactions with their clever sting.

A musical performance taking us on a journey into the poetic world of dreams and cheerful night-time illusions with which the full moon is teasing a “sleeping” family of four.

Gallop follows the story of a boy living on a farm near the city, where, in addition to other domestic animals, they also have a young horse. One day, the boy and his family visit a fair, where he unexpectedly sees horse races. The winner receives a big gleaming trophy! This triggers in him an irresistible desire to win. Fostered by the ambition to lift the winner’s trophy one day, he starts training hard with his horse. The performance addresses the meaning of friendship in contrast with the irresistible desire to win. How much is it worth sacrificing to achieve your goal?

Glitterton is a well-kept residential area with benches and a playground. Beyond Glitterton lies Wild Glitterton, and the people of Glitterton don't go there! They prefer to watch the birds and chat on their playground.

Once upon a time Mr. August was young and strong, but now he is old and tired. Most of the time, he just seats and thinks about his life. In his life he had a wife Victoria, who was as black as night and as beautiful as a sunny day, six small, roguish children, three cuddles a day, 728 cucumbers … and also a letter or two in his mailbox, from time to time. Every morning, Mr August carefully checks his mail. Even when he feels very bad.

Goose the Bear is a seemingly simple mix-up. One day a little gosling hatches out of a lost egg. From the first moment the little creature is absolutely convinced that it is a bear, since the very first thing it sees is the Bear's face. Hidden behind the tale's letters and imaginary forest's trees are some essential questions about coexistence and accepting of others. Is everything that seems different really so different from us? How much of our time and attention we are ready to dedicate to relationships with other people? Goose the Bear is a story about tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

“An old woman fell out of the window because she was too curious. She fell and broke into pieces.”

How Mister Felix Entered a Bicycle Race is the story of a local eccentric who enters a cycle race on a whim. Instead of a racing bicycle, he rides a small, borrowed city bike, and rather than victory, he pursues pleasure – in riding, drinking lemonade, taking a dip in cold water, enjoying the beautiful day.

Kamišibaj je edinstvena japonska oblike pripovedovanja zgodb ob slikah na miniaturnem lesenem odru, ki občinstvu ponuja bolj intimno gledališko-pripovedovalsko izkušnjo. Gre za izvirno in mojstrsko risano pripovedno izrazno formo, s katero se je ansambel Lutkovnega gledališča Ljubljana pod mentorstvom Jelene Sitar srečal med zaprtjem gledališč. V tem času so pripravil več različnih pripovedi, s katerimi so nato gostovali v različnih krajih in na festivalih ter prejeli nekaj nagrad.

Following Hamlet (2006), Romeo & Juliet (2011), The Merchant of Venice (2015) and The Tempest (2016), this production is likewise a rendition of one of William Shakespeare’s most important texts in world drama that we are adding to our repertoire as a puppet production. Macbeth is aimed at audiences aged 15 and over.

The play Make Me a Coffin for Him from 1993 represents an anthology of the nineties, since it features, as Barbara Orel wrote, "primal iconography, infernal content and demonic energy; it is, in a word—diabolical."

The text for the wild puppet adventure Martin Krpan is based on the folk tale by Fran Levstik, published in The Slovene Herald (Slovenski glasnik) 160 years ago. Throughout its history the famous story about a courageous, strong, lucid, ordinary and modest hero lived to see many of its reprints, adaptations, illustrations, radio plays, theatre adaptations, and even an animated cartoon film. Although he was well aware of the fact that the then mostly illiterate, ordinary Slovenian people needed a simple story about a peasant hero, whom they could understand and identify with, Levstik, when conceiving his tale, succeeded not to fall into an unambiguous writing.

Horse, elephant, monkey, cow, pig, squirrel. Words in themselves carry no meaning until they are consumed in verbal games. The tossing of words up, down, left, right in an endless swirl between the public and the private creates a carousel of (in)acceptable, (in)correct, (non)problematic expressions.

In every house, there is a place without a special purpose. It is where we put away what we no longer need, but are not yet ready to admit that to ourselves. It is a space (be it a room, a drawer or just a box) where we leave memories that we don't trust to stay in our minds. They seem too fragile. Eternally elusive, but so important. Who are we without them? And who are we with them?

Moby Dick is a puppet-musical spectacle for young audiences by internationally acclaimed Norwegian director Yngvild Aspeli, inspired by the timeless 1851 classic by American writer Herman Melville. The thrilling story of the hunt for the great white whale is one of the greatest works of world literature. It is the story of a sailor waging war against a creature as large, dangerous and unknown as the sea itself. Who will win? Man or nature?

Mojca and the Animals is one of our oldest and most popular folk tales, especially among our youngest viewers. It not only reflects the spirit of the time, but also brings us back to our roots. The famous fairy tale, first published back in 1954, tells about an innocent Rabbit who is wrongly convicted and persecuted till the end of his days for a simple reason that he is the smallest and the weakest member of society. On the other side, there is this canny little Fox, who cheats everyone, and yet is never held responsible for it. Presented to us on stage this time, is a new Mojca, who defines the spirit of our time through her relationships.

“I can hear it, grandpa, I can hear it...” says Tonino when his grandfather asks him to close his eyes and listen to the cherry tree breathing. Tonino hears the rustle of leaves in the wind, the groan of branches, the singing of birds—he hears life...

The performance Open the Owl brings back to stage the miniature characters from the performance Sovji grad (The Owl Castle), created by Slovenian puppeteer Milan Klemenčič back in 1936. (french subtitles)

Peter Pan is a tale of never-ending childhood. The main hero’s greatest wish is to remain a child forever, as he is convinced that growing up robs people off their imagination and makes them boring. Peter Pan is also one of the most known and famous fairy tales that revolves around the eternal theme of growing up, discovering of new sensations and accepting responsibilities. It is, at the same time, rounded up by a great deal of magic and symbolism. The young hero doesn't want to grow old, he doesn't even want to grow up. Instead he wants to fly, fight with Captain Hook and explore the Neverland. This clever and lively boy has been conquering children's imaginations and hearts all over the world for more than hundred years, since his character has been revived in many films, musicals, plays and books.

Rabbit’s House is a story that reminds us how each of us can sometimes be in need and without a roof over his or her head and how nice and important it is to help each other whenever such unfortunate situations occur. In our story Frog, Squirrel, Badger and Bear unite their forces to help Little Rabbit who has lost his home.

Room on the Broom is yet another hit, written by Scottish writer Julia Donaldson, who is an old acquaintance of Puppet Theatre, and her loyal collaborator - German illustrator -, Axel Scheffler. They are also the authors of the famous picture book The Gruffalo and its no less popular sequel The Gruffalo's Child.In their new adventure we will embark again on a journey to the world of animals, only this time the place of the almost dreadful Gruffalo will be taken by anything but an evil Witch, and, consequently by a far more dangerous and hungry Dragon.

Four strangers enter a vast field of possibilities. They start building a fragile, shifting world, the grains of sand coming together to form a universe, time, creatures, landscapes, natural phenomena, moods and relationships, architecture and objects. These are made by designing, pouring, blowing, sweeping, treading, tracing, etching, drawing, funnelling, spilling, sowing, wiping, skipping, skidding, adding, removing, piling up, taking down, carrying away, bringing in ...

Aimed at the very youngest viewers, Scritch Scratch Dip Clapote! is a tender fairy tale that weaves together strong emotions and rich imagination. A Frog named Jerko is afraid of going to sleep; what is that sound—scritch scratch scraww plop—that keeps coming from under his bed? Jerko's father tries to reassure him that there is nothing to be afraid of—until he himself goes to lie in the bed, only to be woken up in the night by the same mysterious sound.

Every person, animal and thing has a soul. This understanding is possessed, for the most part, by those forgotten but still living peoples who, however inscrutable they seem to us, hold in their hands the threads of the collective unconscious of cultural memory. The Seal is a play based on the motifs of Lapp folktales and the ethnic heritage of this disappearing culture. They tell us and make us recognise that there are modes of communication other than language.

One evening, as Črt is going to bed, he spots a mysterious shadow and thinks it is a dragon. He is not wrong. On that same evening, the twins Kaj and Iza find a mysterious map, which they show to Vid, Črt's best friend. And just like that, the four 11-year-olds find themselves in the middle of a thrilling adventure.

Secret Society PGC is a legendary text and children's classic story, written by Slovenian writer Anton Ingolič in 1958. He was one of the first post-war authors, who, inspired by the real life of young people in that period of time, addressed their topical issues through depicting their unusual adventures. Thus many generations of children used to grow up along with the very popular and famous Society of Pingoclavulus - or shortened PGC. This modern re-interpretation of the Secret Society PGC was staged in our theatre for the first time.

Session Bulgakov is a reconstruction of the novel, set up on the dynamics of contrasts between burlesque and abstract images of object theatre, which remained on the ruins of the confusion, left behind by Satan and his accomplices. In its fragmentation and through the rhytmization of words, gestures and sounds it combines the associations on today’s obsessed world and the tragic side of everyman with his problems, fears and desires. A trio of actors, animators and musicians puts the spectators into the role of witnesses and eyewitnesses to specific events, leading them through some originally interpreted pictures of the novel at a dynamic pace.

Shame on You is a performance of endless scrolling and content generation, avatars, emojis, trap, stand-up, music videos and stories that seeks a space without shame at the intersection of the virtual, the fairytale and the present.

The performance tells us about a little girl, who finds herself caught in the middle of the war. It is through her eyes that we observe her changing city, filled with horrors, violence and fear. But, hope too. Threatening planes are flying over the city, the streets are empty and there is no food left on the shelves in the store. The school is closed. And every now and then gunshots are heard nearby. Her environment gradually changes …And becomes intolerable. The little girl’s only wish is to go to another country, where it would be much nicer. She wants to go somewhere else, somewhere far away from the war atrocities. »I woke up this morning, washed my teeth as usually, ate my breakfast and went to school. Everything was pretty much as usual. And only yesterday I played with my friends in the backyard as well. Everything is different now. I am not allowed to go to the backyard any more. It is too dangerous. And when the thunder is heard, I must run to the basement with my mother. I don’t see my friends any more either. And the school is over. They just closed it.«

In 1936, Czech puppeteer Jan Malík created one of the most frequently performed puppet plays in the world. In 1951, the performance and its now cult marionettes were first presented to the audience in the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre, under the direction of Jože Pengov, which changed the hitherto puppet art in terms of its content, as well as dramaturgical and technical approach. With her visual design Ajša Pengov set up a new criterion as in the marionettes proportions as well as in their characterisation. The then newest technical acquisition – the conveyor belt – introduced the so called “dramaturgy of travelling”.

With its form and content, Tin Grabnar’s performance Still Life addresses the evasive question of the phenomenon of life. What is the inner force that we call life? What is life like? How to understand the phenomenon and way of existence and its opposite—death? And finally, what does it mean to take this life away? By exploring these questions, a sensible performance language takes shape—one that addresses fundamental questions of the existence of animals and at the same time strives to engender respect in the audience for all that we refer to as being alive.

We were raised to view the Amazon women as mythical warriors of ancient times, who can be at the same time strong, independent, deadly and desirable, as the supernatural society of mighty women woven from the thread of imagination. But what if they were real?

This well known folk tale of the musicians of Bremen gave Matija Solce, an established puppet artist, foundation for a vivacious and friendly performance, which combines puppets and music. As they do in the fairy-tale, the four animals make a journey, and they surprise the town folk with their music.

The Mouse heads for the woods to find a hazelnut. There the predators lie in wait for him. But he knows exactly what to do. To turn them away, he makes up a story about a Gruffalo. Apparently the Gruffalo adores foxes, owl ice cream with juice and roasted snakes. And yes, his Gruffalo is so dreadful that the Mouse becomes the most important animal in the forest. But if he really wants to get his breakfast, he has to deal with the Gruffalo as well. He suddenly finds the Mouse yummy himself. No way, that won’t be so easy, pal! The Gruffalo was in fact a very special creature, invented by the Mouse to frighten the other animals. And now he suddenly appears in flesh! Will the Mouse be resourceful enough to beat him as well?

The Gruffalo’s Child is a sequel of The Gruffalo, which was premiered with great success at the Lutkovno gledališče Ljubljana / Ljubljana Puppet Theatre in April 2013. Both picture books were written by the English playwright Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo (1999) is a genuine international publishing phenomenon as it was translated into 50 languages and sold out in more than 4 million copies all over the world. Its sequel, The Gruffalo's Child, published back in 2004, is no less famous or known than its predecessor.

The Little Witch is only 127 years old... which is very young for her profession. She lives alone in her witch house in the middle of the woods, with Abraxas the raven as her companion. Every year on Bonfire Night, the older witches gather on Mount Klek and dance the night away. The Little Witch is too young to attend the dance, but decides to secretly join in the fun. Godmother Ropotavza exposes her, and because Little Witch has broken the rule, she has one year to prove that she can be a "good" witch.

The story of twins who, in their struggle for physical and emotional survival, strengthen their bodies and minds as they become increasingly indifferent and apathetic, paints a poetic picture of love, war, identity and (collective) trauma.

In this performance the creators explore the field of an intimate puppet-object theatre. They found the materials that allow a double glimpse into the theme of power, the objects that enlarge or reduce, draw nearer or distance, hide or reveal the seen.

This puppet ballet was conceived to the music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky who composed one of the most controversial musical pieces in the history of musical art in the beginning of the 20th century. Today, it seems almost unbelievable that this highly popular and esteemed composition was considered as scandalous at its world premiere, that the choreography, conceived by Vaclav Nijinsky, was regarded as catastrophic, and that the music itself was misunderstood.

With the performance, director Tin Grabnar and other members of the creative team aim to raise awareness about the causes and effects of climate change; about the interconnection between events and people’s behaviour across the globalised world; and about the power of the individual to change things for the better.

Following the Gruffalo and the Gruffalo's child, who had to face their fears in a forest full of predators, and the adventures of a not-at-all evil witch in ‘Room on the Broom’, the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre returns with ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’, a production based on another bestselling book by the acclaimed Scottish writer Julia Donaldson and the German illustrator Axel Scheffler. Directed by Jaka Ivanc and adapted for the stage by Jure Karas, with original music by Davor Herceg, this is a playful portrayal of the value of generosity and helping each other.

A performance about a girl who must leave her home and embark on a journey where she learns about the world and herself, based on the archetypal motif of the tenth same-sex child who is bound to leave the family home. The performance addresses the young spectators by using universal themes of loneliness and fear, but also hope, courage, and magic experienced by the girl who is out in the world on her own. As a self-reliant wanderer she faces the challenges of growing up and forming her identity.

An old draughtsman lives alone, never answering the door, never leaving his little home. His life has lost all its colour. Then one day, he makes a mug out of old paper. And then a teapot and some flowers... Using the objects around him, the draughtsman starts designing a magical world of imagination where he feels less lonely. His room comes alive with images of love and warmth, until he finally plucks up the courage to open the door and let the colour into his home.

The Wizard of Oz is the story of an unusual journey across the Land of Oz, where Dorothy, the protagonist, makes three new friends who join her in her quest to find the all-knowing, all-seeing and all-powerful Wizard of Oz.

I never knew a thing could do so much. I never thought it was possible, but now I’m getting in touch? What can I do and can the sponge do it too? There are so many things that make me feel yellow and blue.

Everything starts with a seed. And a desire for something to grow. Given some care and attention, the seed soon sprouts up from the ground, and grows a flower to blossom. From the flower, a tiny creature comes into the world full of brash curiosity. A creature no bigger than a thumb.

Timbuktu is where you get burnt and someone offers you a poultice before you say ouch!

Tunnel is an unusual production that seeks comfort in the dark and treats light like a delicious dessert. At first it seems that the light can be controlled, while the darkness—unknown, dangerous —cannot. However, in the performance, the situation is soon reversed – with a pinch of courage and a pinch of cooperation, we can safely enjoy the darkness as we dose it ourselves.

Turlututu! Where are you? Are you here? Here are you! It is you! You are Turlututu! Turlututu is nowhere to be found. He fell from the book and disappeared. But, how is he to be found, when he can be smaller than a flea or higher than a church tower? How is he to be looked for, if it takes him only an instant to change his colour, fly away to space or simply vanish by just uttering the right magic words? How? Quite easy, actually. Let's all be Turlututu! And, let's catch him!

There are only two knights left at the castle, after everyone else has gone to a jousting tournament. And it is their responsibility to find the missing princess and bring her home by evening, as ordered by the king. The king is king, so who are they to deny his wishes! On the other hand…Rosebush would much rather stay home and admire his new leopard print shoes and Bang is miserable because he is constantly falling, banging, and tripping over. The princess was very probably snatched by the dragon. They embark on a daring journey to the dragon’s den, where they find the princess—who doesn’t want to return home.

The biosphere, the thin layer of life we call home, has never been so intensely and drastically threatened. Deforestation rates have soared as we exploit the land to feed more and more people. Global emissions are disrupting the climate system, new pathogens threaten crops and our health, illegal trade has eradicated entire plant populations, and non-native species are overtaking endemic flora. Biodiversity is being lost, locally and globally.

The staging of Virginija Volk (Virginia Wolf) will be based on the motifs from the picture book by Kyo Maclean and Isabelle Arsenault. Vanessa has a sister Virginia, who feels wolfish and behaves that way too. She constantly howls, snarls and yelps, she is moody, she doesn't feel like hanging out with anybody, everything annoys her and nothing in this world can comfort her. But Vanessa decides to put her in a good mood. She tries just about everything, but it's not that easy. Finally, Virginia tells her that she would be happy if she could fly away. Somewhere, where there are muffins, beautiful flowers and trees, and where there is absolutely no grief. To the Flower Park! Without hesitation, Vanessa looks up for a box of crayons and the walls in the room soon become colourful and picturesque Virginia's room turns into a Flower Valley - a blooming garden, full of colours and freshness. Suddenly, everything begins to fly, and becomes bright and cheerful, including Virginia herself.

The story was written by Fran Levstik, and we know it just as well as his story about Martin Krpan. They are both quite old. But in the words of Hans Christian Andersen: Stories are like many people – they grow better with age.

Yellow Moon: The Ballad of Leila and Lee is a love story. A story of two teenagers who find each other just as one of them is facing dire life changes. Lee is 17. He lives with his mother and her boyfriend, cherishing the memory of his father who left when Lee was five years old. His father left behind a hat with a deer patch and a postcard of a mansion in the Scottish Highlands. “My father is the king of Glasgow and this is his mansion,” says Lee. It is in the mansion that he seeks comfort at a time of his greatest hardship. On his way there, he is joined by Lejla—the “quiet Lejla”, a Muslim girl who never speaks. Lejla comes from a well-off family and she wants the world to notice her. She wishes to be seen and heard, and to arouse interest in people. Lejla and Lee find each other, but dark times are down the road. The past is after them and they will have a hard time escaping it.