Notes on sustainable touring for visual theatre and puppetry

Preface

People have the Power - Puppets have the power

foreword text by Luís Vieira & Rute Ribeiro

The world is changing at a breakneck and wild pace. This constant change in a world profoundly affected by climate change, technology and political thinking is forcing organisations and our behaviours to try to keep up with or to adapt to these mutations. What about the artists? What role can they play? And their organisations? They must be attentive and to raise awareness of these changes - thinking about the present and projecting the future.

The word curiosity occupies an important place in our journey, both as creators and as programmers of an international festival. The desire for knowledge, for information, for learning, combined with the artistic choice of working around puppetry, an ancient art that has managed to adapt to the constant changes in the world.

Our interest and vision towards puppetry as creatives, lies in its own nature, its theatrical specificity and special plurality. For us, puppetry is the art of movement and the art of artistic freedom. The art that combines several arts and makes us dream and think that everything is possible, the art where it is forbidden to forbid. It is a theatre that uses objects, puppets, masks, shadows... This visual and plastic theatre allows us to move from a microcosm to a macrocosm in a flash, to play with gravity and with scale changes. A theatre full of images and material forms in movement.

Puppetry is more and more present in contemporary creation, proving to be an exceptional ‘tool’ for artistic transversality. Its presence and influence in the creations of numerous artists is notorious, establishing bridges with dance, theatre, visual arts, cinema and the new technologies. The contemporary puppet theatre has been characterised by new dramaturgies associated with all types of puppets, but also with the manipulation of materials, objects and images. The puppet has the power to seriously and creatively address all subjects, even the most sensitive ones, and increasingly symbolises our time, invaded by images and objects. Within our festival’s programme we have attempted to create a showcase of that multiplicity, present in the world of puppetry.

Artists live off the idea of travelling, they live off audiences, and for that they need to travel, to meet other artists, to show their work and discoveries, to meet new people and new ideas, they need to find their ‘fuel’. On the other hand, our organisations are obliged to think about what is happening in the world and be on the lookout for new possibilities. That's why it's increasingly challenging to programme meetings between artists and audiences and to organise festivals, which are a source of great artistic inspiration, as well as engines of development and discovery, in addition to providing moments of sharing, knowledge, communion and celebration.

The FIMFA Lx - Festival Internacional de Marionetas e Formas Animadas - International Festival of Puppets and Animated Forms celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025, and has kept pace with these changes. We try to create conditions so that companies can present their work more often, and sometimes we work with other territorial partnerships, broadening our audiences. We promote transmission and talks with the audience and with artists and their works. As creators, we favour natural or biodegradable materials, and we encourage recycling. We promote the presentation of performances with relevant topics that challenge our society, that speak of identity, freedom, memory, environment, but also of what threatens us, following our motto: the puppet as a means of seeing and thinking the world with another gaze.

The puppeteer is guided by the curiosity, by the freedom to invent worlds, to discover new ideas, new ways of thinking and challenging, new materials and new ways of communicating, and this spirit must underpin the new structuring practices of organisations, promoting behaviours and ways of intervening that take into account the contemporary society and promote a sustainable world.

It's clearly in our hands: People have the Power, as Patty Smith's song says. From this perspective, and as far as we are concerned, we are committed to promoting more sustainable practices in our activities, encouraging the definitive abandonment of the use of more polluting materials in our workshops and rethinking the way artists show and promote their work, in order to reduce our ecological footprint. The puppet has this power to seduce audiences, to reimagine new possibilities and to be an important driving force in changing behaviours, due to its ability to reinvent itself and its relationship with the world.

Puppets have the power - Artists have the power - Taking an inanimate figure or object and giving it the illusion of life is a superpower that can be a valuable agent of change in the world.

1 Exploring sustainable touring via IMPULSE! – New Focus on Puppetry and Visual theatre

– Building Lasting Partnerships and Sustainable Practices Across Europe

IMPULSE! was a joint project by Aura of Puppets (FIN), Kosmos Theatre (LT) and A Tarumba (PT) that ran from 2023–24. The project developed the field of European contemporary puppetry and visual theatre by researching and implementing sustainable touring practices, broadening networks, and enhancing professional development for artists and producers. At the core of the IMPULSE! project was support to the creation and circulation of puppetry works and artists. The project investigated concrete touring network structures through a Touring Pilot Programme, enhanced professional expertise with Master Classes, and broadened the dialogue on sustainability in puppetry through Professional Seminars.

IMPULSE! was initially created to address issues relevant to all partners. Each partner operates on the periphery of Europe, far from the main puppetry markets in Central Europe. The project sought to explore how to move closer to the center, create pathways, broaden networks, and foster growth while maintaining sustainability – both ecological and social. A significant amount of focus was dedicated to evaluating and recalibrating our organizational structures. It felt essential to thoroughly assess our immediate surroundings, identify and address readily actionable issues, and to start building a sustainable foundation for the future.

In addition to reducing emissions by minimizing air travel and material costs, we focused on ensuring fair salaries and providing artists with ample rest and recovery during tours. We aimed to expand our handprint – broadening our reach while on tour – and develop strategies for creating long-term connections. We also sought to offer artists opportunities to develop new professional skills and expand their networks.

We asked whether small organisations can create a big impact. By evaluating our own operations and connections with other players and partners, we discovered many opportunities to influence outcomes beyond our core activities. Our goal was to build a foundation that is both ecologically and socially sustainable, embedding these values throughout our operations. Finally, it was essential to establish a long-term commitment to continuous improvement, requiring us to critically evaluate our actions and remain willing to adapt.

Supporting Artists and Promoting Sustainability

The Touring Pilot Programme included seven different puppetry and visual theatre pieces, which were presented at partner festivals during the project, providing artists with little or no international experience the opportunity to perform and expand their reach abroad. Emphasis was placed on ensuring artists had ample opportunities for rest and recovery, while also guaranteeing fair salaries for all professionals involved. Additionally, three Master Classes were organized for the participating artists, enabling them to combine touring with learning new skills and expanding their professional networks.

Artists had the chance to develop their skills through Master Classes in Micro Cinema, Motion Capture techniques, and Devising and Object Theatre. The project also hosted seminars on a range of important topics, including sustainable touring practices, strategies for building connections and expanding impact while on tour, perspectives on sustainability in performing arts festivals, and Ecodesign & ecological puppet theatre practices.

Impact

The project provided new international opportunities and increased visibility for 32 artists with little or no prior experience performing abroad. Remarkably, the project even facilitated the world premiere of a new work. Both organizers and artists noted that the Touring Pilot Programme and international exchanges helped them reach previously untapped audiences. Beyond creating further work and job opportunities for some participants, the Touring Pilot Programme also influenced how artists spent their time abroad. Nearly all the artists emphasized that the additional time allowed them to form deeper connections with fellow artists and engage more meaningfully with local cultures. They also expressed satisfaction with the chance to travel at a slower pace, appreciating the added flexibility and lower carbon emissions.

As organizations, we have expanded our networks and engaged in discussions about new projects with partners. Additionally, we’ve gained new tools for assessing and reducing our environmental impact, developed strategies for driving change, and strengthened our commitment to sustainability.

Experiences from the touring pilot programme

At the core of the IMPULSE! -project was circulating European works via the touring pilot programme. Artists participating in the performing visits (at least two shows at each festival) also took part in masterclasses and simply had a longer time period to stay in the city where the festival happened. The longer stays directly influence the work and rest balance especially when travelling long distances for a gig. This encouraged the artists to see more shows and discover local scenes as well as meet international colleagues.

After each visit to the partner’s festivals we conducted a small interview with each working group. The interviews were published on the project website impulse.com and provided important information about the touring pilot programme. According to these interviews, many of the participating artists found the visits fruitful and different compared to previous touring experiences in terms of organisation and time of stay.Write your text here...