The Opera dei Pupi ( in Palermo, in Catania;Perricone, Rosario, I ferri dell'Opra. Il teatro delle marionette siciliane, in G. Liotta G., G. Azzaroni G. (edited by), «Antropologia e Teatro», n. 4. Bologna: Dipartimento delle Arti – Alma Studiorum – University of Bologna, 2013. pp. 210–234. Retrieved in April 2022. "Opera of the Puppets") is a marionette theatrical representation of Frankish romantic poems traditionally performed in Sicily, Italy.
Inscribed in the UNESCO's List of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2008, it dates back to the third decade of the nineteenth century, and was particularly successful among the middle and lower classes, becoming one of Sicily's most significant expressions of history and cultural identity.
The puppeteers (named pupari) animate the puppets to represent episodes of serialized stories derived from epic-chivalric literature of medieval origin, with particular reference to the Carolingian cycle; and in a more limited manner, from the Arthurian novels. All these stories were elaborated in The History of the Paladins of France, written by Giusto Lo Dico, that is a "compilation of the Italian chivalric poems of the Renaissance in which the French literature of the Middle Ages was freely modified".Perricone, Rosario (2013). I ferri dell'Opra. Il teatro delle marionette siciliane, op. cit. p. 211. Published in handouts since 1858, the work written in prose brings together and re-elaborates the poems of cultured literature such as Orlando innamorato, Orlando Furioso and Gerusalemme Liberata.
The traditional repertoire of the shows also include historical-romantic narratives, stories of brigands, works by William Shakespeare such as Romeo and Juliette and Macbeth, and short farces.
History It is difficult to establish when and where the Opera dei Pupi was born. "The chronicles say that the initiators of the Opera in Palermo were Don Gaetano Greco (1813–1874) and Don Liberato Canino, while in Catania they were Don Gaetano Crimi (1807–1877) and his antagonist Giovanni Grasso (1792–1863)".Perricone, Rosario (2013). I ferri dell'Opra. Il teatro delle marionette siciliane, op. cit., p. 216. The so-called pupi in page (that is, without armor) certainly preceded the armored ones and were used to represent Sicilian tales and farces, which are still performed today. Studies also show that from the 16th century, shows of chivalry were staged with puppets throughout Europe; and in the 18th century such shows also took place in Sicily and Naples (being represented in the theater of Giuseppina d'Errico also known as "Donna Peppa").
However, only in the first decades of the nineteenth century, in Sicily, did the chivalrous repertoire achieve such resounding success as to supplant all the others and determine a series of technical and figurative innovations.This was probably due to the delayed effect of the pre-romantic and romantic style of the Middle Ages; but it is also a consequence of ingenious technical inventions which made it possible to give extraordinary effectiveness to combat scenes which become a sort of exalting dance, with a crescendo rhythm and which arouses an intense psychomotory participation in the audiencePasqualino, Antonio (2003). The Sicilian Puppets, op.cit., p. 17..There are numerous studies dedicated to Sicilian Opera dei pupi. The most recent research by Ignazio E. Buttitta, Bernadette Majorana, Alessandro Napoli and Rosario Perricone followed the historically fundamental contributions of Antonino Buttitta, Antonino Uccello, Janne Vibaek, and Carmelo Alberti. Furthermore, we cannot fail to mention the fundamental studies of Giuseppe Pitrè and Sebastiano Lo Nigro as well as the book entitled Opera dei pupi by Antonio Pasqualino (Sellerio 1977). Narrations and memories of the puppeteers themselves can also be added to this short list.
Over time, the Opera dei pupi has gone through some periods of serious crisis: Giuseppe Pitrè recorded its decline at the end of the nineteenth century; a new crisis dates back to the 1930s and was due to the spread of cinema; the most recent one, and even more incisive, is that of the Fifties and Sixties when the popular neighborhoods of the cities began to empty and to reject traditional culture began to be rejected following the spread of new forms of economic well-being of the consumerist era. Despite these difficult periods, the Opera dei pupi is still practiced today by various companies of the Island, companies which haver an ancient or more recent history and attract new audiences, showing a renewed vitality.
The proclamation of the Opera dei pupi as a UNESCO "Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity" in 2001, upon a candidacy supported by the Association for the conservation of popular traditions, has greatly contributed to relaunching the attention on Sicilian traditional puppet theater. Being the first Italian practice to obtain this important recognition, in 2008, it was registered in the Representative List of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, following the Italian ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003.
The puppet and the puppeteer: general characteristics Equipped with a wooden frame, the puppets are provided with real armor, richly decorated and chiseled, and vary in movement according to the "school" they belong to: Palermo, Catania or Naples. They differ in some mechanical and figurative aspects and at times among different individual subjects.
In general, the frame is composed of a wooden torso, which the legs are connected to, allowing for a pendular movement. The pupi are maneuvered using threads and metal rods. The so-called main rod, where the threads are attached to in order to control the limbs, passes through the center of the head and connects it to the torso. The upper end of the rod is hooked, allowing the marionette to be temporarily suspended, even during the play; and inclining the rod permits the marionette to be moved.
From a figurative point of view, one can generically distinguish the characters with armor (armed) from those without (in page). The armor and costumes of the puppets respond to a complex iconographic code and adhere to the nineteenth-century romantic fashion of representing the Middle Ages.
Among the armed characters, the Christian and Saracen heroes can be distinguished. Christian warriors have kind faces and symmetrical features, wear a kilt (called faroncina in Palermo and vesti in Catania) and present their family's respective emblems on their helmets, chestplates and shields allowing the audience to recognize the characters. The Saracens have more marked facial features; they often wear trousers and turbans, and their armor is decorated with half moons and stars. Among the page characters, the more comical characters stand out: in Catania the best known is Peppininu, who acts as a squire for Roland and Renaud; in Palermo, Nofrio and Virticchio perform in farces, with a licentious and funny tone, which often closed the performance. Farces date back to the vastasate, comic representations derived from the Commedia dell'arte.
The puppeteer – also known as "oprante", "teatrinaro" and, in Naples, "pupante" – manages the theater, is the director of the show and animates the puppets, giving suggestions, ardor and pathos to the epic scenes represented. He paints the scenes and advertising posters, and sometimes even builds the puppets.In particular, the term puparo indicates the manufacturer of the puppets even if today it is used in a more generic sense.
Puppeteers preserve a rich tradition of stories, performance techniques, and construction methods passed down orally from teacher to student.
To promote the shows, advertising posters (cartelli) were displayed outside the theaters; today they are used to decorate the walls of theaters. Painted in bright colors, they represent the different episodes of the Carolingian cycle and would inform the public at what point the narrative the puppeteer had arrived.
Puppets, cartelli, scenes and props, are part of the so called mestiere of the company, which is the set of objects necessary for the staging of the show
Transmission of the heritage The puppeteers, who make up the heritage community of the Opera dei Pupi, are the custodians of a vast and complex heritage that is still transmitted orally from teacher to apprentice, both within the family and outside. It is a heritage that includes the stories represented and the modes of representation, the performative codes (e.g. sound code, kinesic code, etc.), as well as the techniques of construction of the puppets and how to paint the scenes and posters. The transmission of this heritage takes place within the companies and craft workshops primarily through the listening and observation of the master by the young apprentice.
In the traditional context, the transmission of this intangible heritage was facilitated by the daily enjoyment of the evening show. By going to the theater evening by evening, one could listen to and watch the stories represented. Observing the masters at work every day thus ensured a successful generational change and the transmission of knowledge.
Although the crisis of the middle 19th century caused a significant irregularity of the shows (no longer being represented daily), even today the transmission of this heritage takes place according to traditional methods. To strengthen the process of transmitting the living heritage of the Sicilian Opera dei Pupi and to respond effectively to the challenges of the new millennium, in 2018 the puppet companies gathered in the "Italian Network of Organizations for the Protection, Promotion, and Enhancement of the Opera dei Pupi".The "Italian Network of Organizations for the Protection, Promotion, and Enhancement of the Opera dei Pupi: #OPERADEIPUPI.IT#" brings together 13 families and companies of Sicilian puppeteers. Formally established in 2018, it was recognized by the Italian Ministry of Culture as the representative body of the Opera dei pupi. The Association for the Safeguarding of Popular Traditions which is recognized by the Ministry of Culture as the competent and responsible body in the field of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage and the Sicilian Opera dei Pupi. See Perricone, Rosario (edited by) (2020), Plan of Measures..., op. cit., pp. 197–199.
The characters Among the main characters of the chivalrous epic of the opera dei pupi are the paladins in the service of Emperor Charlemagne, Princess Angelica, some Saracens (enemies of the paladins), and Gano the traitor:
Count Roland Renaud Ruggero Ferragut Angelica Ganelon
The Opera dei Pupi in Sicily Recognized in 2001 by Unesco as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of humanity, the Sicilian Opera dei Pupi has two different variants: that of Palermo, in western Sicily, and that of Catania, in eastern Sicily.
The Opera dei Pupi of Catania