Research and projects

Puppet Diaries #3: Following the Footsteps of the Grand Puppeteer

September, 18, 2018

There are many puppet stories still waiting to be discovered in dusty attics and abandoned chests. We are on a quest to find them and save them from sinking into oblivion! We are bringing them to life in the form of an online diary on Medium where you can find us the under @lutkovnimuzej.

Peter Dougan, a Slovenian puppet animator, began his career at the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (at that time called the City Puppet Theatre) in 1951. In 60 years, he created over 160 different roles. He was involved in the Slovenian puppetry setting from its beginnings with Pengov’s professional puppet theatre and later he contributed to the development of various puppetry techniques and aesthetics. He was an animator in Sleepy Star, Puss in Boots, The Happy Prince, Goldilocks, The Swing, The Dream of a Talking Cherry, Sapramouse, Stories from the South Forest or Who Killed the Sun, and many other puppet performances. His colleagues remember him as one of the most poetic puppet animators of our times, or, as director Matija Milčinski describes him: “Peter Dougan no less than poured himself into a marionette. He found an emotive base and acted by following his intuition. He mastered every puppet perfectly, giving the audience the impression that it actually had emotions.”

Interview (only available in Slovenian): Following the Footsteps of the Grand Puppeteer: Peter Dougan l Puppet Diaries #3