The 15th Turku International Puppetry Festival, held 6 to 10 November 2024, brought a diverse and topical programme of contemporary puppet theatre to the city. The theme of “the future” was reflected in the performances in the form of dystopias, not only as carnivalesque visions of the imminent future, but also as threats to the prophecies of an ancient myth. Robots bred to be dancers took to the stage, as well as nanoparticles seen through a microscope.
Audiences were treated to glimpses of utopias in a puppet adaptation of a science fiction novel and in a stage production for theatregoers of the future, namely babies. The combination of natural elements and technology brought a unique soundscape to the old factory space. The diverse works in the programme contributed to a reflection on what the puppet theatre of the future could be.
This year, TIP-Fest attracted more than 1200 visitors interested in puppet theatre. The most praise from visitors was for the atmosphere of the festival and the well-chosen performances, which reflected the theme of the future in different ways. A complementary programme invited visitors to the virtual puppet museum and to the club to dance to the legendary Cleaning Women cleaning robots. The seminar Beyond the Festival explored the sustainable work of festival organisations beyond the event, including different models of cooperation and projects that can help festivals to have a greater impact on their region than the number of spectators or individual event days.
Biennale as an enabler for sustainable work
The 2024 TIP-Fest was also the last one of artistic director Ishmael Falke‘s term. The puppet theatre network Aura of Puppets chose puppeteer Outi Sippola as its new artistic director for 2025-2028. Simultaneously, Aura of Puppets has decided to transform the festival into a bienniale. The decision matured over the last few years within the network, as a comprehensive international festival is a major effort for the organisation. Bienniality will bring a more strategic approach to an event that is now 15 years old, and the longer lead time will also allow for a more artistically ambitious and high-impact festival in November 2026.
“The fact that the festival will become a biennial event does not mean that we don’t want to do it. On the contrary, it means that we want to do it even better. An annual festival takes up a lot of our resources, both from the artists and from the core production of Aura of Puppets. Moving to a biennial means, among other things, that we have more time to focus on the artistic content of the festival, have time to find more partners and funding, and thus be more sustainable as a festival.” Sippola says.
In addition to the artistic director, TIP-Fest will also have a festival director, as Taru Tuomisto, who has been the communications coordinator and producer for Aura of Puppets, will take up the position at the turn of the year. Tuomisto will also coordinate the network’s international cooperation projects, of which TIP-Fest will continue to be a platform. Lotta Valtanen will continue as the festival’s producer.
For 2025, a programme for professionals is planned, including residencies and events open to the public, opening up the festival’s upcoming works and the artists’ artistic work.
