JEM Puppet Festival

JEM, the most international of puppet festivals is back in Brussels with a sixth edition of thirty shows from twelve countries for five consecutive weekends starting 7 May. And there are two last minute additions: There’s Three, a puppet company from Ukraine that has travelled to Brussels to present Little Duck, an interactive show . All the proceeds from the two performances of Little Duck will go to the International Union of the Puppet in Ukraine. And added just hours ago, there are two free Korean shows that will be performed between the 3pm and the 5 pm shows during the last weekend.

Shadow, paper, string or rod, the puppets will delight children of all ages with classic stories such as Pinocchio (which will be performed once in English and once in Slovenian) and experimental pieces such as To Have or Not Have, a hybrid performance from the Netherlands which consists of objects on a table with music and movement.

The shows are being performed at the Théâtre Royal du Perruchet which has been putting on puppet shows in Brussels since1929, is the home of an international puppet museum since 1938, and is dedicated to making Brussels the standard bearer of contemporary creation in the puppetry arts. 

Director Dimitri Jageneau tells us all about it.