The permanent exhibition of the Museum of Puppetry Arts takes the visitors back in time – first, to the year 1952, when the Estonian State Puppet Theatre (the predecessor of the current Estonian Theatre for Young Audiences) was founded. The exhibition tells the story of the Puppet Theatre’s seventy years of activity on the corner of Lai Street in Tallinn, displaying bits and pieces of the history of this theatre, starting from the 1950s and up to the end of the 2010s. Scripts, sheet music, sketches, sound recordings, and a great number of photos from the photo archives are on display. For our youngest visitors, the past of the Puppet Theatre is introduced by means of thematic games, covering each decade.
The second part of the permanent exhibition introduces different puppet types. The visitors can play along with table-top puppets, rod puppets, hand puppets, and marionettes. In addition, the visitors can listen to a recording about the life and creative journey of Ferdinand Veike, the first artistic director of the Puppet Theatre, and watch rare footage of the people and productions of the Puppet Theatre. The visitor can let their imagination soar when walking above the head of a 7-metre-high puppet. The Museum of Puppetry Arts develops creativity and skills of expression by introducing the method of puppet thinking as a means of self-development.
Learn also about the museum’s exhibitions.