Reading Between the Lines. The History of Puppet Theatre in Moldavia

Abstract

The history of puppet theatre in Romania (and implicitly in Moldavia) still has much to offer; previously unknown information, scattered through the Archives (State- National, local, etc.) or stored in museums’ or libraries’ holdings, awaits discovery and deciphering. Researchers, students, or enthusiasts of this field apparently do not have the time necessary for unconditional searching, reflective reading, and the connections born from a particular vision. There also remains the expectation of thoughts slipped between the lines, which call for a lively, engaged, synthetic and... profound reading; from this can spring interdisciplinary approaches and new reflections on unnoticed or ignored attitudinal models in the world of puppet theatre. In this sense we will draw attention to three “case studies,” cut out from the history of theatre in Moldavia— from Iași. In fact, three examples through which we can approach three attitudinal models—Teodor T. Burada, Natalia Dănăilă, and Constantin Brehnescu or puppeteers whose names have been lost over time—urge us to revisit the history of this art and compel us to read between the lines.