The Münchner Marionettentheater on Blumenstrasse is one of the oldest permanent puppet theatres in any German-speaking country, hosting performances that delight children, young people and adults alike.
More than 200 years ago, puppet theatres used to travel from place to place to present their shows. In 1858, Munich citizen Josef Leonhard Schmid – later known as Papa Schmid – requested permission from the City of Munich to build a puppet theatre with a programme of regular performances.
In contrast to the humorous and at times exaggerated content that was common at the time, he intended to present children with valuable, informative content. From the outset, he was supported by Munich writer Franz Graf von Pocci, from whose pen sprang the famous Punch-like character Kasperl Larifari – a great favourite who delighted countless children in the many productions featuring him as the protagonist.
When the city agreed to his request that same year, Papa Schmid began searching for a suitable premises. After staging several performances in various Munich locations, he found the current venue on Blumenstrasse in 1900.
The theatre has been headed by puppeteer Siegfried Böhmke since October 2000. In addition to children’s performances of classic fairytales in the afternoons, the theatre also stages classical productions in the evenings, delighting young and old alike with operas and operettas such as Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana or Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
For information on the current programme and ticket sales, please visit www.muema-theater.de
