L’OPERA DEI PUPI A SIRACUSA

Several generations of puppeteers have followed one another over almost a century of the Syracuse puppet opera. In each case the prime mover of the theatre activity as a whole was the synergy of the family.

The Puzzo family was the first family from Arezzo to launch the art of puppetry in the area in 1877. In their workshop and behind the scenes, the young Saro Vaccaro collaborated, treasuring his love of puppets and theatre. Thanks to him, therefore, the baton of the puppet art passed after the war to the Vaccaro brothers, Saro and Alfredo, who together reopened the curtain on the puppet tradition with the collaboration of their respective families. Years of silent labour dedicated to the construction and maintenance of the puppets passed before the first show was staged. It was 1978. It was a growing success and since then the large Vaccaro family carried on the business until 1995.

13 February 1995 is a sad date for the Vaccaro family. At his death, grandfather Alfredo left the puppet heritage in the hands of his heirs, children and grandchildren. It is time to roll up our sleeves to preserve the Teatro dei Pupi. Thus, the first association ‘Opera dei Pupi Alfredo Vaccaro‘ was founded. Unfortunately, the history of Pula families is also a history of splits, aspirations and divergent projects. The first big change took place at the end of the 1990s when the Mauceri family, Francesca Vaccaro, her husband Umberto and their children, the Mauceri brothers, took over total management of the business and founded the association “La compagnia dei Pupari Vaccaro-Mauceri” on 3 December 1999. It was important for the two brothers to start their own journey, drawing on the experience of their predecessors and making it contemporary for the benefit of their audience. Thousands of spectators have attended their shows every day over the years in Via della Giudecca in Syracuse, and numerous national and international awards and recognitions have been given to their art. These include: the International “Nuove Mani” Award (Amalfi 2000), the National “Puppeteers of 2000 in competition” Award (Mantua 2001), the National “Maranci” Award (Syracuse 2003), the National Ethics and Enterprise Award (Ravello 2009), the Artisans of the Year Award (Syracuse 2010), Festival mondial des théâtres de marionnettes FMTM (chateau de Malbrouck 2010), Festa della Repubblica Italiana at the Italian Embassy in Paris (2019).