Puppet Theatre of the Republic of Karelia is one of the oldest puppet theatres in Russia. In 2015 the theatre celebrated its 80th anniversary. The theatre carefully preserves and develops the traditions of the puppet theatre art. Currently this is a modern theatre with a highly professional team and performances that are popular with the audience.
The Puppet Theatre is one of the organizers of the festivals “Kuklantida”, “Lambushka”, “Mill of Fairy Tales” and “Lift”. It participates in international and Russian festivals and competitions, carries out joint projects with the theatres of Finland, Sweden and Norway and exchange tours with Vologda, Lipetsk, Kaliningrad, Omsk, Murmansk, Belgorod and Kursk puppet theatres.
Current repertoire of the theatre includes about fifty performances for spectators of different age categories (classical fairy tales, innovative performances for children and adults), different methods and systems of puppelling: performances with tablet puppets and finger, with puppets, with a live plan, with a theatre of shadows and objects as well as traditional screen performances with cane dolls. The performances of the theatre several times became the laureates of the Onega Mask Award (the Highest Theatre Award of the Republic of Karelia) in the Best Performance for Children nomination.
At the moment the creative activity of the theatre makes a significant contribution to the development of professional theatrical art in the Republic of Karelia in particular and in Russia in general. The theatre was awarded the Fyodor Volkov Prize, the prestigious theatre prize in Russia.