Puppets are not just a show for children. They make us laugh as much as they can make us think. Stories about psychologists, adventures in the Legion and even the struggle with depression are just some of the proposals that can be seen at El Retiro in Madrid in the coming days.
From August 20 to 31, the Teatro de Títeres del Retiro will become the stage for the 12 shows that make up the new edition of the summer festival FIT Madriz. This event is committed to puppet theater in all its variants and is aimed at all audiences. With more than 40 years of experience, they define themselves as a window to puppet, visual and object theater where tradition and innovation coexist.
Organized by the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport of the Madrid City Council, the festival will feature the participation of four international companies (both from Greece and France) and eight national ones (two of them from Madrid). Tickets are free and can be downloaded through the theater’s website.
The plays are aimed at a wide audience, offering options for children, adults, the more classical and the more alternative. Specifically, 50% of the program is designed for young and adult audiences. In addition, for those who wish to delve deeper into the world of puppetry, three training workshops have been organized, with more than 32 hours of classes given by professionals from different companies.
Forces of order, adventures and lots of laughs
On Wednesday, August 20, the Greek company Hop Singor Puppet Theatre will kick off the festival with Blue, an original play about police and law enforcement. Aimed at audiences ages 15 and up, it seeks to raise questions using minimal scenic elements. After touring more than 20 countries and receiving numerous awards, the company Hop Signor arrives in Madrid.
The festival continues on Thursday 21 with the Andalusian collective Lobishome, which presents Cristobita y el novio de la muerte (Cristobita and the boyfriend of death). This play, original by Raúl García, is aimed at audiences from 14 years old and tells the story of an unemployed puppet who joins the Legion. There he will live several adventures with the military and poet Juanito, the goat Paquita and death itself.
On Friday 22, the Luna Teatro Danza company will seek to attract the little ones with Flor de Greguerías, an adaptation of the work of the writer Ramón Gómez de la Serna. Imagination, humor and games will be the keys to this proposal.
Children asking questions
From France, the company Le poisson soluble, brings on Saturday 23 the performance Prise de Terre. In it, they recover the movements made by potters to present a gestural and burlesque theater. The play combines visual arts and theater and creates a fantastic bestiary where man and earth are mixed. It can be enjoyed by children ages 6 and up, but is also recommended for young audiences and adults.
Puppets can also be combined with verse and be aimed at a children’s audience. This will be demonstrated on Sunday 24th by the Murcian company Teatro Silfo. With their play Historia de una muñeca abandonada, they reflect on how to value what we have and how we can transform what seemed lost.
And continuing with companies from Murcia, on Monday 25, La Tendía presents Resonancia, a play about a son who searches for the voice of his deceased father. Where do the words that once departed go? Do the stars have something to tell us? These are some of the questions raised in the play and that invite an audience of 10 years and older to reflect on their memories.
Humor and a psychological consultation
On Tuesday 26th we return to adult audiences with Arteria Producciones, with its play Entrepieles. In it, an aspiring psychologist will meet two new patients very different from each other: Fina, an anorexic judge, and Celia, an obese rocker, provocative and enjoying life.
Glove puppets will also be present at the FIT Madriz festival through the French company Theatre Gudule, which will present Santa Pulcinella on Wednesday 27th. This play will try to make the audience laugh, using different conflicts, farces and battles.
Humor will continue on Thursday 28 with La Cie Dès Demain, another French company. Their proposal is Motus, who gives his name to a character inspired by clowns and is a great lover of music. The play, recommended for ages six and up, combines puppets, music and laughter.
The best show according to the FETEN awards
On Friday 29 comes the best puppet show of 2025 according to the FETEN awards, which recognize the best children’s and youth theater companies in Spain and Europe. It is La Tormenta, a play by the company Zero en Conducta, Teatre del moviment. It tells the story of Pablito, who must face a cloud that does not let him see the sun, dance or write. It poses an internal struggle with sadness and the search for calm.
For the little ones, the company Periferia Teatro brings the story of Bobo.On Saturday 30 will take place this play that tells the life of Bobo, a penguin who lives at the South Pole with his parents and is going to have a little brother.
A fairy tale ending
The FIT Madriz festival will end on Sunday 31 with the version of The Wizard of Oz by the Madrid company La Canica. For ages four and up, the audience will be able to enjoy a fun stage show with brooms, mops, pots and kitchen utensils. As in the original tale, the protagonists will learn the value of friendship, illusion and understanding.
All these shows can be seen free of charge by downloading tickets from the theater’s website. Each user can request a maximum of four tickets.
From the seat to the stage: three educational workshops
In addition to the 12 shows, the FIT Madriz festival offers three training workshops so that adults can be trained in the world of puppetry. They will be held at the Casa de Vacas Cultural Center, located inside the Retiro Park.
Those who want to learn how to handle puppets in film and television will be able to do so in the workshop “Animation of puppets for the camera”, from August 20 to 23. It will be led by Manuel Román, one of the creators of the Lunnis and who has experience in the world of puppets on the big and small screen.
On the 25th and 26th, the company Luna Teatro Danza will give the workshop “Object, body, matter. An introduction to physical and object theater”. It is a proposal to learn to manipulate objects, to “listen” to the material and create with it through games and explorations.
Finally, from 27 to 29, the workshop “The mechanics of the soul” will allow to know the puppet manipulation techniques used by the company Teatre del Movement. They use physical theater and dance techniques to present shows with great gestures.