Of theatres and puppets

Christmas gift sparks lifelong passion for Augusto Grilli, a puppeteer for almost 75 years now

Turin: Augusto Grilli’s eyes still light up when he recalls receiving the little theatre and 12 puppets almost 75 years ago, a childhood gift that sparked a career and a lifelong passion. “It was in 1946, the first Christmas after the war, a moment of celebration, of joy — a very special atmosphere,” recounted the elegantly-dressed Italian, now 80. “I woke up and among the gifts from ‘Baby Jesus’ was a big box containing a theatre and puppets. It was love at first sight.”

He turned out to have a talent for marionettes — puppets with strings — and soon became something of a star in his school in Turin, northern Italy. “I used to put on a show, they made me go to all the classes in primary school because the children had so much fun,” he said. But while he was happy to show off his toys, “no child was allowed to touch them”, Grilli said: “The theatre was always a sacred place.”

The little gold and white theatre is today carefully preserved in one of the countless plastic boxes waiting to be taken to the new International Puppet Museum. A long-time dream of Grilli and his wife Mariarosa, 78, the museum is due to open in 2023 in Turin, financed both privately and publicly with the help of different institutions. The Grilli family has a collection of more than 20,000 objects from around the world, everything from theatres, marionettes and glove puppets to shadow figures and silhouettes. There are around 2,000 from Asia, and some of the items date back to the 18th century. As well as hosting exhibitions, the museum will put on shows in a 120-seat theatre, hold restoration workshops and maintain an archive.

The couple came up with the idea 20 years ago but have finally brought it to fruition with the help of their son Marco, himself a puppeteer. “We want to set up a foundation so that this heritage is protected,” Grilli said, to ensure that “the tradition is not lost”.