The Augsburger Puppet Theatre and how it all began
As a child, Walter Oehmichen (1901–1977) is already into theatre and his visit to a marionette theatre in 1936 turns out to be a key experience. The second one takes place during WWII: with his very first marionette, he entertains his comrades in Calais, which is a great success. Then a decision is made; because of his profession as an actor, Oehmichen receives an early release from war duty in 1940. After that, he dedicates his life to puppetry. In 1942 the little puppet theatre ‘Puppetschrein’ was built and the first public performance was in 1943. Unfortunately the theatre was bombed in February 1944. Four years later, the Augsburger Puppet Theatre performed its first play: Puss in Boots. The tale was introduced by Kasperl, who was insulted that he didn´t have a role in the play and therefore directed his displeasure at Oehmichen.
Kasperl
“Allow me to introduce myself. I´m Kasperl.
I´ll spell it out for you: K as in king, A as in Augsburg, S as in superstar, P as in perfectly tasty sausages, E as in nightingale with a typo, R as in Roman Russians and L like the oldest stage star of the Augsburger Puppet Theatre, me. I do all the press releases together with Klaus Marschall and have already won several prizes.”
Lummerland
Welcome to Lummerland, the home of Ms. Waas, Jim Knopf, Emma the locomotive and Lukas, the locomotive driver. By the time Jim becomes an adult, king Alfons the ‘Viertelvorzwölfte’ decides Emma has to go, because the island has too many inhabitants. As a result, Lukas leaves the island Lummerland with Emma and Jim. Until the day they return, they go on many adventurous trips and travel across far away lands.
