Lindau’s puppet opera

Bernhard Leismüller has made history in a side room of the Lindau Theatre: for over 20 years, he has been running Germany’s only puppet theatre that exclusively performs operas and operettas. Every year, the performances on silk strings fascinate thousands of visitors: the puppets’ movements are characterised by grace and elegance, while colourful and detailed stage sets create a real opera atmosphere. Around a dozen puppeteers ensure that great pieces of musical culture can be experienced here on a small scale.

It looks easy and playful when Papageno from ‘The Magic Flute’ or head waiter Leopold from ‘The White Horse Inn’ appear on stage – but guests can only guess how exhausting it is to make a puppet weighing between 800 and 1,500 grams dance for over two hours when they take a look behind the scenes. This opportunity is available free of charge after each performance – and a trip behind the scenes is well worth it! Around 500 marionettes – all homemade and dressed in specially tailored clothes – await their turn here.

Varied programme

The Lindau Ensemble’s repertoire of operas, operettas, ballets and plays is mainly aimed at adult audiences and includes the following works: ‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’, ‘The Magic Flute’, ‘The Barber of Seville’, ‘Hansel and Gretel’, ‘Carmen’, ‘Die Fledermaus’, ‘La Traviata’, ‘Swan Lake’, ‘Im weißen Rössl’ and ‘Der Brandner Kaspar und das ewig´ Leben’. The current programme and tickets for the performances are available from the Lindau Tourist Information Office, among other places. You can also book your ticket online. We recommend that you plan your visit well in advance, as the approximately 100 seats in Lindau’s puppet opera are often booked up long in advance. The recommended minimum age is 8 years.

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