Übermarionette
Quick Summary
The concept of the Übermarionette, or "super-marionette," was developed by Edward Gordon Craig as a theatrical ideal. Craig believed that the actor's ego should not intrude upon the production's aesthetic vision. Instead, he envisioned actors as figures who would move and gesture in a new, symbolic form, akin to Asian actors, to achieve a unified artistic effect controlled by the director. This idea emerged as a reaction against realism in theatre, advocating for a more stylized and controlled performance. Bertolt Brecht, a German playwright and theatrical reformer, also explored ideas that moved away from traditional theatrical illusion, aiming to make audiences critically detached rather than emotionally involved.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
theatreThe influence of Appia and Craig…concept that he called the Übermarionette (“Superpuppet”). Craig’s intention is not fully clear—whether he envisioned mechanical figures that would defy the physical restrictions of the human body or, as seems more likely, puppets that would be controlled from inside by human beings, children, or dwarfs. Nevertheless, he joined a growing…
Read More…concept that he called the Übermarionette (“Superpuppet”). Craig’s intention is not fully clear—whether he envisioned mechanical figures that would defy the physical restrictions of the human body or, as seems more likely, puppets that would be controlled from inside by human beings, children, or dwarfs. Nevertheless, he joined a growing…
Read More- theatreInfluence of the fine arts
Craig’s concept of the Übermarionette became the subject of a series of experiments regarding the geometry of the human figure, the possible limits of the articulation of limbs, the extensions of movements into three-dimensional space, the restrictions placed on human movement by the force of gravity, and the ways…
Read MoreCraig’s concept of the Übermarionette became the subject of a series of experiments regarding the geometry of the human figure, the possible limits of the articulation of limbs, the extensions of movements into three-dimensional space, the restrictions placed on human movement by the force of gravity, and the ways…
Read More