【欧洲·意大利】西西里木偶剧 Opera dei Pupi, Sicilian puppet theatre（2008年）

“木偶剧院（Opera dei Pupi）于19世纪初出现在西西里岛，在岛上的工人阶级中获得了巨大成功。木偶演员讲述的故事基于中世纪骑士文学和其他来源，如文艺复兴时期的意大利诗歌、圣人的生活和臭名昭著的班迪的故事这些表演中的对话大部分是由木偶演员即兴创作的。巴勒莫和卡塔尼亚的两个主要西西里木偶学校主要以木偶的大小和形状、操作技巧和各种多彩的舞台背景而闻名。

这些剧院通常是家族经营的企业；木偶的雕刻、绘画和建造以其强烈的表情而闻名，由工匠采用传统方法进行。木偶演员们不断努力在表演中超越对方，他们对观众产生了巨大的影响。过去，这些表演会在几个晚上进行，并提供社交聚会的机会。

20世纪50年代异常的经济繁荣造成的经济和社会动荡对传统产生了相当大的影响，威胁到了它的根基。当时，意大利其他地区类似的戏剧形式消失了，其中一些在大约20年后重新出现。普比歌剧院是这类剧院不间断传统的唯一例子。由于目前的经济困难，木偶演员不能再靠艺术谋生，这促使他们转向更赚钱的职业。旅游业降低了表演的质量，而表演之前只针对当地观众。"

2008年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

The puppet theatre known as the Opera dei Pupi emerged in Sicily at the beginning of the nineteenth century and enjoyed great success among the island’s working classes. The puppeteers told stories based on medieval chivalric literature and other sources, such as Italian poems of the Renaissance, the lives of saints and tales of notorious bandits. The dialogues in these performances were largely improvised by the puppeteers. The two main Sicilian puppet schools in Palermo and Catania were distinguished principally by the size and shape of the puppets, the operating techniques and the variety of colourful stage backdrops.

These theatres were often family-run businesses; the carving, painting and construction of the puppets, renowned for their intense expressions, were carried out by craftspeople employing traditional methods. The puppeteers constantly endeavoured to outdo each other with their shows, and they exerted great influence over their audience. In the past, these performances took place over several evenings and provided opportunities for social gatherings.

The economic and social upheavals caused by the extraordinary economic boom of the 1950s had a considerable effect on the tradition, threatening its very foundations. At that time, similar forms of theatre in other parts of Italy disappeared, some of them to re-emerge some twenty years later. The Opera dei Pupi is the only example of an uninterrupted tradition of this kind of theatre. Owing to current economic difficulties puppeteers can no longer make a living from their art, prompting them to turn to more lucrative professions. Tourism has contributed to reducing the quality of performances, which were previously aimed at a local audience only.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region