Siracusa puppet show

The puppet theatre in Siracusa is well worth the €10 admission. But even better was the private guided tour of the museum given by one of the performers. Not only did she provide explanations of puppetry, its history in Siracusa, and answer a lot of questions about how the puppets are constructed and costumed, but she also offered a bit of the (complicated) family history, the future of puppetry in Siracusa, and how the current company was formed. After the show, we really enjoyed spending 30 minutes with the cast and crew of 5 for more fun. We were able to give it a go with a couple of puppets (not easy), speak with other performers, see the conditions under which they perform, and learn about the sound effects, production skills, and the optical illusions of the stage construction that make the puppets appear much larger than their 18-20 inches. Both the pre-show museum tour and post-show behind the scenes tour must be pre-booked online, and it’s recommended that you book performance tickets online as well, as day-of tickets are not always available. We didn’t expect to be the only two patrons on both the pre- and post-show events, but when they say private, it is. If you are a group of more than 2, let them know when booking, as the spaces are tight. You might have to go in shifts. The theatre is small and it was full last night. If you book ahead, ask to reserve a seat in rows 3 or 4 — close enough to appreciate the show, but far enough away from the youngest patrons who sit in the first row or two. The front of the house told us that RS tours come through periodically for private shows, but if you’re not on a tour, try to get to this show. It was great.