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FIT Madriz returns to El Retiro with 12 nights of free puppetry
From this Thursday 20 August, the El Retiro Puppet Theatre once again becomes one of the cultural venues of late summer in Madrid. FIT Madriz brings together companies from Spain, France, Italy and Belgium over 12 nights, with performances for families and adults, workshops and free admission until 31 August.
The festival begins at 9.30 pm with Puppet Pro, by La República Tóxica del Títere Degenerado, an improvisation piece in which the audience proposes situations and the puppets respond on the spot. On Friday, ¡Ay, qué lío!, by Eugenia Manzanera, will arrive, a show that plays with the different ways of understanding time through humour.
The first weekend expands the family programme. On Saturday the 22nd, La doncella guerrera revisits and updates the well-known Castilian ballad, with performances at 7 pm and 9 pm. On Sunday, the French company Ueueue stages Si tuviera un huevo, starring Pulcinella and with the irreverent spirit of the Italian puppet tradition.
From Monday onwards, the bill turns towards stories about memory, identity and the passage of time. Raigambre Teatro will present Olvidé la sombra de la encina on the 24th; the Belgian company Frenesí Onírico will arrive on the 25th with Somos Yo; and Wednesday the 26th will see De hilos y sueños, by the French company Saco de huesos, made from string puppets and visual poetry.
The final stretch brings together some of the programme's most acclaimed proposals. Luna Teatro Danza will perform Bambi on Thursday the 27th, while on the 28th Maleta Company & Cie. Balancetoi will bring Claudette to the stage, the story of a grandmother who is nearly 90 and refuses to stay still. On Saturday the 29th, Sómion, la ciudad de los oficios imposibles will arrive, a family show with live music.
Sunday the 30th will probably be one of the most unusual evenings: Pied de nez, by Le cirque dans les Étoiles, turns its performers' feet into characters through body puppetry. FIT Madriz will close on Monday the 31st with Saeta, Javier Aranda's new creation, a visual tragicomedy paying tribute to the puppet-maker's craft.
For the first time, the edition also includes an award decided by spectators. After each performance, the audience will be able to rate the show, and the company with the highest score will receive the Premio del Público FIT Madriz 2026. The programme is completed by three workshops for adults devoted to shadow theatre, Pulcinella and the manipulation of string puppets.
All performances are free, although it is necessary to obtain the tickets available for each activity in advance. Over the next twelve days, El Retiro's small open-air stage will offer an alternative to evenings on terraces and at summer cinemas: puppets, objects and marionettes among the trees, as the heat finally begins to give the park some respite.