There was once a little girl so small she could float on a lily pad and ride on the back of a dragonfly.

 

Hans Christian Andersen's tale of a girl no bigger than a thumb and her encounters with a frog, mouse, mole and swallow, is played gently amongst gardening tools, leading her to ultimate happiness in the kingdom of flowers.

 

Using traditional glove, rod and shadow puppets, this is an excellent introduction to the magic of theatre.

 

 

 

One of the oldest children’s theaters in Russia is Omsk State Puppet Theater “Harlequin” founded in April of 1936. Its repertoire includes numerous stagings of plays for people of all ages. Performances of the theater have won prizes at Russian and International Festivals.

 

In 2005 the theater moved into a new modern building which is distinctive from an architectural and technical point of view. It’s furnished with the newest processing equipment. There one can find a winter garden, a fountain and a puppet museum with exhibits from different Russian regions. In June 2009 a column made of stainless steel and brass was dedicated at the square near the theater. The column is crowned with a sculpture of Harlequin with a glove puppet “Petrushka” in his hands, which is a symbol of the theater.