Company Papel Machete.


(Germán Colón, 1968); Títeres de Mario Donate/Teatro Nacional de Sombras Chinescas (Mario Donate, 1968); Títeres de Puerto Rico Inc. (José Álvarez-Zayda Ruberté, 1972); Títeres de Borikén (Francisco Torres, 1975); La Coa/Publicoop (Ángel Domenech, 1975); Titirimundi (Filipo Tirado, 1975); and El Mundo de los Muñecos (Rafael Ortiz, 1978). This final group was the first Puerto Rican company to win the UNIMA-USA’s Citation of Excellence, for their production of Pinocho. The majority of these companies continue to be active in their work. Other new companies include Títeres de San Juan (Nelson Pantoja); Rafael Rivera y sus títeres; Títeres Casabe, directed by Luis Colón; Santin y sus títeres; and El Mago Emmanuel, who also incorporates puppets in his magic shows. A student of the Programa de Teatro Escolar inspired by the work of these pioneer companies, Manuel Morán, founded Teatro SEA (Society of the Educational Arts, or SEA) in 1985. It combines actors, puppets of various styles, and musical theater. SEA has operations in Puerto Rico, Florida, and New York, including a puppet museum and permanent theater space. In 2010, SEA won UNIMA-USA’s Citation of Excellence for their production of La Muela del Rey Farfán (The Toothache of King Farfán).


Puppet Theater for Adults


Master puppeteer and mask maker Deborah Hunt has been an important figure in developing adult puppet theater in Puerto Rico. Her company, Mask Hunt Motions, began presenting experimental work for the adult public at Teatro Yerbabruja in


Río Piedras. Her interdisciplinary use of marionette puppets of various styles, masks, dance, music, and visual arts has been very influential. Pedro Adorno is another important figure in the puppet and mask theater movement for adults. He worked and trained for many years with Bread and Puppet Theater. He returned to Puerto Rico in 1993 and founded his company, Agua, Sol y Sereno, where he participated in several international festivals with his theater projects, workshops, and, most recently, film.


Puppets in Puerto Rican Television


During the 1970s, puppets began appearing on Puerto Rican television. Children’s television programming was influenced by many foreign productions, such as El Topo Gigio, Plaza Sésamo (the Spanish version of Sesame Street, produced in Mexico), and in the 1980s, El show de Los Muppets. Begining in 1987 Tere Marichal and her puppetry were featured regularly on TV. Puppets have also been featured in adult programs. In one of the highest-rated programs, SuperXClusivo, a full-body, loud-mouthed puppet named La Comay, created by master puppeteer José López and manipulated by Kobbo Santarrosa, talks about the news of the day and gossip in show business. Another famous puppet created by López (a UNIMA-USA award winner) was Burbujita, inspired by the television commentator Millie Cangiano. Filipo Tirado’s puppets were also very popular in many television programs. These include Kilate and Pirita, Los Políticos (caricatures of that country’s governmental candidates), and Pepe Locuaz, among many others. continued on next page


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