PUK Puppet Theatre: ‘Obabakoak’

From 1 to 5 August, the Tolosa International Puppet Center (TOPIC) will take part in the 55th edition of the PUK Puppet Festival in Tokyo with a project inspired by Obabakoak, Bernardo Atxaga’s work translated into more than 40 languages.

TOPIC’s participation follows an invitation from the organisers of the Japanese festival during Titirijai 2025 and is supported by the Etxepare Basque Institute. In response to the invitation, TOPIC has developed a project that brings a selection of its puppetry heritage to Tokyo through the literary universe of Obabakoak.

The project symbolically transports TOPIC in two suitcases. One contains the set, while the other holds a selection of puppets from the centre’s collection, originating from the Basque Country, France, Catalonia, the Czech Republic and Italy. The pieces showcase a range of techniques from the European puppetry tradition, including string, finger, hand and shadow puppets.

At the PUK Festival, the two suitcases will be transformed into a permanent artistic installation that will come to life at different moments throughout the programme. Five chapters from Obabakoak, adapted especially for the occasion, will form a narrative in which literature and puppetry heritage enter into dialogue through the puppets.

The project will combine Basque and Japanese, although the adaptations have been conceived so that the stories can also be understood without any spoken text.

Obabakoak performances

3 August — 18:45
4 August — 15:15 and 18:45
5 August — 11:45 and 15:15

The complete version of the project will be performed during the festival’s closing ceremony on 5 August at 18:00.