- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Over 200 women in legal talks with Harrods over Fayed abuse claims
- A very stiff breeze: BBC says sorry for 20,000 kph wind forecast
- Musk finally unveiling his long-promised robotaxi
- London's Frieze art fair goes potty for ceramics
- US, Europe stocks fall on US inflation data
- US consumer inflation eases to 2.4% in September
- Hurricane Milton tornadoes kill four in Florida amid rescue efforts
- South Korea's Han Kang wins literature Nobel
- Ikea posts fall in annual sales after lowering prices
- Stock markets diverge, oil gains after China rebounds
- World can't 'waste time' trading climate change blame: COP29 hosts
- South Korean same-sex couples make push for marriage equality
- Mumbai declares day of mourning for Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- 7-Eleven owner restructures to fight takeover
- Sri Lanka recovering faster than expected: World Bank
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as most markets track Wall St record
- Uniqlo owner reports record annual earnings
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally as markets track Wall St record
- Indonesia biomass drive threatens key forests: report
- Mumbai mourns Indian industrialist Ratan Tata
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
'True artistry': Austria puppets charm with age-old craft
It takes as long to train to be a puppeteer at the world-famous Salzburg Marionette Theatre as it does to become a doctor.
The puppets and their startlingly lifelike movements take years to master, which is why the Austrian theatre's work has UNESCO World Heritage status.
"It's like playing an instrument. You can't think about which string to pull during the show," said Edouard Funck, a puppeteer and costume designer.
Most puppets have at least 11 strings, so the puppeteer can make them "kiss each other, hug each other, hit each other, (or) whatever we want."
Some complicated puppets have dozens of strings, requiring up to five people to operate them, said the 34-year-old French-born performer.
Their movements are so subtle that audiences sometimes believe a puppet has "moved her lips", said Funck, when it's just "the illusion that is created on stage".
- Lengthy apprenticeship -
The theatre's founder, Austrian sculptor Anton Aicher, invented a special control bar to manipulate the puppets a century ago.
"Because the control bar is so small, we can make the puppets interact closely," Funck said.
The puppeteers make the puppets themselves, spending their mornings designing, carving and dressing them before returning later to perform.
Despite the lengthy apprenticeship, the theatre has no problem finding recruits, said Funck, who dreamed of being a puppeteer as a child.
Ilse Laubbichler, 79, who has been coming to the theatre since her own childhood, took her four grandchildren to see "Snow White" there for the first time.
"I love the characters, the movement of the puppets -- this is true artistry," she said.
M.Mendoza--CPN