25 years of big opera on a small stage: the Lindau Marionette Opera celebrates its anniversary
Bernhard Leismüller founded the Lindau Marionette Opera in 2000. On July 2 of the same year, the curtain opened for the first time at the Lindau Municipal Theater - marking the beginning of an extraordinary success story. 25 years and around 3000 performances later, the stage is now celebrating its big anniversary.
Leismüller is not only the founder and artistic director, but also a craftsman and creative mind: he lovingly makes the marionettes and their costumes himself and designs the choreography for the performances. In 2021, he was awarded the prestigious Pocci Prize by the Franz Graf von Pocci Society for his commitment.
Lindau Marionette Opera, Swan Lake © Lindau Marionette Opera
What once began with performances for less than ten spectators has now developed into a real crowd-puller. Today, over 90 percent of the performances are sold out. The ensemble currently has twelve puppeteers and the collection includes around 500 puppets made in-house.
The Lindau Marionette Opera is still the only stage in Germany dedicated exclusively to musical theater - with operas, operettas and a ballet in its repertoire.
On July 18, 2025, the anniversary will be celebrated with the premiere of Antonín Dvořák's Czech opera Rusalka - the performance is already sold out. Rusalka is to be a regular part of the repertoire in future.
