Artificial Intelligence on the Puppet Stage

Running time 1 hour 30 minutes.

The workshop is in English with interpretation into Slovenian.

Workshop moderators Ivan Martinka, Mária Danadová


The theoretical workshop about using animatronic principles on stage comprises three parts. The first part provides a short history of the animatronic principles used in film and theatre. The second addresses the creator’s perspective – from dramaturgy to the puppet, through the lens of animation. The third presents the Svetlonos puppet – from the creation process to live demonstration.

Ivan Martinka is a Slovak puppet, actor, author and director. In 1995, he graduated in puppetry from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He was a member of the State Puppet Theatre in Bratislava for two seasons and performed in Paris and in Germany at the Milan Sladek Pantomime Theatre. Since 1996, he has been an independent artist.

Mária Danadová is a performer, director and pedagogue who also works as a movement collaborator. She is a graduate of puppetry from the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. For the last two years, she has been studying acting at the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at DAMU in Prague.