Anton Aicher (1859 – 5 February 1930) was the founding Artistic Director of the

Salzburg Marionette Theatre Salzburg Marionette Theatre was established in 1913 and is one of the oldest continuing marionette theatres in the world. It is based in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Original productions featured live actors and musicians. Today soundtracks are r ...

. He founded the company in 1913 and was its leader until his death.

Background

Aicher was born in a small village in southern Styria in Austria. His talent for carving was recognised at an early age and he was sent to study with the well known maker of altar pieces. His interest in figures in motion took him to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

to one of the masters of puppetry Papa SchmidSalzburg Marionetten Theater, p.30

Influences

One of the greatest influences on Aicher was the work of Count Franz Pocci, founder of the Munich Marionette Theatre.

Salzburg Marionette Theatre

In 1913, Aicher founded the Salzburg Marionette Theatre. The company opened on 27 February 1913 with a production of Mozart's opera, '' Bastien and Bastienne'' . In October of the same year, Aicher hired the gymnasium of the Borromaeum seminary and installed his company there. The venue was the home of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre for 49 years.Salzburg Marionetten Theater, p.17 World War I did not interrupt the workings of the theatre company. In 1926, Aicher handed over the management of the theatre to his son, Hermann Aicher. 1927 saw the first tour of the company to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. This tour started a tradition that still continues today.

Legacy

Professor Anton Aicher's company continues to flourish today under the artistic direction of his granddaughter,

Gretl Aicher Gretl Aicher (July 19, 1928 – March 14, 2012) was the Artistic Director of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre.Billington, M, ''Performing Arts: A Guide To Practice And Appreciation'', p.164 Background Gretl Aicher took over the position of Artis ...

References

Books and articles

* *

External links

- Salzburg Marionette Theatre
homepage of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre - available in English and German {{DEFAULTSORT:Aicher, Anton 1859 births 1930 deaths Austrian puppeteers Austrian theatre directors Austrian designers Performing arts presenters People from Salzburg