The Moscow Children's Theatre, ‘Magic Lamp’, is hosting the Second International Puppet Theatre Festival. Until August 19, a troupe from Ivanovo will be performing on its stage.

The Ivanovsky Puppet Theatre was founded more than 70 years ago by students of the world-famous Russian puppet master, Sergey Obraztsov. Nowadays it is considered to be one of the best children's theatres in Russia.

The Ivanovsky Puppet Theatre's play shown at the festival is called ‘Amusing Lessons’. But it has nothing to do with school studies.

The play is based on the books of the children's writer Andrey Usachev. His educational poems inspired the Ivanovsky Puppet Theatre to make a colourful and funny show which excites the audience's imagination.

During the performance the puppets and stage props are suddenly transformed into unpredictably different objects.

“As we decided to work with Usachev's poems, we understood that we really don't need any concrete objects for this performance. As stage props we use something like foam-rubber sticks, balls and other things,” said Elena Ivanova, Artistic Director.

Valentina Smirnova is the youngest actress in the troupe. While she is still a student at Drama school, her colleagues are very experienced and honoured artists. But during the performance all of them turn into children.  

“Crazy poems, crazy songs – we really feel like if we were three-and-a-half years old,” explained actress, Valentina Smirnova.

The play ‘Amusing Lessons’ makes adults remember their childhood. As for the smaller spectators, after watching this show many of them will be willing to grow up and go to school.