Welcome to the official web-site of the Sicilian Puppet Theatre of the Fratelli Pasqualino. The Pupi Siciliani—a unique kind of large and heavy marionettes covered with knightly armor—are the traditional form of epic popular theatre that developed in Sicily in the early 1800’s.

     Consistent with this tradition, the Sicilian Puppet Theatre of the Fratelli Pasqualino—a family-owned company— has brought the magic of the Pupi Siciliani to crowds of all ages and backgrounds.

    In 1969, Fortunato and Pino Pasqualino, two Sicilian brothers, founded the company. In 1972 the company completed its first foreign tour, with a series of performances in English at numerous colleges in the United States (from Princeton University and University of Notre Dame to The Citadel and College of William and Mary).

The Sicilian Puppet Theatre of the Fratelli Pasqualino has been invited by prestigious institutions to perform its shows in Europe and abroad, including Argentina, Canada, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Switzerland and Tunis. An essentially itinerant theatre, it has traveled throughout Italy many times, giving performances just about everywhere: in large and small theatres, in public squares and gardens, institutes and hospitals, factories and castles, on ocean liners and in prisons, as well as in schools and villas.

Several of the Pasqualino's shows have been broadcast by the Italian national television (RAI-TV), and the theatre Company has participated in programs of the Austrian, Danish, and American television. In 30 years of activity, the Pasqualino Theatre company received prestigious prizes and awards, including the International Prize for the Figurative Arts "Golden Trullo," and the prize for the best script for Sicilian puppets in Trecastagni.

     The Sicilian Puppet Theatre of the Fratelli Pasqualino has performed shows covering a large variety of themes, including the traditional Chanson de Roland and the epic surrounding the legendary knights of Charlemagne, the Iliad, Don Quixote, Biblical passages and ancient Greek myths.

     The Sicilian Puppet Theatre of the Fratelli Pasqualino has for decades distinguished itself for the quality of its performances, which combine outstanding texts written by award-winner Fortunato Pasqualino and superior technical and maneuvering skills directed by Pino Pasqualino, widely recognized as one of the best pupari ever.

     Today, the company of the Fratelli Pasqualino is no longer active.

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