Mexican puppet theatre. Founded in 1986 in Monterrey by Elvia Mante and César Tavera, their mission for Baúl Teatro (Trunk Theatre) was to upgrade the art of puppetry in northern Mexico through systematically planned activities, research, documentation, creation, dissemination and education geared toward the general public. The company has performed in over seventy national and international festivals, including Seville’s International Puppet Fair (1999), the Tolosa festival (2000), Puppetbuskers in Ghent, Belgium (2002), the Charleville-Mézières Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes.

Baúl Teatro pursues its goal of familiarizing children to both a classical and contemporary repertoire through a variety of techniques. For an adult audience, it aims to provoke thinking about social issues through the use of dark humour. Among the company’s noteworthy works are Cuentos de Baúl (Tales of Baúl), Walpalmiri, and Viajeros (Travellers.)

In 1994, it created a museum-theatre, La Casa de los Títeres (The House of Puppets), which houses more than 200 puppets from different eras and genres. The annual Festibaúles puppet festival is held there in July, hosting national and international troupes. Baúl Teatro has also published a quarterly journal on Mexican puppetry arts since 1998, Teokikixtli, a “Revista Mexicana del Arte de los títeres”.

(See Mexico.)