Colombian puppet theatre created in 1958 in Bogotá by Jaime Manzur Londoño. Converted into a foundation for the development of the performing arts in 1980, this company presents an important repertoire in varied fields: opera, zarzuela, operetta, Latin-American literature and children’s stories, three hundred scenographies/stagings, seven hundred puppets, more than four thousand costumes and accessories including props.

Among the theatre’s many productions for adults are: Opera Manía (1974), La Leyenda del Beso (The Legend of the Kiss, zarzuela, 1998), Gigantes y Cabezudos (Giants and Giant-Heads, zarzuela, 1998), Luisa Fernanda (zarzuela). Noteworthy children’s works include: La Rosa de Plata (The Silver Rose), Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, and other stories from the world repertoire.

The company has nine professional puppeteers trained in the fields of playwriting, puppet manipulation, lighting, direction, acting, and costume designing. The Jaime Manzur company represented Colombia at the International Puppet Festival in Connecticut (USA) in 1976, where it won the first prize, and in 1979, it received in the United States a diploma of recognition for its work on behalf of the American community. The company was commissioned by UNESCO to conduct research on puppetry arts in Latin America.

Since 1987, Jaime Manzur is the Artistic Director and Stage Director of the Fundación Arte Lírico in Bogotá.

(See Colombia.)