13th Montemor-o-Novo International Puppet Festival (2021)

Between the end of May and the beginning of June 2021, the XIIIEIMMN – 13th International Puppet Festival of Montemor -o-Novo, a multidisciplinary festival – ranging from traditional puppets to more contemporary creations, theatre, sound performances, concerts, exhibitions, installations, workshops and conferences – organised annually by Alma d’Arame. Last year’s edition was cancelled due to the pandemic and the restrictions imposed in our country and around the world.
Thanks to all the support we received, after a year’s hiatus, we were able to hold a 13th edition that was worth two. It took months of intense preparation, with uncertainty as to whether it would actually take place, but with the certainty that we would do everything in our power to prepare a high-level edition with complete safety and a high and varied quality of shows worthy of a festival with the years of history and values of our Encontro.
During the 12 days of the festival, between 26 May and 6 June, with a prologue for school audiences between 10 and 21 May, this edition featured 16 companies and 56 artists from five different countries: Germany, Spain, France, Poland and Portugal. This year, we also extended our festival to Lisbon in partnership with Teatro Ibérico, where several sessions by some of the international artists were presented.

In total, 23 sessions were presented (5 of which were aimed at school audiences) of 14 different shows, 2 workshops with students from the Montemor-o-Novo School Group, 2 exhibitions, 1 installation and the Public Presentation of the Descampado Association at its 3rd National Meeting. The festival featured a creation that had its starting point in an artistic residency hosted by Alma d’Arame in Montemor-o-Novo, a national premiere presented in the parishes of Foros de Vale de Figueira and São Cristóvão, a premiere rehearsed in our space, a preview and a new co-creation.

We welcomed a large number of people on an ongoing basis, as well as new audiences from other parts of the country and the world who found here in Montemor and at our Meeting a new home to which they expressed a desire to return.