Compagnie La Pendue: La Manékine

A visually striking interpretation of a dark fairy tale
In French with German surtitles

Objects, shadows, figures, and projections—burlesque, poetic, archetypal, and universal: “La Manékine” adapts a centuries-old story by the Brothers Grimm: “The Girl Without Hands.” The ingredients of this dark fairy tale are the devil, a poor miller and his daughter, a fateful barter, and a pair of severed hands. In the performance, the puppeteer and the multi-instrumentalist weave the story between a brutal and bloody rite of passage for a young woman, resilience, and the regaining of freedom of action.

The French company La Pendue was founded in 2003 by Estelle Charlier and Romuald Collinet, two graduates of the National Puppetry School in Charleville-Mézières. Their work draws inspiration from both traditional hand puppet theater—particularly the 400-year-old character of Pulcinella / Polichinelle—and contemporary puppetry techniques. In its productions, the ensemble consistently creates poetic worlds that take on a magical quality thanks to the live music by Martin Kaspar Orkestar.

Note: This event will also take place on Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. as a Deaf Performance, with an introduction (accompanied by a German Sign Language interpreter) starting at 5:15 p.m.

Wunder.
International Puppet Theater Festival Munich
October 21 through November 1, 2026
wunderpunktfestival.de

Advance ticket sales begin September 19, 2026