Anna Ivanova: research residency in December

Anna Brashinskaya (better known as Anna Ivanova) is a director, producer and researcher in the field of puppetry. She is taking up a residency from 12 November to 9 December to complete research for her book In The Beginning There Was A Puppet, a series of short theoretical essays on various aspects of the puppet arts, whose ideas are supported by reviews of contemporary performances.

Anna has a doctorate in art history and art criticism. She has been an honorary member of UNIMA Finland since 2014. She is also the winner of the ‘Golden Mask’ for the best puppet theatre director (an award presented by the Russian National Theatre, 2020) and the Prix de la Transmission from the Institut International de la Marionnette (2021). She is artistic director of the Figurative Theatre Summer Laboratory in Saint Petersburg. She has worked in the puppetry sector and taught theatre for over thirty years. From 1995 to 2001, she was professor and head of the puppet theatre department at the Academy of Theatre Arts in Saint Petersburg. Between 2001 and 2015, she taught at the Ruku Arts Academy in Finland. She has been a member of various expert councils and juries at European puppet festivals.

Today, she continues to write about puppetry, perform, run workshops and direct visual theatre and puppet shows in many European countries.