Research residency in October

Yanna Kor is in residence to finalise her book on travelling puppet theatres in France between 1850 and 1950.

Yanna Kor is a researcher and teacher in theatre studies at the University of Lille. Her research focuses on two areas: the theatrical aesthetics of Alfred Jarry and the history of popular French puppetry.

She will be in residence from 6 to 31 October, to finalise her book on travelling puppet theatres in France between 1850 and 1950 (to be published by Deuxième époque), and in particular to add to the information on puppeteers and companies active between 1920 and 1950.

Her research project has three main aims: to retrace the careers of the main families of puppeteers, to identify the characteristics of the travelling puppet show and to study its socio-economic conditions. It aims to highlight the tangible and intangible heritage of French travelling puppet theatres, which have not been the subject of specific research until now.

Her thesis “Les Théâtres d’Alfred Jarry: l’invention de la scène pataphysqique” was published by Éditions Otrante in 2022. His recent publications include: ‘Guignol parodies Shakespeare: A case study of Guignol et Juliette and Hamlet by Pierre Rousset’ (Cahiers Élisabéthains, 117(1), 2025); ‘French Fairground Puppeteers Meet Holden’s Fantoches: Seventy Years of Inspiration and Influence (1879-1949)’ (Puppetry International, Fall/Winter 2024); ‘Representations of War on the Regional Puppet Stage: a Case Study of the Military Repertoire of L’Théât Louis (Roubaix, France)” (European Journal of Theatre and Performance, June 2024); “The Carolingian Epic in the Traditional Liège Puppet Theatre: A Case Study of Huon de Bordeaux and Les quatre fils Aymon” (AOQU (Achilles Orlando Quixote Ulysses), IV, 2 2023).