There has been a terrible tragedy in Russia. Locally famous puppeteer Vladimir Zakharov has been killed in a fire at his theatre. He reportedly died while trying to save his puppets from the blaze.
Zakharov was a beloved puppeteer in Siberia, who began working in puppetry with Tomsk’s Buffoon Puppet Theatre in the 1990s after a career in robotics. He later founded his own company “Live Puppets 2+ku” with Olga Kushkova, where his technical background was evident in the company’s innovative “wrist puppetry”, a unique style of puppet that he developed over many years.
Vladimir’s was among the most interesting and innovative puppet designers in the world. Students and artists across Europe and Asia regularly traveled to his studio in Siberia to learn from him. His death is a tragic loss for the puppetry community. May he rest in peace.
