The nature of Edward Gordon Craig’s Übermarionette cannot be
unequivocally defined; indeed, there are many different interpretations of this
experiment: some believe that Craig intended to replace the theatre of actors
with a puppet theatre; others argue that the puppet would not replace the actor,
but rather that the actor would have to acquire certain qualities of the puppet;
still others propose a middle way according to which the Übermarionette would
represent a fusion of mechanical and human elements. What emerges, beyond
any stance taken, is that the Übermarionette stands out as a field of continuous
experimentation, a permanent laboratory, a place for the germination of thought
that feeds on the contradiction inherent in its own articulations. Craig’s aim is
not so much towards a definitive definition, nor an immediate theatrical implementation of the Übermarionette, but rather at redefining the possibilities of the
human body through the dialectic between actor and puppet, employing the
theatre as a privileged site for contemplating humanity.