Lėlė Puppet Theater, Vilnius

Lėlė Puppet Theater was established in 1977 when the Vilnius Puppet Theater moved into the restored house of Duke Oginsky under its new name "Lele". The theater is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania.

The theater has two halls - the Great Hall, decorated in Baroque style, and the Small Hall settled in the Gothic basement of Oginsky House. The Great Hall can accommodate about 220 spectators, while the Small Hall seats only around 50 people. Puppet plays of different genres and small-scale drama plays are performed on the modern stage of the Great Hall, while small-scale puppet theater plays, usually intended for young viewers, are held in the Small Hall.

The theater stages well-known fairy tales and children's literature by popular Lithuanian and foreign authors. Some of the famous plays performed at the theater include "Little Red Riding Hood," "Three Little Pigs," "Pinocchio," "The Ugly Duckling," "Nutcracker," "Thumbelina," and "Alice in Wonderland." The theater also stages plays for adult viewers, created by famous Lithuanian poets and composers.

The theater has a rich history and has been a participant in many international puppet theater festivals. The Vilnius Puppet Theater, the predecessor of Lėlė Puppet Theater, was established in 1958 by Balys Lukosius. Later, Vitalijus Mazuras joined the theater as a puppeteer and stage designer and revolutionized the East European puppet theater art with his plays such as "Little Ash Duck," "White Boy Nobody," "The Lamb’s Dream," and "The Earth’s Daughter." Today, his students, Rimas Driezis and Algirdas Mikutis, continue his traditions at Lėlė Puppet Theater.

Lėlė Puppet Theater has toured many foreign countries, performing plays in different languages such as English, Russian, Polish, German, and French. The theater is a participant in the festivals of the International Puppeteers Organization UNIMA since 1966 and contributes to the activities of the international organization ASSITEJ.