In Portugal, marionettes represent an unique cultural heritage, being since the early days the most popular way of social and political criticism. During the last several years,

it clearly occurred a mix with other kind of performative arts. Although, some remain faithful to their roots.

The difference between the different kinds of marionette masters could be established based on the first contact of its representatives with a marionette.

Manuel Dias, author of the Investigation Project for Animated Forms named "Trulé", reveals that his fascination for marionettes remained since the first time he saw one. Although, he only established contact with this art much later, when he attended the conservatory. "Since that day I never stopped", he said, among laughs.

As the name of the project indicates, a big part of Manuel activities are based on search and research of specific techniques of the different kinds of marionettes. “What is important is not to create different kinds of marionettes, but to learn the techniques, learn the origins so we can evolve later”. This way, the main goal of this investigator is to “use  the largest number of techniques possible, applying each one of them in personal experiences”.

To Manuel, in his shows the marionettes manipulation is thought in every single detail, making the use of the voice unnecessary. Manuel considers that in this kind of shows the voice “is not, for sure, the main communication channel”. In his point of view, knowing the origin and source of his “communication instruments” helps to solidify the relation between both.

With other perspective, Sara Henriques and Sérgio Rolo, both from Teatro de Marionetas do Porto (TMP). Having respectively courses in acting and scenography, both of them found the marionettes “by chance”. Following the ideas of its creator, João Paulo Seara Cardoso, TMP has a more contemporary approach to the use of marionettes, being present in the frontiers of several arts, such as dance and music.

Despite of the occasional meeting with this world, Sara Henriques believes that the marionette “transcends the artist, the dancer or the interpreter”, having capabilities that none of them can have... “like flying”! Other advantage is that, while one is performing, he can also be “the spectator of its work”, Sara says.

The two ways of first meeting the marionettes reflect themselves on the feeling of the interpreters for them. If Manuel Dias treats every one as unique, TMP sees the marionettes “as a part of the show, a communication medium, that in nothing is more important than the others”, Sérgio Rolo admits.

Even with the several differences and distances, Centro Dramático de Évora (Dramatic Centre of Évora) director, José Russo, believes that it takes only one quality to distinguish a real marionette master - “the ability to communicate, to create empathy with the audience”. “Despite the style, the ‘makeover’, every one of them has a great relation with the marionette - we don’t know where one begins and other ends”.