Salvatore Bumbello

Puppet maker

Salvatore Bumbello©Compagnia Brigliadoro

Carrying on a family tradition

He was only 17 when he inherited his father’s workshop
It takes a whole month to build a single “Pupo”
In his shows, he tells the history of the paladins of France

Salvatore Bumbello's father, Luciano, was a Sicilian puppet master, Salvatore is a puppeteer and – he hopes – his three kids will follow in his footsteps. Salvatore grew up in his father’s workshop, making his first “Pupo” – a traditional Sicilian puppet – when he was just 11 years old. Since then, he has built thousands of Sicilian puppets during his life. When, in 1995, his father died unexpectedly at the age of 45, Salvatore inherited his workshop, full of many different tools, fabrics for the puppets costumes, glass for their eyes and different types of wood. In 2015, Salvatore founded the Compagnia Brigliadoro, an important association linked to the tradition of Sicilian puppetry and to the Marionette theatre. Today he is carrying on the tradition helped by his eldest son, Luciano, 23, his middle child, Francesco, 14 and little Martina, 8.

Interview

Salvatore Bumbello©Compagnia Brigliadoro

Salvatore Bumbello©Compagnia Brigliadoro

Is puppetry a family tradition?: My father was seven years old when he became an orphan. So my grandmother – finding herself a widow – had to look for work. When she was away from home, she used to leave her children with some relatives. My father attached himself to the puppeteer, who had his workshop just below the house. This is how it all began.
Are your siblings also working as puppeteers?: No, I’m the only one working in this field. My father saw his own passion in me. And he became very proud of me when, at the young age of 11, I made my first “pupo”. It was 40cm long and it was perfect in my eyes.
How would you define your work?: It’s heavy-going and you must be physically strong, because it’s an itinerant job. Several times a month I must load up the truck and build the theatre in different place. During my shows I have to move continuously, with the puppets – each of the puppets weigh 8/9 kilos. And then there is the mental effort: you have to learn everything by heart.
Could your craft be considered in danger?: Absolutely, yes! In Palermo there are few puppeteers: most of them are very popular, but they do not respect our culture and tradition. Every single background in our show was passed down through the generations and shall not be changed. If you change the tradition, you destroy it.

Salvatore Bumbello is a master artisan: he began his career in 1984 and he started teaching in 1995