The festival

At one time in the history of this province, among people of like mind, there arose a humanistic concern and a civic and social sense with the clear intention of involving citizens in diverse artistic proposals.

It was at the Tertulia del Rinconcillo that the embryo of many artistic experiences took form, some of which later materialized, such as the Flamenco Singing Festival, the Educational Missions, The Cabin and the attempt to bring back the popular tradition of the Punch and Judy show, whose archetypal character in Spain is called Cristobica.

The three “rinconcillistas” who took part in this puppeteering experience were Federico García Lorca, Manuel de Falla and Hermenegildo Lanz, who managed to combine, in a historical representation of classical and popular texts, early and avant-garde music and music from the scene that connected tradition with the artistic movements of the time.

This experience was carried out as a rehearsal for what months later was to be the successful premiere in Paris of the Altarpiece of Maese Pedro, Granada thus coming into line with Europe from tradition to the prevailing avant-garde movements of the time. It was also a great stimulus for Garcia Lorca’s later creation of the Don Cristobal Puppet and his Don Perlimplín.

The Diputación de Granada and the Valderrubio Town Council, with the collaboration of the University of Granada, the Federico García Lorca Cultural Board and the Manuel de Falla Archive, wishes to give symbolic continuity to those experiences which, using puppets as an excuse, combined music, literature and art, the popular with  high culture, and tradition with modernity.

Every year, EL RINCONCILLO DE CRISTOBICA is going to concentrate on a specific puppet animation technique or one of the diverse traditions or practices of this heterogeneous art. In this way, in this beautiful little corner of our province, we provide a meeting place for those who wish to enjoy, discover and learn about the art of puppetry.

The Rinconcillo de Cristobica has a deliberate educational intention. Concentrating on a specific technique each year allows us to show, within the limits of the same, the extraordinary variety that exists in the world of puppeteering.

In this way, earlier editions have concentrated on shadows, objects, automats, the relations between the body of the puppeteer and the puppet, etc.

Our concern is for the general public, professionals, students, journalists and, in short, anybody who is interested in this art, to be able to discover its potential not by seeing a single show, but through the overall programme. Therefore, we want those who come to El Rinconcillo to do so with a critical spirit towards this art and to appreciate its great diversity and potential.