Puppeteers of Vilnius

Straipsnyje nuo pirmosios užuominos apie iš Vilniaus kilusį Waśko apžvelgiama lėlių teatro istorija Lietuvos teritorijoje. Nemaža dėmesio skiriama XIX a. populiariam mechaniniam teatrui, optiniams reginiams, žinomiems Lietuvos sostinėje po Europą keliaujančių garsių gastrolierių dėka, minimos ir XX a. I pusėje itin populiarios „šopkos“ (lenk. szopka akademicka), kurias organizavo Stepono Batoro universiteto studentai, su šiuo reiškiniu susijusios garsios, Lenkijos teatrui nusipelniusios asmenybės.The article reviews the history of the puppet theater in Lithuanian territory – starting with the first reference on Waśko who originated from Vilnius and was robbed in Warsaw at the end of the 15th century. A fair amount of attention is dedicated to the mechanical theater, optical performances popular in the 19th century, which were known in the Lithuanian capital by courtesy of famous travelling performers crisscrossing Europe; mentioned are at the first half of the 20th century the especially popular “szopka” organized by students of the Stephan Batory University, and celebrated personalities highly merited by Polish theatre, which were connected to this phenomenon