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POLUNIMA POLUNIMA was founded on 21 July 1961 as a Polish Centre of Union Internationale de la Marionnette UNIMA. The establishment of POLUNIMA, was preceded by years co-operation of Polish puppeteers with the puppeteers of other countries. Contacts with UNIMA were initiated in early Thirties by Jedrzej Cierniak, then associated with the Institute of Folk Theatres. Closer co-operation was established by Jan Izydor Sztaudynger, organizer and popularizer of puppetry in interwar Poland, author of the first book on puppetry to appear in Poland, "Marionettes", Lvov 1932. After the Second World War, international co-operation was initiated on a broadscale by Henryk Ryl, founder of the Arlekin Puppet Theatre of Łódź. Ryl was elected member of the UNIMA presidium at the 5th UNIMA Congress held at Braunschweig in 1960. During the preparations the 7th UNIMA Congress in Warsaw (1962), the Polish Puppet Centre of UNIMA was established at their initiative. Up to that time only individuals belonged to the International Puppet Union. POLUNIMA has a membership of nearly 200 collectives ( mostly institutional puppet theatres) and individuals including actors/puppeteers, directors, stage designer, both professional and amateur, directors, stage designers, artists and critics and devotees of puppetry. The main purpose of POLUNIMA is to initiate and organise co-operation of puppeteers and all those interested in development of puppetry art., to help Polish puppeteers establish contacts with puppeteers of other countries, to popularize UNIMA in Poland and POLUNIMA's activities in the world. POLUNIMA carries out this program by organizing and helping organise festivals, exhibitions, conferences and workshop, by promoting and exchange of theatre ensembles and of individuals, an exchange of manuscripts of plays and international literature on puppetry, and finally by its publishing activity. POLUNIMA initiated the publication of books about puppet theatre such as: "O szopce. Studia i szkice" by R.Wierzbowski, "The History of the Puppet Theatre in Poland Before 1945" by M. Waszkiel, "The ŁódŸ Puppet Theatre" by A. Polakowski and M.Waszkiel, "Essays on Theory of the Puppet Theatres" by H. Jurkowski and series "Lalkarze" in which already 32 books appeared, each devoted to an outstanding figure of Polish puppetry. POLUNIMA issues a magazine in Polish and English language devoted to puppet theatre called "Teatr Lalek"( Puppet Theatre) edited by Lucyna Kozień. All who are interested in purchase of this publication have possibility to order it directly to POLUNIMA office. "ARLEKIN" Puppet Theatre AL. 1 Maja 2, Łódź 90-718, POLAND polunima.biuro@wp.pl, teatr@arlekin.lodz.pl, www.polunima.art.pl