“Worlds of Puppets” serves as a production company of performances and special creations of puppets, marionettes, and masks for theater, opera, film, and television.
The artistic director of the company is the world-known puppet maker and artist, Bernd Ogrodnik, who has gained recognition and respect from the puppetry community worldwide for his work and creations.
The Company frequently travels to all corners of the world, performing, directing, and offering Master-Classes and seminars to Universities, Festivals, Theaters, and other Organizations.
Bernd Ogrodnik also offers online courses. Learn more here >
About the Company
Worlds of Puppets is a production company.
Founded by Bernd Ogrodnik (artistic director, director, puppet builder, and performer) and Hildur M. Jonsdottir (executive director and project manager), “Worlds of Puppets” serves as a production company of performances and special creations of Puppets, Marionettes, and Masks for Theater, Opera, Film, and Television.
The Company frequently travels to all corners of the world, performing, directing, and offering master classes and seminars.
Our location:
Worlds of Puppets
P.O. Box 82
270 Mosfellsbaer
Iceland
Our Mission Statement
We recognize the possibilities and responsibilities of the Arts and are dedicated to:
- Serve, nourish, and inspire the human spirit and soul while enhancing the awareness and respect for each other and our natural environment
- Be an innovative force in the World of Theater and embrace diversity to enhance the Art of Puppetry
- Create and present works of art at the highest standard
- Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all the time
- Recognize that profitability is essential to delivering quality
About Bernd Ogrodnik
Bernd Ogrodnik has been a prominent figure in the world of Puppetry since 1986. He is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Icelandic Center for Puppetry Arts and served as the Master Puppeteer for the National Theater of Iceland. He has toured all over Europe, Canada, the USA, and Asia as a performer, director, teacher, and lecturer at International (Puppet-) Theater Festivals, Universities, and Conferences.
He has been performing, directing, and creating Marionettes, Puppets, and Masks for various Theaters and Operas around the world, for Collectors and Museums, Commercials, TV, and Film.
Bernd has gained a worldwide reputation also through his ground-breaking work as a designer and lead puppeteer for the Marionette epic Movie “Strings”, which was screened in movie theaters around the world and garnished with nominations and prizes at film Festivals around the world.
He is the recipient of various Grants and Awards both in his home country Iceland and Internationally.
Among many other recognitions, Bernd Ogrodnik also received the IBBY award (International Organization honoring contributions to youth cultural life), Jim Henson Grant, NY-USA, and AURORA-Fund Iceland.
About Mark Blashford
Mark is a professional puppeteer and builder specializing in traditional puppet performance forms, including marionette, shadow, rod, and hand puppetry. As a trained puppet builder, he received his Master of Fine Arts in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut in 2017.
He has also studied in Germany, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Iceland with one-on-one instruction from Bernd Ogrodnik.
Mark has worked with many theaters in addition to The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival as an associate artist and Chicago Puppet Studio Coordinator. He now lives in Iceland and works full-time with Bernd in the studios of Worlds of Puppets.
He also manages and performs with his own company, Rootstock Puppet Works.
His mission is to craft and perform puppet theater rooted in stories that promote mutual kindness and ecological awareness for the good of people and their environment.
Highlights Film & TV
- 1987: Puppet Master for “Paper Peter”, TV series – German /Icelandic Co-production
- 1988: Puppet Master for “Paper Peter”, the movie. – Iceland
- 1989: “Gryla and her 13 sons”, – TV-Iceland
- 1993: Documentary “The Puppet Master”, TV – NY, USA
- 2002 – 03: Puppet Master for “Strings” the movie. – Denmark
- 2004: Puppet Master for “Samuel”, an educational accident prevention program, produced for Icelandic TV
- 2005: Puppet Master for “The Magic Book” 24 TV episodes for Icelandic TV
- 2007: Three 15 seconds TV commercials for the bank, S 24
- 2008: TV commercial for Mænuskaðastofnun (Institute of Spinal Cord Injury)
- 2009: 8 episodes of Felix in cooperation with RÚV and Samtök Iðnaðarins
- 2011: Head of International Jury for Animation Film Festival Lodz – Poland
- 2014: “Changing the world one heart at the time” work still in process. – Poland, Iceland
Highlights International Tours
- 1995: Intern. Festival of Puppetry – San Diego, CA, USA
- Intern. Festival of Puppetry – Brynn Marr, PA, USA
- 1996: Intern. Festival of Puppetry – Ottawa Canada
- Intern. Puppet Theater Festival, Jim Henson Foundation – New York, NY, USA
- 1997: Intern. Tour, sponsored by Goethe Institute – Baltic States and Finland
- Intern. Theater Festival – Seoul, Korea
- 1998: Intern. Theater Festival – Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- 1999: Intern. Festival of Puppet Theater – Silkeborg, Denmark
- “Cultural Exchange” Delegate, Director for “Little Bird” – Greenland
- 2000: Performance tour – Canada and the USA
- 2001: Performance tour – Denmark and Germany
- 2002: Intern. Performers Showcase and tour – Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 2003: Michael J. Fox Theater – Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 2004: Lecture/performance for Unima –Oslo, Norway
- Intern. Festival of Puppetry – Fredericia, Denmark
- 2005. Klaufar og Kongsdaetur – National Theater of Iceland – Iceland
- 2006: Metamorphosis – National Theater of Iceland – Iceland
- 2007: O’Neill Theater Center – Life of a Tree – USA
- 2009: The Royal Theater of Copenhagen – Denmark
- 2011: “Giltrutt” official opening for International Book Fair Cologne – Germany
- 2012: Intern. Festival of Puppetry – Israel – St Petersburg, Russia
- 2013: Magic Flute – Vancouver Opera – Canada
- 2014: Performance tour – Aruba, Caribbean
- 2014: “Harmony World Puppet Festival” – Bangkok, Thailand
- 2014: “Pesta Boneka” International Puppet Festival – Yogyakarta, Indonesia
- 2015: Production workshop for Puppet Theater – Cairo, Egypt
- 2015: Performance and lecture tour – Iran
- 2015: Performance tour – Aruba and Curacao
- 2015: Intern. Theatre Festival of European Regions Drak Theatre – Czech Republic
- 2015: International festival: Loutkářská Chrudim – Czech Republic
- 2015: Advanced Marionette making workshop – Taiwan
- 2015: Festival de Casteliers and Puppets Up – Canada
- 2015: Intern. Festival of Solo Puppeteers Teatr Lalek Arlekin – Poland
- 2015: Skipton Puppet Festival – England
- 2015: Manipulation workshop, Puppet Museum in Lisbon – Portugal
- 2016: Esplanade – Singapore’s national performing arts center – Singapore
- 2017: Théâtre Royal du Péruchet, “The European Puppet Days” – Brussels, Belgium
- 2017: Nordhessen, “Kultur Sommer – Blickfang festival” – Germany
- 2017: The Pleciuga Puppet Theatre – Theatre Children ́s Week – Szczecin, Poland
- 2017: SAMPO – Puppet Theatre Festival – Helsinki, Finland
- 2017: Bornholm Puppet Festival – Bornholm, Denmark
- 2017: Fios 2017 – Museu da Marioneta – Lisbon, Portugal
- 2017: Haya Cultural Center Festival – Amman, Jordan
- 2018: Figurentheater Woche Gelsenkirchen – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
- 2018: Izmir, International Puppet Days – Izmir, Turkey
- 2018: 35. Pole Poppenspäler Tage – Husum, Germany
- 2019: The 17th Ishara International Puppet Festival – Delhi, India
- 2019: Presentation house – Theater run – Vancouver, Canada
- 2019: Immagina, International Puppet Festival – Rome, Italy
Highlights Theater Productions
- 1990: “Puppets, Music and the Unexpected
- 1993: “The Little Troll and the Witch
- 1994: “The Jumping Mouse”
- 1995: “Puppet Serenade”
- 1997: “About Face”, co-production with Larry Hunt
- 2000: “GrylasPancake”
- 2005: “Klaufar og Kongsdaetur
- 2006: ”Metamorphosis”
- 2007: ”Peter and the Wolf”
- 2008: ”Klókur ertu Einar Áskell”
- 2011: ”Giltrutt”
- 2012: “Old Man and the Sea”
- 2013: “Aladdín”
- 2016: “Íslenski Fíllinn”
- 2017: “The Jungle Book” at Teatr Lalek Arlekin
- 2020: “The Puppet Master”
Awards
- 2018: Arlyn Award: “Special recognition for innovation in puppetry”, Canada
- 2017: The Golden Mask for the best puppet production of the year, Lodz, Poland
- 2014: Best Artistic Production, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2014: Grímutilnefning fyrir “Aladdín”
- 2013: Grimutilnefning fyrir “Gamli Maðurinn og hafið”
- 2012: “Prix Michael Meschke International” for fostering and pioneering the Art of Puppetry
- 2011: Pioneer of West Iceland
- 2011: Grímuverðlaun fyrir “Gilitrutt”
- 2010: Menningarverðlaun DV. Award for the cultural contribution to Iceland
- 2009: Grímutilnefning fyrir “Klókur ertu Einar Áskell
- 2007: Grímutilnefning fyrir ”Pétur og úlfurinn”
- 2006: IBBY – Viðurkenning fyrir framlag til barnamenningar
- 2004: Grímuverðlaun fyrir ”Klaufar og Kóngsdætur”
Nominations to “Griman” Award:
- 2005: “Griman” Best Children’s Theater Production – Klaufar og kóngsdætur
- 2007: “Griman” Best Children’s Theater Production – Pétur og úlfurinn
- 2009: “Griman” Best Children’s Theater Production – Klókur ertu, Einar Áskell
- 2011: “Griman” Best children’s performance “Gilitrutt”
- 2013: “Griman” Soundscape – Gamli maðurinn og hafið
- 2014: “Griman” Best Children’s Theater Production – Aladdin
- 2016: “Griman” Best Children’s Theater Production – Íslenski fíllinn
Testimonials
“A maneuver of sheer magic” – The Puppetry Journal
“Mr Ogrodnik is without any doubt among the best puppeteers in the World.” – 5th Intern. Figurentheater Festival Haydau, Germany
“Creative genius, master craftsman, jewel from Iceland, puppeteer, marionettist – B.O. is a class apart and an Institution in himself.” – Habitat Centre, India
“One of Puppetry’s most impressive talents” – Philadelphia Inquirer, USA
“True Theater magic that leaves no one untouched” – Morgunbladid, Iceland
“B. O. holds the audience in the palms of his hand, thanks to the freshness and truth that his work transmits, clean and concise.” – Museu da Marioneta, Lisbon, Portugal
“Each and every puppet is a piece of art in itself“ – Fréttabladid, Iceland
