Klemenčič and his Gasper  

A documentary portrait of the academic painter Milan Klemenčič, who already in 1910 created the Small Marionette Theatre (Malo marionetno gledališče) in Šturje near Ajdovščina. After working in this field for many years, he laid the foundations of a Slovenian puppet theatre, which can be compared to European theatres with a much longer tradition.
Even before the First World War, Milan Klemenčič wrote a programme on the establishment of first real puppet theatre in Slovenia. He published it after the war, when Ljubljana got the Slovenian Marionette Theatre (Slovensko marionetno gledališče). He became the director of the theatre, he also created puppets and sets, he translated texts for performances and he selected actors. The audience was impressed with the performances and his famous character Gašper, which Klemenčič took from the texts of Franz Pocci. Gašper, a restless spirit that finds the right answer for every question, has become his companion and is also the red thread of the portrait in this case.
For ten years, Klemenčič dedicated himself only to painting. After that, he decided to create his own theatre. He invited people to his home to the performance Sovji grad (The Owl Castle). Everything was created so precisely that the miniature puppets revived in front of the viewers. The performance Doktor Faust (Doctor Faustus) followed and Klemenčič reached his creative peak with this performance. The performance remains in the repertoire of the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre.
It is a valuable document of time and a noble piece of treasury of Slovenian cultural heritage.
Milan Klemenčič was also the first in Slovenia who tried out colour photography and he was one of the first set and costume designers.