E2: OBJECT, UNIVERSE & LIFE IN PERFORMANCE
Merlin Puppet Theatre
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SPACE SIX
Monday 8th - Tuesday 9th April 2019
10am - 5pm daily
Ages 18+ / adults
£120
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An approach to all three basic elements that contribute to making a complete visual universe - Object, Universe and Life. OBJECT - puppet, mask, shadows; UNIVERSE - scenography, light and sound; LIFE - how these elements become animate. An exploratory laboratory, which examines through analysis, practice and experimentations, how a harmonious puppetry performance is created. Through improvisations and research on stage individually and in groups, participants will work on how to develop and realise an idea, all the way from scratch to the final desirable result. See here for Merlin Puppet Theatre's show at the festival, "Noone's Land".
Workshops
We regularly run workshops and community projects in the North East of England so that everyone has access to puppetry and creative expression. Below you will find some examples of the workshops we have on offer than can be booked for your group.
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Create your own simple rod puppet using bamboo, material, cardboard and foam. Develop design and sculpting skills by choosing what head to carve out of your block of foam using scissors - a human? an alligator? an alien from the plant Galtraxia?! It's up to you! Once you've finished constructing your rod puppet there will be the opportunity to decorate it with whatever bits and bobs you can find before adding the all important eyes so it can see!
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This workshop is a 2 hour session for ages 6 and up. The session involves the use of scissors to carve the puppet head and hands from recycled foam. All tools and materials provided.
Rod Puppet Pals
Create your own slithering and flying mythical beast using recyclable paper coffee cups, bamboo and cardboard. The serpent-like puppet can be controlled from below (for flying!) or from above (for slithering!). Hands, feet, fins and other decorations can be added to bring your beast to life. This workshop is inspired by the famous legend from County Durham ‘The Lambton Wyrm’, which tells the story of a battle between a local landowner and a giant ‘wyrm’ (or dragon), which had been terrorising local villages.
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This workshop is a 2 hour session for ages 7 and up. The session involves the use of scissors to cut out cardboard patterns. All tools and materials provided.
Lambton Wyrms
Dive into the depths of the ocean and discover a world of shadow and light. Learn how to make, move and perform scenes for shadow puppets in colourful worlds using tailorable and accessible materials. Will you create a whale? A turtle? Or a 6-legged amphibious creature from an underwater planet in a faraway solar system?! Imaginations can run wild alongside learning practical and scientific techniques within the endless possibilities of this unique art form.
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This workshop is a 2 hour session for ages 6 and up. The session involves using scissors and supervised use of craft knives. This workshop needs to take place in a room where curtains / blinds can be closed to create darkness. All tools and materials provided.
Sea Shadows
The benefits of puppetry
Puppetry is an inherently accessible, expressive and inclusive creative activity. As the puppet is an extension of the body (as opposed to acting and dancing where the performers themselves are the focus), the art form encourages freedom of expression, builds confidence and is a neutral medium to explore difficult topics and themes. Puppetry is often non-verbal, focusing on movement, enabling it to break down language, demographic and cultural barriers, allowing unlikely participants to connect through creativity and exploration.
Get in touch
If you are a North East of England-based club, organisation, school, college or community group and would like to chat about introducing puppetry to your community then please do get in touch. We can offer workshops in puppet making and performance from our menu of trailed and tested options or can even tailor something special just for you. We also run regular participatory performances where the local community can get fully involved in creating exciting, colourful and bold theatre (see Tyne Rising 2021 as an example). Email info@movingpartsarts.com for more information on getting involved in puppetry and Moving Parts Arts.
“I can transfer these new found skills to my core modules in performance and acting. I think that it is important that this happens again for future generations of college students.”
– 2017 Education Project participant
Education Projects
We run education projects in partnership with Life and Limb Puppets and local schools and colleges to introduce puppetry into the curriculum and inspire the next generation of North East puppeteers. In 2017 we partnered with Newcastle College and in 2019 and 2021 with Northern School of Art. Students attend a series of workshops run by Life and Limb Puppets covering the basics of performance and making, before creating their own short acts which are presented at the festival.
Theatre for Ones (2019)
In 2019 we partnered with Seven Stories and Equal Arts to teach Newcastle facilitators working with young children, children with additional needs and care home residents how to incorporate puppetry into their practice. This was achieved through a 6 week course run by Alison McGowan on how to create ‘theatre-for-ones’, which could be used at hospital bedsides, in home environments or in the workplace.
Stop Motion Stories (2017)
In 2017 we partnered with CRISIS Newcastle to teach stop motion animation skills and explore stories with their service users. The workshops were run by Lesley-Anne Rose and service users also attended the festival to see their work screened at Cobalt Studios.
In 2021 we partnered with Action for Children, North East Wellbeing, Cowgate Centre and Riverside Community Health Project to provide free puppet packs and workshops to disadvantaged children and their families in the West End of Newcastle. Participants used our Puppet School TV videos to create their own creations and also made fish rod puppets inspired by Tyne Rising 2021.
Best Spring Ever and Best Summer Ever (2021)
