I assumed that there wouldn't be any puppet events/festivals in the UK, nobody cares about puppets anymore, right? WRONG, STELLA. THERE ARE LOADS. You've got to get yourself outside and stop being a lazy arse. If I'm actually passionate about this I need to show it. I need to learn and be an expert and get my hands on as much as I can grab.
UK Puppet Festivals this Summer:
UK Puppet Festivals this Summer:
Puppet Festival - THURSDAY 14th-SUNDAY 17th July (Lancashire)
http://www.horseandbamboo.org/puppet-festival-2/what-to-expect-this-year/
FREE ADMISSION, but I'm on holiday in Barcelona from the 11th-18th July so I'm going to miss this one. Absolutely gutted, it looks so good! Agh!
Puppet State are performing with their show 'The Man Who Planted Trees', which has also played at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Amazing reviews, I might see if I can follow them touring at another date (they're doing York).
Shona Reppe is presenting her puppet show 'The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean'. I've not heard of Reppe before but she seems to have quite a 'Fairy Godmother' reputation in the puppetsphere!
http://www.shonareppe.co.uk/uploads/3/8/9/8/3898924/4551866_orig.jpg
Puppet Animation Festival - SCOTLAND
http://puppetanimationfestival.org/
A little further for me to travel to and the line-up looks more child-centred but could be worth investigating...
Beverley Puppet Festival - 15th-17th July
http://www.beverleypuppetfestival.com/#!free-outdoor-shows/c12xj
My sister lives in Hull so this would be really easy for me to get to BUT BUT BUT AGAIN IT'S ON THE SAME WEEK THAT I'M IN BARCELONA FFFFFFS.
Even more devastated with this one because I could so easily have got to this one and it looks so fun.
I guess there's some things that I'm not too bothered about missing (football puppet parade, no thanks) and it probably makes sense for me to visit the individual theatre companies to learn about their trade in depth.
The one that really stood out to me was Hand to Mouth theatre:
https://static.wixstatic.com/media/3d3611_64cfbc6674654024869f70fc4859a0dd.jpg/v1/fill/w_338,h_517,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/3d3611_64cfbc6674654024869f70fc4859a0dd.jpg
Martin Bridle and Su Eaton, making beautiful hand-crafted puppets, sets and stories to perform around the world. Their gallery photos all look vintage, like they've been shot on film, even though they're recent photos. I wonder if this is deliberate. It seems to me like it's an aesthetic they're aiming for - intentionally making their work look dated and classic?
Reading through their blog I have just found out that Martin worked on Labyrinth! Considering writing to them and asking him about working in the Creature Shop and of course about their entire puppet career.
Skipton Puppet Festival (2017)
http://www.skiptonpuppetfestival.co.uk/page2.html
Awww mannn going to have to wait a year for this one. *twiddles thumbs*
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So I'm not actually going to manage to make it to most of these because I'll be trying to avoid sand in Barcelona. WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAPPEN ON THE SAME DATES? Nothing happens for ages and then everything comes in one go and I can't actually go to any of them deary deary me.
However, I have found some AWESOME puppet things going on in Barcelona that I'm gonna drag my boyfriend and his family to...
BARCELONA PUPPET PLANS
Giants Museum
http://www.barcelonalowdown.com/walking-with-giants-la-casa-dels-entremesos/
Yeah, a little terrifying and some odd-looking things... but definitely worth a visit methinks, even just for curiosity's sake! ALWAYS FOR CURIOSITY'S SAKE.
Figures of Doubleness - Puppets, Machines and Strings
http://ifbarcelona.cat/en/sala/fils/
'The miniature object has always fascinated the imagination. Puppets and puppet theatres to be played with at home have been responsible for the creation of myriad worlds of theatrical fantasy.
Throughout Europe, the tradition of home-made theatrical arts, performed either in private homes or in small theatres – also known as chamber or pocket theatres – has been a constant in the history of theatre.'
I love the name 'pocket theatres'!
http://ifbarcelona.cat/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/7225.jpg
'The practice of puppetry, both for the practitioner and for those who watch it, constitutes a healthy and liberating learning experience, allowing one to understand and experience complex problems of otherness. It allows us to dream, to come out of ourselves and to experience other worlds and identities.'
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