All Hands On The Puppet

All Hands On The Puppet is an environmentally friendly workshop for children and their families. Participants experience making and creating puppets together from simple, completely recyclable materials. The workshop is designed to engage everyone in making and playing with recyclable puppets – and it’s so much fun!

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

First of all, each group builds a puppet. Following the build, using techniques of Japanese Bunraku puppetry, groups learn to operate the puppet. Bunraku puppetry technique demands that all the puppeteers must listen carefully to each other, to together become the one character, with one intelligence and one breath – through the puppet. We guide you through basic Bunraku manipulation skills: breath, intelligence and movement. At the final part of the workshop the puppets begin to interact and play with each other. It’s fantastic fun, and a real bonding exercise as you experience the pleasure of puppetry.

In August 2015 we had a week’s residency at Tooleybuc Central School, NSW.
CLICK HERE to read about the residency.

The workshop is suitable for any age and all levels of experience. We have run this workshop with 3-4 year olds and their families, with university theatre groups, for corporate professional developments and with professional theatre companies. “All Hands on the Puppet” is suitable as a stand-alone workshop or as a rolling event for festivals.

VIEW HERE ON YOU TUBE

An example of the workshop we recently ran with young families:

At ArtPlay in November 2010 we delivered a workshop for younger children (3-4 year olds) and their families. This workshop was 45 minutes in length, and for puppet creation we used newspaper and masking tape. The workshop was very successful. Here is feedback from one family:

“We have been attending ArtPlay for years & invariably we enjoy it. Today the puppet (workshop) was glorious. Such a sensitive, thoughtful, moving experience. Thank you”.

Maggie, Harry Parrett’s parent.

We can vary materials for the puppet build according the booking and requirements. We also found objects, junk and other upcycled or recyclable materials for puppet creation.