EK
April- August 2014: Peaces of History
Peaces of History' is an interactive cabaret show that looks at activism through the ages. Each of the acts uses puppetry and object manipulation to represent an event in history where people have stood against war. The show starts with the ancient Greek anti-war comedy of Lysistrata. We then visit England 100 years ago at the beginning of the First World War, where we will, this time, remember the heroes who would not fight. The last act brings us right through to the modern day and the struggle against nuclear arms, where we now may have some small hope.
Using the fun and interactive performance stile of a caberet I hope to put my audience in a rellaxed and open but active state mind to alow them to considder the possibilaty that indaviduals can make an impact aggenst war. I belleave that puppetry also has an infuance, for if people can alow them selves to belleave that I piece of cloth can be a living and breethinh human being, then they may also be able to alow them selves to belleave something even more imposible, such as nudlear dissarment.
This show was originally created for an annual event run by the CND who organised a walk from the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh to the millitary base of Faslane were Britain's Nuclear warheads are kept. The walk took place over a week, stopping in church halls along the way where there would be political speakers and entertainment, and Peaces of History was one of the perfromances. I then took it to the Edinburgh Just Festival where it was performed in St John's Church and The Quaker meeting house.
Feburary- July 2014: Lost and Found
Lost and Found is an interactive non-verbal puppet show that uses live music and puppetry to tell the story of four animals losing their most valuable possessions and finding them together. This show demonstrates the beauty and fragility of nature and is highly effective in engaging children with the natural world and their place within it. I have performed this show in a nursing home for people with dementia where it was well received, at Womad Festival in the Children's area to fit with thier theme of protecting nature.
This show was created through a collaboration between myself and the musician Vicky Berk, who's skill of improvisation as a multi-instamentalist has created a natural flow and a really engaging atmosphere to the piece that alows the audience to really pay attention to the animal's behaviour. My inspiration for this show comes from the hugely passionate and sensitive work of David Attenborough and also my own observation of wild-life particularly around ponds and rivers. Although for the purposes of the story the animal characters have been slightly humanised, I have done my best to recreate the most authentic animal movement and behaviour that I can.
Agust 2013: Jabberwocky
The Jabberwock is a production by Petersham Playhouse basted on the poem by Lewis Carroll. This was a very interactive show that took place at the Wilderness festival in Oxfordshire. The audience would be met by the brave knight Sir John Lampton and his squire outside the Tolgey wood, where they would be recruited as an army to help them slay the Jabberwock. On their quest through the Tolgey Wood they would be met by many friends and foes... perhaps not the most formidable but definitely the most smelly of which were the Mome Raths and their eccentric farmers. Yes, that is me on the right comforting "ma wee Mome Raths, Pamela and Socrates".
I was hugely privileged to be a part of this very immersive and enjoyable production along with many other puppeteers and performers. I can highly recommend anyone to keep a look out for Petersham Playhouse although you won't find them in a theatre. .
July 2013: Story Telling and Craft Workshops at Womad Festival
This year I was lucky enough to lead workshops at the Womad Festival in the children’s field. These were simple craft workshops initiated by a short, interactive storytelling- using objects and simple puppets- based on the books: ‘The Wind Garden’ by Angela McAllister; and ‘The Paper Dolls’ by Julia Donaldson. In this story the children follow a young girl-whom they have to name for she wants a new name for a new adventure. The girl takes them on a journey on a puff of wind picking up friends along the way before flying all the way to Womad Festival, where the fun really begins.
After hearing the story the children embarked on the adventure of making paper chain families of animals or people from a range of template designs; or made up their own templates, and decorated them… or for some the News Paper was fun enough to play with on its own.
Spring 2013: Derek Floppy and Friends
This project consisted of fortnightly performances/workshops for 3-6 year-olds and their parents, based on traditional fables. The stories were narrated by the two main characters of ‘Derek the Duck’ and ‘Floppy the Fish’, which were both puppets. The performances were very interactive and the children took part by making their own simple puppets to join in with the show. The shows had an online element as each one was live streamed so it could be viewed at home. We created tutorials with details of how to make the simple puppets used in the show and these were posted online.
Spring 2013: Workshops at St Paul's Steiner School
In this project I collaborated with another puppetry student Georgina Clifton in leading puppet making workshops for class 2 (7-8 year-olds) at St Paul’s Steiner School in Islington. The project was set up with the teacher of the class as part of the class’s curriculum in connection with their main lesson on fables. The particular fable they were looking at was the ‘Lion and the Mouse’. Therefore, we instructed the class in the construction of a hand puppet of a lion and a finger puppet of a mouse over a series of four 1 hour session that took place weekly for four lessons.
Autumn 2012: Workshops at Hackney City Farm
I co-led a series of four weekly puppetry workshops for children at 'Hackney City Farm', along with my colleague Georgina Clifton. In these workshops we explored, with the children, different techniques and styles of animal puppetry in both the making and performance.
Summer 2012: Always Time For Tea
This project consisted of 3 fortnightly performance/workshops that we toured around care homes and day centres for people with dementia in Exeter. We based these performances around the life of the Queen, in the lead up to her Diamond Jubilee. The aim of this project was to stimulate memories of past events. Using puppetry, we added a multisensory element that helped include those participants who were less responsive and unable to talk easily.
Spring 2012- Wind in the Willows
This was a puppet show I devised with two other puppeteers based on the book ‘Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame. It was a half an hour performance that we toured around primary schools in Swiss Cottage.
Dragon Project: Autumn 2010
In this project I instructed a class of 13-14 year-olds at Moray Steiner School in the construction of a large scale dragon puppet, as part of their mechanics main lesson. This was a very technical project so that the children learnt all about the different mechanisms and how to make them work. I worked in close connection with the teacher of the class, and was working with the children for approximately 2 hours a day for three weeks.
The project culminated with a performance of the puppet in the school’s Michaelmas Festival.
Horse and Girl
This was a solo 15 minute performance for children I wrote and devised myself. I was strongly influenced by the work of Dr Seuss. The narration was written in rhyme, and was presented as a sort of fable that addressed the subject of the character changes children go through during puberty, and presenting a way of dealing with them.
I performed this show at the Trowbridge Festival 2010; I have also presented it in schools.
Mademoiselle Marionette
This was another solo 15 minute performance for a family audience that I made and devised myself. It was a very comical and interactive show that was centred around the main Character of ‘Mademoiselle Marionette’ but also featured other puppets and props.
I performed this show at the Trowbridge Festival 2010, in schools and at children’s parties.
