Forgotten Puppets Day 24...

Cio Cio San, from Madam Butterfly

English National Opera, 2005

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

Original puppeteers: Mark Down, Nick Barnes, Finn Caldwell, Giulia Innocenti

More about Madam Butterfly

Forgotten Puppets Day 23...

Old Mr He, from Mr China's Son
Battersea Arts Centre, 2002

Designed by Nick Barnes

More about Mr China's Son

Forgotten Puppets Day 22...

Dog from Real Man 

as part of the Firsts programme at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, 2007

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes
Puppeteers: Ben Thompson and Mhairi Steenbock

Forgotten Puppets Day 21...

Shun-kin

Complicite & Setagaya Theatre, Tokyo 2008

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

More about Shun-kin

Forgotten Puppets Day 20...

Rabbit, from Call of the Wild
The Central School of Speech and Drama, 2010

Puppets designed by Nick Barnes
Performed by BA (Hons) Acting students with design and make
assistance from BA (Hons) CDT and the BATP Puppetry Course  

More about Call of the Wild

Forgotten Puppets Day 19...

Angus 

from Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging

West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2012

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

More about Angus, Thongs and Even More Snogging

Forgotten Puppets Day 18...

Elizabethan Man & Woman, from Be Safe
as part of the BP Shakespeare: Staging the World exhibition, British Museum, 2012

An introductory talk by the Puppet Processing Department for Health & Safety

Performed by Nick Barnes, Mark Down, Sean Garratt, Jess Mabel Jones

More about Be Safe

Forgotten Puppets Day 17...

Locust, 

from Yellow Earth - Running the Silk Road
Barbican, 2004

Forgotten Puppets Day 16...

Martin, from Martin's Wedding
London International Mime Festival, 2004

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

More about Martin's Wedding

Forgotten Puppets Day 15...

Behemoth, from The Master and the Margarita

Complicite 

National & International Tour, 2011

Puppet designed & made by Nick Barnes

More about Master & Margarita

Forgotten Puppets Day 14...

Bear & Cat Plastazote Prototypes

for His Dark Materials
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep & National Tour, 2009

Puppet Makers: Nick Barnes, Billie Achilleos, Paul Vincett

More about His Dark Materials

Forgotten Puppets Day 13...

The Dog, from A Dog's Heart
Complicite, ENO, DNO, 2010

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

Puppeteers: Robin Beer, Finn Caldwell, Josie Daxter, Mark Down

More about A Dog's Heart

Forgotten Puppets Day 12...

Blue Men, from Mr China's Son & Low Life

More about Mr China's Son

More about Low Life

Forgotten Puppets Day 11...

Professor Hilary/Charrington, from 1984
Battersea Arts Centre, London, 2009

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes
Puppeteer: Henry Maynard

This puppet was originally made for 'Danny 306' at the Traverse Theatre with David Greig. 

More about 1984

Forgotten Puppets Day 10...

Father, from Kommilitonen! 
Royal Academy of Music London & Julliard School of Music, New York, 2011

Puppets designed by Mark Down
Puppet made by Greta Schuckert

More about Kommilitonen!  

Forgotten Puppets Day 9...

Patrick, from The Puppet Monologues
Lighthouse Centre for the Arts, Poole

Puppet made by Nick Barnes

Puppeteered by Sean Garratt

More about The Puppet Monologues

Forgotten Puppets Day 8...

Ogre, from El Gato Con Botas
The New Victory Theatre, New York

Collaboration with Tectonic Theater Project & Gotham Chamber Opera
Puppets designed by Nick Barnes
Puppeteers: James Ortiz (head), Teddy Yudain (body), Marta Mozelle Macrostie (right arm), Joe Gallina (left arm), Jessica Scott (legs)

More about El Gato Con Botas
 

Forgotten Puppets Day 7...

Hopping Hoopoe Bird, from The Magic Flute

Bregenz Festival, 2014

Designed by Mark Down
Made by Nick Barnes
Puppeteered by Sean Garratt

More about The Magic Flute

Forgotten Puppets Day 6...

Real Man Head & Hands, from The Heads
Soho Theatre, as part of the London International Mime Festival, 2013

Puppeteers: Sean Garratt, Irena Stratieva, Mark Down, Nick Barnes

More about The Heads

Forgotten Puppets Day 5...

Puppet John Cleese, from Holy Flying Circus

BBC film about Monty Python making the Life of Brian, 2011

Designed by Nick Barnes & Mark Down
Puppeteers: Sarah Calver, Ivan Thorley, Sean Garratt, Mark Down, Nick Barnes, Avye Leventis 

Forgotten Puppets Day 4...

Fish, from Arhat Taming the Dragon

 Butchers, Dragons, Gods, and Skeletons: An Exhibition of Film Installation by Philip Haas, Kimbell Art Gallery, 2009

Puppet designed by Nick Barnes

More about Arhat Taming The Dragon 

Forgotten Puppets Day 3...

Anak from Faeries
Royal Opera House, 2008

Designed by Nick Barnes

Head Puppeteer: Mhairi Steenbock
More about Faeries 

Forgotten Puppets Day 2...

The Golden Monkey
from His Dark Materials
West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep & National Tour, 2009

Designed by Nick Barnes

Puppeteer: Ben Thompson

Made by Nick Barnes, Paul Vincett & Billie Achilleos

The Golden Monkey is the daemon of Mrs Coulter, the arch-enemy of Lyra.

More about His Dark Materials

Advent Calendar of Forgotten Puppets Day 1...

'Space Man' Mark, from On Emotion
Soho Theatre, 2008

Puppet designed & made by Nick Barnes

Puppeteers: Mark Down, James Wilby, Caroline Catz, Rhian Blythe

More about On Emotion...

December's Puppet of the Month - Rev. Terry

What are you made of?
I have a fabric body with a skeleton structure and foam hands. My head is carved from Styrofoam set with jesmonite, with a moving mouth mechanism.

What show are you from?
I was made in Jan 2015 for Citizen Puppet.

Who were you in the show?
I started life as a hippie spiritual guidance counsellor but ended up as a Puppet Reverend, traumatised by my experience in the 'Nam...

What are your favourite hobbies?
Bingo, watching Poldark, and hosting a bimonthly 'it's a knockout' style assault course on the village green.

What have you been up to recently?
I've been growing a variety of moustaches for 'Movember'. See the pictures on Blind Summit's Facebook page.

And since it's nearly Christmas, what do you hope to get from Santa?
A box of wine and the Downton Abbey board game...

Puppeteer Oliver Hymans on working with puppetry in local communities...

In 2011, Puppeteer & Theatre Maker Oliver Hymans led our 10 week education programme with young participants at the Roundhouse. He has recently finished working on Little Angel Youth Theatre's Jabberwocky, which was on at Suspense Festival last month.

I caught up with Oliver to find out more about his work with puppetry... 

Who are you and what do you do?
I'm a freelance theatre maker, puppet director and arts educational practitioner. I'm currently the Youth and Adult Company Director at Little Angel Theatre, Director for Cine Live (an immersive theatre company - think Secret Cinema for teenagers), a Visiting Lecturer in Scenography at Rose Bruford College and I have an ongoing shadow puppetry performance at the Museum of London about prehistory. 

How did you get into Puppetry?
Quite randomly! I dabbled in puppetry during my MA Scenography at Central Saint Martins but had no formal training. I then went on to use puppets and object manipulation in a performance about my family heritage called Jew(ish).

What inspired you to work in puppetry with young people?
I've always been passionate about arts education. I trained to be a secondary school teacher on the Teach First programme and feel quite strongly about exposing and engaging more young people to theatre... especially those from more disadvantaged backgrounds. I feel it's an exciting time to be in puppetry and it's always rewarding working with a new group of young people to demystify the preconceptions of the art form.

Do you only work with young people?
Not at all. I have led puppetry projects with over 60s, young offenders, community groups, asylum seekers, teachers, theatre professionals and even circus performers at the National School of Circus in Columbia!

How do you go about making a show with people who have never done puppetry before?
I always start any workshop or rehearsal process by introducing the three principles of puppetry - Breath, Focus and Fixed Point. From there you can pretty much animate anything.

Is there a particular style of puppet you most like to work with?
Since the Roundhouse project with Blind Summit, I have continued to work on projects with giant or large scale puppets - sort of Bunraku in style however all the limbs and body parts are disconnected/held together in space by 5-6 puppeteers. 

What do you find the most challenging about working with puppets?
Every puppet takes an incredibly long time to create, and time is always a limited resource!

What is your most memorable moment from any project you've done?
I am particularly proud of the giant puppet opera of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle which I directed for the Arcola Theatre this summer in the Olympic Park. It was so exciting working on such large scale puppets and training local community performers to become the puppeteers in such beautiful surroundings. Fortunately, we were very lucky with the weather each evening and the wind was kind to us (we had 2 14ft puppets to keep upright!) 

What's next for you?
I have two new shows in March 2016 with the Little Angel Youth and Adult Companies - puppet adaptations of Shelley's Frankenstein and Edgar Allen Poe's A Man Of The Crowd. We're also in talks about getting Bluebeard's Castle performed again next summer at a festival.

And finally, what's your top puppetry tip?
When you're working big, make 'em light!

www.oliverjameshymans.com

Touretteshero's Broadcast In Biscuit Land, live from the BBC...

Touretteshero's Backstage In Biscuit Land, one of my theatre highlights of the year, is going to be broadcast live on BBC 4 tonight.  

One of the co-creators of the show is Jess Mabel Jones, who also happens to be a Blind Summit puppeteer. So at Suspense Festival last week, I caught up with her about it... 

What is Backstage in Biscuit Land?

Backstage In Biscuit Land is the brilliant part-scripted, part-improvised show about Jess Thom and the wonderful world Tourettes creates around her. It's extremely funny. Jess' tics are also extremely funny.

How did the broadcast come about? 
The BBC, Battersea Arts Centre and Arts Council England joined forces to present a night of live theatre for TV broadcasting. It's a celebration, a call to arms and a chance to promote the theatre events that happen every day up and down the country. It's also a farewell to the iconic BBC drama studio we'll be performing in - after Christmas it's being knocked down to make way for luxury flats!

What will we see?

We will be presenting a version of our show as part of the event, alongside other artists; Gecko, Richard DeDomenici, Common Wealth and Islington Community Theatre, so it's going to be an amazing programme! 

What is your favourite part of the show?

I love the spontaneity of it. It makes me belly laugh every time.

What is your favourite 'tic' from Jess?

Gosh, I have so many! There's one in the stage show; "Squirrels, you're so lucky the branches have given you white water rafting lessons", that I think is so beautiful. The other day, Jess ticced "You're mum has facial hair in her belongings" which I love because it's so gross. 

Where did the idea come from to use puppets in the show?

It seemed like a natural partner to Jess's tics, the perfect way to make her vivid, surreal world come to life. Our set is made up of things from a list that Jess 'ticced' so we've got some weird things like a loaf of Steve and a U-bend. While we made the show, we improvised with what we had in the room. 

And finally, what's your top puppetry tip?

Be receptive and reactive! 

Don't forget to tune in tonight (Sunday 15th Nov) at 9pm on BBC 4! 

To find out more about the amazing Touretteshero, click here

You can also catch Jess in Hardboiled at the New Diorama Theatre in February next year. 

November's Puppet of the Month - 'Worker Puppet'

What are you made of?

White muslin or calico, stuffed with wadding! 

How big are you?

Personally I'm 2 foot 6 inches tall, but I also come in various shapes and sizes

What show are you from?

Actually I'm not in a show! I'm used in workshops to help train new puppeteers and in R&D to experiment before Blind Summit build the final puppets. 

Does it make you sad you've never been in a show?

Yes. 

Are you jealous of the more detailed puppets?

Of course not! My strength is in my versatility...(Plus I can go in the washing machine)

What have you been up to recently?

Last month, I was in 3 places at once!
I trained performing arts students at Fourth Monkey in London, introduced film students to puppetry at UCA Rochester, and have been spending time with the lovely Hijinx Theatre in Cardiff on their new puppet show Meet Fred (which you can read about in our previous blog)

And since it's Bonfire night, do you like fireworks? 

I'm not allowed near fireworks - my skin is highly flammable! 

'Meet Fred' - a show about what it's really like to be a puppet...

Two weeks ago, we went to work with Hijinx Theatre during R&D for their new puppet show Meet Fred. 

I wanted to find out more about the project from Artistic Director Ben Pettitt-Wade...

Who are Hijinx Theatre?
We are a professional theatre company based at the Wales Melliennium Centre in Cardiff, who tour small scale theatre throughout the UK and Europe. What makes us different is that our casts always include actors who have learning disabilities.

What is Meet Fred about?Meet Fred is about a regular guy that just happens to be a puppet and the difficulties he faces living as a puppet in the real world. 



Where did the idea come from?
It all started with a weeklong residency led by Blind Summit in 2013, this experience made me want to create a show with a puppet. Afterwards we asked Blind Summit to make some cloth puppets for our training courses for learning disabled performers. We spent another year exploring puppeteering with our students, before we did 2 days of R&D in April this year. At the R&D the character of Fred started to appear: a very self aware puppet that lives in the real world. We had a lot of fun exploring the various difficulties this might encounter - going on a date, or to the job centre. 

What made you decide to do a puppet show?
The relationship between the puppet and his puppeteers is a really interesting metaphor for issues that are pertinent within the learning disabled community: support, dependence, interdependence and ultimately independence. 

We're thrilled that one of our cloth training puppets have ended up in the show. What inspired you to use him?
I love the simplicity. I love that he is naked and therefore vulnerable in the world. I love that he is literally a blank canvas. 

What has been the main focus of the R&D last week?
In the first 3 days we focused on creating a story arc for Fred. We used big bits of paper, mapping out the potential plot and stuck them up around the room. In the last 2 days when Tom Espiner from Blind Summit joined us, we focused very much on the puppetry. The effect this had was that Fred suddenly seemed to wake up in this room which had his life all mapped out, without him having any prior knowledge of it. This seemed to work rather well. 

What has been the most challenging aspect of the project so far?
Being able to adapt and change as we progress - not being afraid to let go of ideas in favour of others. 

What is the next stage in development for the project?
We now go into rehearsals at the end of January. We then have a short two week tour in South Wales. We hope to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival next year followed by a national tour.

www.hijinx.org.uk/meet-fred          

Happy Halloween! Here's our pick of the Top 10 scariest Puppets...

In reverse order...

10. Punch
Comically violent and over the top at times, Mr Punch may not be the biggest baddie but he certainly is no Mr Nice Guy! At least not to his wife...

9. Skeksis from The Dark Crystal

The most terrifying Jim Henson invention, these guys are definitely not new to conjuring evil master plans...

8. Audrey 2 in Little Shop of Horrors 

Do not come too close otherwise you'll be his next meal...

7. Cryptkeeper in Tales of the Crypt

Unsettling with a hint of comedic elements, the Cryptkeeper is a scary yet intriguing character...

6. Plague Doctor Marionettes

Gritty and utterly grim, if this doctor is treating you then expect the outlook to be gloomy...

5. 'Ghost of Christmas yet to come' in The Muppets Christmas Carol

Definitely the scariest Muppet of them all...

4. The White Rabbit in Alice

Not your usual childhood adaption of this famous book - this taxidermy rabbit by Jan Svankmajers is truly disgusting...

3. Giant Praying Mantis from Sarruga 

Of all the Spanish company's giant outdoor puppets we think this is the freakiest...

2. Ghost puppets in Kwaidan by Rouge28

Currently to be seen at the Suspense Festival, these puppets are inspired by Japanese horror movies...

1. Billy from Saw

Ruthless, unforgiving, stubborn yet intelligent, he stands firmly among the most evil master minds of modern horror...

Have we missed your scariest puppet? Let us know! 

So what is Animo?

Next week, Mark will be a special guest in Improbable's Animo at Suspense Puppetry Festival. I had a chat to Improbable's Co-Artistic Director, Lee Simpson, to find out what actually goes on...


How would you describe Animo in one sentence?
The bastard child of improvisation and puppetry

Where did Animo begin and why?
It was a way for the different aspects of Improbable to meet onstage: Julian's mask and puppet making, Phelim's experimental theatre, and my cheap impro comedy. 

How does the show work?
The short answer is that it doesn't always. What does happen, is that we meet onstage, meet the audience and take it from there. There's no structure or shape in mind. We find out what kind of show it is as we go along and at the same time as the audience. 

How do you decide on the range of everyday materials and objects used in each performance?
There are some regular things: newspaper, sticky tape, sticks, usually some foam rubber and cardboard. Other than that it's pretty arbitrary. Whatever catches our attention or whatever is lying around the theatre! 

What is the most challenging aspect of performing the show?
Trusting the not knowing.

What else are you looking forward to seeing at Suspense Festival?
Rouge28 Theatre's Kwaidan - they are also performing at the New Diorama. Christopher Leith's piece should be very special too. 

www.suspensefestival.com/whats-on-shows

6 questions in 6 minutes - puppetry company Humanish on their rehearsals this month...

Supported puppetry company Humanish are rehearsing their new show Holy Presents - a puppet sketch comedy about Christmas Day in the house of the Holy Trinity, at Blind Summit this month. I spoke to Artistic Director Tara Boland to find out more about the show...

Where did the idea for Holy Presents come from?
It began as my final project at LISPA, using scenes from Les Mis. I had seen Humanette puppets used in other shows and just really loved the image and idea of making big things small. 

Who are the characters in Holy Presents?
Jesus - the prodigal son who is quite righteous and earnest
God - is senile and considering other career choices he never had (mainly being an actor)
The Holy Ghost - he likes drinking, farting and the female body (as well as his own!) 

A Humanette puppet is...
...a table top puppet, with a body about the size of a 9 month old baby attached to the head of a performer. 

What have you been focussing on during your rehearsal time at Blind Summit?
We're mainly focussing on the structure and the detailing of the narrative.

What's your top puppetry tip that has come out of rehearsals so far?
Slow down! Take your time - let the puppet do the talking. 

And most importantly, when can we see Holy Presents?
We are doing a half hour showcase at the Warwick Arts Centre on 7th November, as part of China Plate Theatre's Bite Size Festival. 

Our London premiere and run is from the 15 - 19 December at Camden People's Theatre. 

For updates on Holy Presents, head to Humanish's Facebook page www.facebook.com/humanishcompany

A huge thank you to our Edinburgh donors...

We would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated towards Citizen Puppet in Edinburgh!

By ensuring we could make the puppets and keep them up and running in Edinburgh, you helped us to:

- Be seen by 3,880 audience members
- Take the puppets onto the streets of Edinburgh to build new audiences
- Win a prestigious Scotman's Fringe First Award
- Be picked as one of the recommendations for the British Council international showcase
- Have the work seen by 150 programmers from around the world

Without you, we couldn't have done it. So thank you from Mark, Steph, Brittany, the cast, company and the puppets! 

We will keep you all up to date with the future of the show. But if you'd like to see more ways you can support the company, please visit http://blindsummit.com/supportus.htm

Love Blind Summit x

Stories from Edinburgh...

Now that our time in Edinburgh has come to an end, I take a look back at some of the highs & lows from the festival... 

Sunday 2nd August
We've arrived! A walk around Edinburgh to get our bearings and we spot our first advert on The Mound! 

Monday 3rd
Tina is found having a cheeky fag break by the fire exit during our tech time... 

Tuesday 4th 
11 hour script writing party to get the show ready for our first preview tomorrow!

Saturday 8th
We did it! Opening night was a success... DI Clive perches himself at the bar all night to celebrate... 

Thursday 13th
The reviews are in! 
**** "Fear not their awesome puppet powers"-The Scotsman

Tuesday 18th
Tina gets herself into a bit of trouble on The Royal Mile whilst flyering for being a bit too flirtatious...

Friday 21st
We seem to have gone and won ourselves The Scotsman Fringe First award! Daz accepts it on behalf of the team

Later that day...
The Citizens are invited onto STV's Edinburgh Festival programme. Suki does a beautiful rendition of 500 miles, whilst Tina asks the presenter out on a date (in front of hubby Howie)

Monday 24th
Citizen Puppet is featured in the British Council's late recommendations for the festival...

Thursday 27th
The cast of Familie Floz's Hotel Paradiso and the Citizens join on stage for a photo. We just love those giants...

Saturday 29th
Suki meets Spillikin the Robot, they fall in love & he proposes...

Sunday 30th
The last day is here! It's been a busy month and the show has changed in so many different ways. A huge thanks to our team at the Pleasance for all of the support!

If you want to see more from our trip to Edinburgh, check out our Facebook & Twitter pages