Shadow Puppetry Commissions:

Sherlock Holmes & the Speckled Band by Theatre Mill

I was commissioned by York based site specific theatre company Theatre Mill to create shadow puppets for a shadow play within a play as part of their show “Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band” and to give the actors who would be performing the show training in how to use them.  The play was supposed to be performed by a band of gypsies and (as I am not aware of a gypsy shadow puppetry tradition), I felt that Greek style shadow puppets would be a suitable look for the show and so with the director’s approval I made the puppets in this style.  Below is a review of the production from the time:

“My favourites, I have to say, were the colourful and ragamuffin bunch of gypsies that frequently piled onto the stage in a whirl of colour and sound. They were fun to watch, wonderful to listen to, and their puppetry show was so stunning that I would happily pay money just to see that bit again.”

Mari Elliott, Full Circle Arts

CLICK HERE to read my blog post about the commission

CLICK HERE to contact me about making shadow puppets for your theatre production

Shadow Puppet Suitcase Theatre  Commission for Nenagh Watson

This commission was for a show Nenagh made for her wedding.

She wanted a Shadow Puppet Suitcase Theatre similar to mine and provided a vintage suitcase of her own to convert for the purpose.

Nenagh specified what colour webbing she wanted for the straps and how she wanted it decorated. She opted for a simple but effective plain gloss white all over with egg shell finish on the beading for the frame. We also covered the handle with a new piece of leather as the original had seen better days.

CLICK HERE to view my original blog post about the commission. Nenagh is described as a puppet theatre professional in this post as she wanted to keep the show and suitcase a secret till the day of the wedding.

“THANK YOU so very very much – its beautiful!… Just thank you for the care you have taken with it! Wonderful!“

Nenagh Watson (just after receiving the suitcase)

“The suitcase continues to inspire & I’m so delighted that I commissioned you to make it – golly it’s nearly 7 years and has stood the test of time! 👍❤️”

A recent comment from Nenagh regarding the suitcase theatre.

CLICK HERE for Nenagh’s Facebook page: “Barking Dog”

CLICK HERE to contact me about making bespoke shadow puppet theatres.

Minotaur Barn Dance Shadow Show

I was commissioned to make shadow puppets for a community barn dance event by Pioneer Projects. The story had been created in sessions between a local boy and community musician Leo Nolan:

Local farmers coming to the Bentham Auction Mart were mysteriously disappearing when they went to use the toilet.

A puppet was made to represent the local boy who became the hero of the story by defeating a minotaur with the help of animals he meets on his journey. The minotaur becomes a reformed character at the end by looking after the sheep of the farmers who “disappeared”.

After completing the puppets for the show I trained more local children/young people to be puppeteers for the show and assisted backstage during the performance.

CLICK HERE to contact me about making shadow puppets for your community theatre or youth theatre production including training on how to use them.

Other Puppetry Commissions:

Officer Buckle and Gloria

We were commissioned by the Bradford Safeguarding Children Board the show to create a puppet show adaptation of Peggy Rathmann’s Caldecott Medal winning book “Officer Buckle & Gloria” for Child Safety Week.  This was our very first show adapted from a contemporary book and the process of applying for permission to adapt the book was an interesting learning experience!

CLICK HERE to see blog posts about the making of the show. You can click the “next” arrow in the top right corner of the post you can go forward in time and see the whole process of developing the show.

CLICK HERE to contact us about creating a brand new theatre show especially designed to fit your event.

The “Pony 3000” – The Transport of the Future!

In 2012 Rough Magic Theatre were commissioned to make a street theatre show to accompany an indoor theatre show by 509 Arts called “My Last Car“. The accompanying celebration/event was being organised by Alison Jones/Clough and was to be called “My Last CARnival”. I charted the making process on my blog. Please CLICK HERE to find the first post concerning this project. If you press the “next” arrow in the top right corner above the post it will scroll forward through time and you will be able to follow the whole making process.

CLICK HERE for “Pony 3000” show page for more info. and to BOOK THE SHOW!

CLICK HERE to contact us about making new shows especially for your outdoor or indoor event.

The Fox-Bat Phantom

This was a joint commission from Pioneer Projects and Bentham Theatre Group. The brief was to create a monster for a Pantomime version of “Sleeping Beauty” that started small and pathetic looking and would grow to fill the whole stage and be big and impressive looking. I was also to involve as many local Bentham children and young people in the making process as possible.

I also trained a team of 4 young people to puppeteer the “Fox-Bat Phantom”‘s wings, while I controlled the head in the 4 performances of the show.

CLICK HERE to contact me about making bespoke giant puppets for your community event or theatre production.

If none of the examples above are what you have in mind don’t hesitate to CONTACT US to have a chat about what you need. We look forward to hearing from you!