The DARKER side of Puppetry
A new approach to contemporary puppetry
In this hands-on laboratory style workshop we will discover some unfamiliar puppet types, for example:
The Alter Ego,
the Menace,
the Imaginary Friend
and the DARKER worlds of
the Imposter, the Phantom, the Simulacra and the Effigy.
If we re-examine our relationship, the context and the physical handling of a puppet, we can challenge the traditions in which we normally perform with one. And then if we begin to twist these basic rules and even go so far as breaking the bond between the puppet and the performer, we can expose some surprising and sometimes slightly unsettling new narratives.
It's a dangerous and vulnerable place the DARKER side but there is beauty and honesty to be found there, it's a very inspiring approach to puppetry.
These sessions will be a fun and safe space for experimentation and an opportunity to really dive deeply into these alternative performance methods. Techniques are geared towards performances for adult audiences but they can easily be adapted for use in all theatre types.
Duration: 1 to 5 days
Capacity: maximum 12 people
Absolutely no puppetry experience is necessary !
Suitable for any curious theatre creative: actor, dancer, clown, puppeteer, writer, director.
Ninon Noiret exploring the DARKER side of Puppetry for her show The Raft of the Crab. Glasgow 2021
Max has been kicked, shoved, stripped and dropped...
Royal Conservatoire Scotland - dance/movement improvisation
Following clues in a DARKER side installation piece - Atelier Libusin. Prague
NASTY puppetry workshop - UQàM Montreal 2020
Bochum figurentheater Germany - dance/movement improvisation
Following clues in another DARKER side installation piece - Atelier Libusin. Prague
See Calendar for upcoming workshops
Quotes from previous workshop participants:
Liverpool 2022
"As a complete beginner in 'proper' puppetry, the workshop has been extremely valuable."
"Gavin's experience and insights have been fab and I feel I've come miles in an area that previously felt out of reach.
My confidence has really grown"
"Gavin's teaching style was relaxed and playful but backed up by a wealth of experience"
Atelier Libusin, Prague, CZ. 2024
"As a maker rather than a performer, I found that performing with the puppets while the others watched was a bit daunting at first. But although we were exploring ‘the darker side’ of puppetry the atmosphere in the group was so warm, supportive and friendly that my inhibitions quickly melted away"
"One of the best workshops I attended"
Stamsund, Norway 2024
"This has been one of my most meaningful experiences and I've participated in different workshops since 2012.
Learning something completely new is rare and your workshop provided just that."
Special thanks to Anne-Kathrin Klatt for initial research and development thanks to Bochum Figurentheater-Kolleg 2018/2019