Marionettes

On Thursday 7 September 2023, Outreach ran a Marionette event celebrating the craft of marionette making, which in 2023 was added to the Heritage Craft Association endangered list.

The event was for both Guild members and guests from the puppetry community. The day included a rare opportunity for some professional development training for mid-career puppeteers with little access to marionettes, followed by public displays and demonstrations by expert marionette makers. There was a chance for anyone to have a go at operating a marionette, informal performances and a panel discussion about the craft of the marionette and its future. 

Images left to right: Andrew Grundon, Sarah Vigars, Nik Palmer

The evening explored the following topics:

• Strings and controls
• 2D sketches into 3D forms
• Carving and modelling marionettes with character
• Marionette construction with modern materials and techniques
• Marionettes in TV/film 

The event was organised by Guild member Rachel Warr with help from Sue Dacre, and contributions from:

• Dave Barclay
• Andrew Grundon
• Roger Lade
• Ronnie Le Drew
• Stan Middleton of The Puppet Theatre Barge
• Nik Palmer of Noisy Oyster
• Mary Turner - doyenne of marionettes on TV/film
• Sarah Vigars
• Lyndie Wright MBE - co-founder of Little Angel Theatre

with video contributions from Keith Frederick, Oliver Hymans, John Roberts and Jan Zalud.