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Libraries
Armchair Puppet Theatre has extensively toured public libraries since 1989. We regularly work in the libraries of eight counties across Southern England, with our puppet shows and shadow puppet workshops. We have performed at the Library Theatre, Sheffield and are keen to extend our connections with libraries throughout Britain. We are able to provide a variety of activities, in morning, afternoon and evening sessions. Bookings are usually for two sessions a day at different library venues. We participate in official openings of new libraries, book festivals, library presentations and celebratory events. Our puppet work is especially suited to the focused library environment, and workshop participants are able to make excellent use of the library books as reference for stories and images. For the workshops we provide for school and community college libraries see Shadow Puppets and Cultural Diversity. Puppet Workshops for Summer Reading Challenges Over the last seven summers, Armchair Puppet Theatre
has devised specific workshops for the National Reading Challenges -
Relay, Carnival, Planet, Maze, Rollercoaster, Voyage and Mission. For
each of these reading themes we developed a Shadow Puppet Workshop that
enabled groups of up to 25 participants to make the characters and props
to illustrate scenes from their favourite storybooks. The finale of each
workshop was four or five shadow puppet shows that were performed to
fellow participants, family and friends. Devised especially for these
library tours have been “Libris” the
Carnival Dragon, six stretchy Aliens, and introductory shadow puppet
presentations of the Greek myth “Theseus and the Minotaur”, “Fun
Fair”, "The Owl and the Pussycat" and a brief resume of a thrilling
espionage story. Enquire. Burglar Bill A well known and wonderful story book by Janet and Allan
Ahlberg is presented as a glove and shadow puppet show for the whole family.
Packed full of details from the book this is a very funny and engaging
performance with something for everyone, lots of audience participation
and a moral ending. Having performed this puppet show professionally since
1988, there's now a second generation cult following of audiences who
love dressing up in their stripy clothes and burglar masks. Our puppet
theatre is able to fit into the smallest of libraries, and yet large enough
to hold a capacity audience spellbound in a Central Library. Small Wonder This intimate piece of children's theatre is set in a colourful
mediaeval walled town and performed with an intricate set of glove, rod
and shadow puppets. The people of town are involved in a frantic search
to find "something that has never been seen before by human eyes".
In a race against the cuckoo clock, will they solve this impossible task
in time for the Queen's arrival? This story by Tony Jones, commissioned
by us for a slightly older audience, has been published in a school anthology
of drama ideas. The conclusion has an environmental twist. Big Read Armchair Puppet Theatre has animated two Big Read events with shadow puppet workshops. In Berkshire we introduced the session by performing an excerpt from Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" and in Portsmouth, workshop participants made all the puppets to perform the Cyclops story from Homer's "The Odyssey".
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"Burglar Bill is THE BEST puppet
show I have ever seen! It has enhanced the reputation of the Library among
those who attended." "The children were enthralled with the Small
Wonder puppets and the set was wonderful. The mixed age group all enjoyed
it."
What librarians said about our Reading Challenge work... “Everyone had such a fabulous time at the
Reading Mission workshop. They all will have wonderful memories. As
children were leaving and thanking us again and again, I heard them
planning puppet shows at home - what fun!! I am so glad you could come." "The Rollercoaster Workshop got them all to
work together to produce something for everybody to share. It made
me think
what we are all capable of and was brilliant that the kids were so pleased.” "Excellent coverage - dovetailing in with the
Maze theme!" "Listening skills were encouraged through storytelling,
performance and in following practical instructions. Good experience of
working together and problem solving." "It was good seeing families working
together and performing their puppet plays together. The simplest materials
made such effective puppets. We do hope that you will come again!" |
