Hand and Rod Puppetry Masterclass

Led by Bee Daws

This one-day workshop will provide you with an understanding of the principles of hand and rod puppetry including; manipulation of mouth and arms, character creation, interaction with other puppets, and basic puppetry techniques.

Hand and Rod puppetry is well-known from Jim Henson’s ‘The Muppets’ and, not surprisingly, is great fun to learn! Suitable for beginners and professional performers, over the age of 18, who want to learn a more complex puppetry skill and continue to learn the principles of puppetry. This workshop is also a fantastic opportunity for those with some puppeteering experience to refresh their skills.

The day will be entirely practical and quite physical - You will work closely with other participants, as you work together to bring you puppet to life! During the workshop you will explore:

• The basic principles of puppetry
• Manipulation of mouth and arms
• Working collaboratively
• Puppetry character work
• Puppet interaction with humans and other puppets
• Improvisation skills

Saturday, 18th February 2017, 10am-4pm
Venue: Shoebox Theatre, Swindon, SN4 8BQ
Cost: £30
Suitable for ages 18+

About the course leader:

Bee Daws is an experienced puppeteer and puppet maker, specialising in hand and rod puppetry and Bunraku puppets. As well as receiving training from War Horse’s Tom Morris and Toby Olié, Little Angel Theatre and Blind Summit Theatre - Bee was taught by ‘Fly in a pie’ founder Marc Parrett and is training in puppet building skills with Peter Pullon. She also studied Theatre Directing at the University of Falmouth and works as regular practitioner for the Shoebox Theatre.