Since launching in February, we have been delighted with how busy we have been. We have sent boxes of puppets to Hastings, Hull and Hong Kong. We have delivered puppets from Southampton to Singapore; to universities, drama schools, secondary schools and to individual practitioners.
Our first international delivery was to Hong Kong, and since then we have been contacted by a number of international schools, sending orders out to Singapore, Phillipines and Dubai. An interesting conversation with Hull University allowed us to develop a range of fabric tones for the puppets - something which we had always wanted to do. The range of colours are now available when you place an order.
We love receiving news and photos of the puppets in use all over the world. One school told us how they had used the puppets in GCSE and A Level devised performance and in a version of Pool no Water for assessment. Another school sent us images of the puppets in rehearsal for a devised production about space. Our puppets were also used by performers Miss High Leg Kick, Shit-faced Shakespeare and A&E Comedy in rehearsal to develop their work. In the summer term we will be running some workshops in London as part of an end of term enrichment week. We have always wanted PuppetBox puppets to be versatile and accessible and the fact that they are used from rehearsal room to stage is really exciting.
We have had a few enquiries about running a training weekend with the puppets specifically for practitioners and teachers. This is something we are looking into and hope to run in the future. We are building up a list of people who might be interested in this. Do let us know if you’d like to be on the list.
Meanwhile in Brighton the festivals have finished, and it feels like the start of summer. Annie has been making puppets for A&E Comedy, Touched Theatre, Chemical Brothers and Spy Monkey. We are both performing in Long Nose Puppet’s ‘Out of the Hat’ which will be on tour into the Autumn. Sophie will be heading to some festivals across the summer with Mischief and Mystery in Moominvalley.
This week both of us start work with Jennifer Irons on her production Yukon Ho! Tales of the great White North. Annie will be bringing her design expertise and Sophie will be adding direction. This show will be going to the Edinburgh Festival so if you are heading to Edinburgh this summer make sure you see it. Some more Edinburgh highlights from our Brighton friends - A&E Comedy’s Witch Hunt and Bryony Kimmings ‘I’m a Phoenix Bitch’ both come highly recommended.
In the meantime, if you know someone who needs some puppets in their life send them our way. Enjoy your summer!
Sophie and Annie xx
Photo by Liz Seacombe