High school ‘Beowulf’ shadow performance training

Last week we spent the day at Droylsden Academy, Manchester, where we worked with an entire year 7 group (nearly 250 of them), getting them to design and make shadow puppets and scenery to stage the epic tale of ‘Beowulf’.

 

 

Youth Theatre specialist training in Barrow, Cumbria

Over the past few months we have been working with Rachel Ashton of The Ashton Group’s Youth Theatre in Barrow on thier  new production of The Selkie Boy based on the traditional celtic myth of a creature who is a seal in the water and human on land.

We trained them in the design and performance methods on our life-sized ‘The Hoodies’ puppets, and staging, creating and using shadow puppetry techniques to use in their forthcoming production.

Creating an underwater scene using shadows and light

Designing and making eyeballs for 'The Hoodies' puppets

Early Years Creativity Training

Rachel has been to Claughton Childrens Centre on the Wirral near Liverpool to conduct an ‘Imaginary Leaps’ training session in creativity with staff from various local children’s centres.

In her report on the day, Debbie Hoy says “The training we received will support us in encouraging the development of children’s language and communication skills and support understanding of sustained shared thinking”

Debbie also says “It was very valuable having training in a specialist field such as puppetry delivered by someone who also clearly had an understanding of the EYFS which all our practitioners have regard to in their work.”

Ball Pond Bobby at the Dukes Lancaster

Shakera dancing with the sun

Bobby Spinning with Adam

Tea Party at the Bottom of the Ball Pond

Teddy Planet

Thurtinkle on ‘Look North West’

The day after Thurtinkle’s appearance on the 4th plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of the ‘One and Other‘ project by Antony Gormley, he was met by the BBC, who wanted to interview him and film him ‘doing something ordinary’ for the feature on the evening of the 7th of September 2009. Here is the result.

Earlyarts Professional Development Day

Earlyarts Professional Development Group

for the North West Region

Friday, 16^th October 2009

DNA Puppetry, The Watermark,

9-15 Ribbleton Lane, Preston, PR1 5EZ (directions here)

10.00 am – 4.00 pm

(Coffee from 9.30am)

please bring a packed lunch or money for the café

Programme:

10.00 Earlyarts National Growth Programme and introduction to Pathfinders in region

10.30        Morning Case Study Presentations by Earlyarts members:

• Elaine Bates and Debbie Walker, Renaissance North West on the Renaissance NW Early Years Family Learning Programme.
• Rebecca Johnson, Head of Learning and Play at Eureka on International Developments in Childrens Museums, and what next for family learning at Eureka.
• Rachel Riggs, DNA and Ruth Churchill Dower, Isaacs UK and Earlyarts on the learning emerging from Earlyarts International Exchange programme, Dandelion (focussing on theatre for families).

12.00     Earlyarts Knowledge – Latest publications, research, national initiatives and Speed Networking

12.30     Networking LUNCH

13.30     Practice Workshop – choose one of two excellent opportunities to gain ideas and skills:

a)      Zoe Greenhalgh, Turton Music – Supporting family learning through music (specifically exploring Kodaly approaches).

b)      Louise Rutherford, Peoples History Museum – story building with young children and families

16.0    Finish.

To book a place please contact Susan at earlyarts@isaacsuk.co.uk or phone

01484 685869.

Any problems on the day, phone Ruth on 07967 804223

Ball Pond Bobby – interactive performance and play for Early Years

We are performing ‘Ball Pond Bobby’ – our ground breaking piece of early years performance and play at the Dukes Lancaster and at Darlington Arts Centre this October. Here are some images of a recent performance we gave at First Steps Children’s Centre, Eavesale, Tanhouse, Skelmersdale. The images are of the early play activities between children, adults and performers to welcome them into the space, and also of the later free play activities that happen after the two performers have taken children and adults on an interactive journey of the imagination following the adventures of a puppet called Bobby & his teddy bear as they explore the world of the ball pond.

Ball Fishing

Ball Pond

Ball Play

Preston twinning film

Thurtinkle presents a short video for the town of Kalisz, Poland to celebrate the 20th anniversary of being twinned with Preston

Thurtinkle presents Preton-Kalisz twinning video

Early Years in Saltzberg

Rachel will be travelling to Austria at the end of the week as part of her Early Years Arts  ‘Dandelion’ learning award from Issaacs UK.

She will be leading a workshop with Toihaus theatre, visiting the famous Saltzberg Marionettes and also going to meet puppeteers and theatre makers in Villach, as well as generally pretending to be Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music!

Talking, texting, tweeting and the new interactivity

Thurtinke Garnetgetter, Preston’s oldest gnome and touring puppet storyteller, recounts the challenges of taking to an internet stage – “The opportunity to go on the plinth in Trafalgar Square came my way quite unexpectedly. I’d heard about the ‘One and Other’ project as I’m a big fan of Artichoke (giant puppets in London and Liverpool) and also I love the arts and Antony Gormley’s work.”

“I have always told stories to audiences, but this time it was a bit different. There was not only the people in Trafalgar Square at the time, but there was also going to be an audience watching live (with a 30 second delay) on t’internet!”

Thurtinkle started to have a look at what the other people who got on the plinth were doing. Each day, each hour, 24 hours a day, a different person was placed on the plinth. They could do whatever they pleased. Some sat, chatted on the phone and took pictures. Some dressed up, or played music or supported a cause. Some attempted to entertain, but it turned out to be a difficult platform.

Then Thurtinkle met the ‘twecklers’ – ” These were people who watched a lot of the time on the internet, and were chatting to each other about the plinthers and stuff using the hashtag #oneandother.”

This is from a the ‘One and Other’ site – Ben (@mittfh) say  “I’m a Tweckler (sorry folks, I think it was me that coined that awful portmanteau!), Whenever I’ve been Tweckling, the comments have ranged from positive and supporting to light-hearted banter – but nothing approaching insults. The most abusing it’s likely to get is frustration at plinthers who mope around looking bored, or satirical remarks at pliches (plinther cliches – e.g. phoning a friend to say ‘I’m on the plinth!’).”

Thurtinkle set up a twitter account and joined in with the twecklers, getting to know quite a few of them and also twittering with the workers from Artichoke who ran the cameras and the project, looking for ideas to tell stories that this particular audience might enjoy while he was on the plinth.

“I soon realised that they love being involved. So I got the idea of involving them in helping me make up stories. So far we’ve had two successful ‘Tweet at a time Story’ #taats sessions, and I told both stories from the plinth; one was from the week before, and I’d tidied that one up a bit, but the other one was made up by the twecklers DURING my hour on the plinth, and I told that story at the end of my time, just before I got naked.”

” I also held a competition and bought myself a pay-as-you-go phone so people could text me. Loads did! Unfortunately I was all fingers and thumbs and  it was hard to read the text with the lights shining in my eyes. I’d brought a little speaker amp so people wouldn’t struggle to hear me.”

“I’m hoping to keep making up stories and entertaining my internet audience. I’ll always want to appear live, but it’s nice to be able to reach people and make new friends in this new way. Apart from Twitter, I’m on myspace and facebook now, and people are tagging photos of me with my name.”