Text and silence

Eleanor Margolies had attended a breakfast conversation organised by THEMAA, the French puppetry organisation, during the 2019 puppet festival in Charleville-Mézières in September 2019.

2020-01-15

This Is Puppetry: An interview with Drew Colby

As part of Puppet Centre's This Is Puppetry campaign we're interviewing puppeteers from across the full range of puppet activity, from opera to film, and from community workshops to the West End and Broadway. This month, as we celebrate Puppets and Shadows, we chat to Drew Colby.

2018-11-12

German Puppet Theatre Conference 2018

Mervyn Millar's report on the 3rd Deutsche Figurentheaterkonferenz, which took place this summer in Northeim.

2018-09-29

This Is Puppetry: An Interview with Mark Mander

An interview with Mark Mander (Clementine the Living Fashion Doll) for This Is Puppetry - Puppets and Comedy.

2018-09-13

Shadow Puppet Theatre from South East Asia at the British Museum: interview with co-curator Dr Alexandra Green

A new exhibition in room 91 of the British Museum displays its collection of Southeast Asian shadow puppets, co-curated by Dr Alexandra Green, Henry Ginsburg Curator for Southeast Asia at the British Museum, and Matthew Isaac Cohen, Professor of International Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London. Deborah Nash talks to the exhibition's co-curator, Dr Green.

2016-10-17

Speaking to Theatre Témoin

Roxana spoke to Ailin Conant, the founding artistic director of Theatre Témoin to talk about their show The Marked. Animations Online have already seen the show up in Edinburgh and are pleased to see it's coming to London and touring again. 

Ailin: Theatre Témoin was founded in Toulouse in 2007 by graduates of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA) as a forum for creating new works of theatre that are both socially engaged and fun. Our first project, Borderline, was a farcical look at the bureaucracy of the French immigration system. The cast was concurrently volunteering at the CIMADE – an organization that provides legal counsel for undocumented immigrants and their families – and it was this work that gave the piece most of its vitality, depth, and relevance. While creating Borderline we came to understand the importance – not just socially, but artistically – of dialoguing and collaborating with the communities around us. In 2010 we moved our base back to London and have since produced projects in the UK, USA, Mexico, Rwanda, India, Israel, and Lebanon. 

2016-10-17

An interview of laughter

a conversation with Frank Soehnle of Figurentheater Tübingen

Talk to me about the inspiration behind the Cabinets of Curiosity. 

"The Cabinet of Curiosities really provided a frame for two colleagues to work with together" Frank admits. Although Figurentheater Tübingen always invite other artists to create work (their past shows for example have included dancers, actors and musicians), this is the first project where they have invited other puppeteers to collaborate on the project as well.

"Normally I am the puppeteer and I work with other art forms" Franks says giggling, "because I am already the puppeteer - so it never seemed as interesting for me". 

2016-01-25

Interview with The Wrong Crowd

Bonnie Mitchell and Rachael Canning, both co-directors of The Wrong Crowd, took time out from their rehearsal and previewing process for their new show Kite to answer some questions for Animations, letting us know about the inspiration for the show, the benefits of a designer/director who understand puppetry as a fundamental building block of everything that happens on stage, and development of the company to this point.

Bonnie is the Producer, and Rachael the Director/Designer, of Kite.

2016-01-24

Interview with Certain Dark Things

on Tuesday 19th January 2016

Roxana Haines

In a darkened upstairs corner of a theatre in Waterloo, I finish one meeting with an emerging company just as the duo behind Certain Dark Things arrive (now abbreviated to CDT). How can I tell they are the puppeteers I'm waiting for? Because they are both sporting a matching stylish look in all-black; of course.

This interview in the shadows is tinged with the knowledge that this company only today have received a rejection for their first ACE Grants for the Arts application. Despite the harsh reality that comes with no funding, positivity undeniably still beams from Sarah and Stephen (the co-artistic directors) as they introduce me to their currently nameless puppet. 

 

2016-01-19

Welcome to Animations Online

Animations Online is a web-based magazine for contemporary puppetry and object theatre. We explore the full spectrum of practice, ranging from traditional puppetry to experimental visual theatre, art and film.

Explore the site for reviews, features and occasional festival previews, delve into our archive and visit our blog.

If you would like to write for us, or if you have an idea for an article send your thoughts to pct@puppetcentre.org.uk or animationsonline@puppetcentre.org.uk.

2012-12-11

The Animations Online Writing Team

Catherine Alexander, Cariad Astles, Helen Babbs, Jeremy Bidgood, Beth Crane, Darren East, Penny Francis, Helen Jauregui, Katharine Kavanagh, Sian Kidd, Nigel Luck, Celia Mendizabal, Addya Panayiotou, Isobel Smith, Jungmin Song, EJ Stedman, Alexander Winfield

Join us email animationsonline@puppetcentre.org.uk to find out more

 

2012-07-31

After Chekov Review

2020-03-02 reviews

Our reviewer Addya went to see After Chekov during Manipulate at Norwich Puppet Theatre.

Great Grimm Tales Review

2020-02-19 reviews

Our reviewer Addya Panayiotou went to see Great Grimm Tales by Box Tale Soup during manipulate visual theatre festival at Norwich.

Wunderkammer Review

2019-05-26 reviews

Our reviewer Addya Panayiotou went to see 'Wunderkammer' by Figurentheatre Tuebingen during the Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival at Norwich Puppet Theatre.

Review - The Water Babies

2019-01-06 reviews

Our reviewer Addya Panayiotou went to see The Water Babies by String Theatre, a marionette production inspired by Charles Kingsley's novel, at Norwich Puppet Theatre.

Review - The Wider Earth

2018-10-20 reviews

Penny Francis went to review "The Wider Earth" at the Natural History Museum, running until 30t December 2018.

Interview with Jan Zalud

2018-10-09 features

An interview with puppet maker Jan Zalud about the production Hansel & Gretel. Poet Simon Armitage and Guildhall School of Music & Drama professor Matthew Kaner have collaborated for a reimagining of the Hansel & Gretel tale subtitled "(a nightmare in eight scenes)", which receives its London premiere on 12 October 2018.

Tricks with Strings

2018-04-28 features

Animations Online interviewed Rachel Warr ahead of the marionette performance ‘Tricks with Strings’ at the V&A this weekend. 

Tricks with Strings is on at the V&A Museum in the Globe Space (European galleries) This Sunday 29th April 2018 at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm. 

Performances are 20mins, and FREE. 

 

The Four Seasons

2018-03-24 reviews

Penny Francis goes to see The Four Seasons, A Re-imagining at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre, London with puppetry by Gyre & Gimble. 

A Heart at Sea - Half a String

2018-03-23 reviews

A Heart at Sea charts the story of a young boy who throws his heart out to sea following the death of his sister, and his subsequent quest to retrieve it. The show is an original offering from designer and puppeteer Peter Morton, & musician and writer Avi Simmons, who make up the company Half a String.

Sleeping Beauty

2018-03-22 reviews

One of the highlights of the first ever Nottingham Puppet Festival, which took place in March this year, was Cie Akselere's ingenious retelling of 'Sleeping Beauty'.