Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling

You’re invited to…Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling

Join masters of puppetry Brunskill and Grimes for a three-day workshop during May half term. Jimmy and Andy have worked on an amazing range of puppetry shows, including working as Associate Director and Associate Puppetry Director on the critically-acclaimed National theatre production of War Horse.

What can I expect at Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling?

These workshops explore the many possibilities working with puppets allows: moments of connection, exploring empathy and creating secret worlds. Children will be introduced to the principles behind Brunskill and Grimes approach to puppetry, which has been seen across stages internationally and the most well known theatres in London. They will learn how to devise stories and performance with puppetry at its heart, using the techniques of the professionals. The experts, Jimmy and Andy, will guide children throughout the three days.

Day 1: Movement, anatomy and meccano making 

• Get to know each other throughout games and exercises. For puppetry it’s important to work together, so day one will focus on collaboration and making friends
• Start to work on movement exercises as an introduction to puppetry, thinking about moving together and communication
• Learn about anatomy, physiology and gravity and how this can be a starting point for puppetry storytelling
• Start to make the framework of puppets using meccano. They’ll be guided through the construction process to bring animal characters to life – to understand how and why things move as they do

Day 2: Devising and design 

• Work on movement exercises as a group, to improve collaboration skills
• Start to learn about and devise stories through images
• Continue to build on their puppets and to dress their creations to give them their individual personalities
• Work in groups to devise narratives together for fay three’s performance

Day 3: Practice and performance 

• Finish off the puppet making process
• Use animal psychology and physiology as the starting point devising stories for the final show
• Get the puppets in action to create an immersive experience t
• Perform to friends and family!

What will children learn at Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling?

• How to create a narrative with visual stimulus as the starting point
• How understanding physiology can help you be a better puppeteer and performer
• How to express and explore emotion with puppets
• How to collaborate in groups to create narratives and scenarios
• How to make and move puppets
• Learn how to bring puppet characters to life using three basic performance principles; breath, focus and fixed point
• Create a puppetry piece and present it to an audience

When is Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling

This is a three-day activity camp at the Imagination Lab between 29-31 May. The days are 9.30am – 4pm. Children are required to attend all three days of the camp.

Who is Lab Liftoff: Puppetry Storytelling for and how much does it cost?

This activity camp is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old and is £180 for the three days. Children do not need to be accompanied at the sessions, but must be dropped off and picked up by an adult or carer at the beginning and the end of each day. All participants must bring a packed lunch.

If you have further questions about the camp, please email: imaginationlab@ioi.london