Everything You Need to Know About… Newcastle Puppetry Festival
All the info you need to make the most out of the fabulous fifth Newcastle Puppetry Festival
After four brilliant years that saw the Newcastle Puppetry Festival go from strength to strength, we’re extremely excited to say that it’s back again for its fifth edition.
Taking place across the city and with shows and workshops aimed at people of all ages, the whole week of events is a bright, bold riot of puppetry, performance and magical creations. We’ve gathered all the details you need to enjoy it to the fullest, from ticket prices to locations, shows and suitability.
What is Newcastle Puppetry Festival?
The Newcastle Puppetry Festival is, of course, a celebration of the art of puppetry in its myriad forms, run by Moving Parts Arts and with the first incarnation taking place in 2017, and subsequent festivals happening every two years since then. We asked one of the two organisers, Kerrin Tatman, what they feel the appeal and wonder of puppetry is.
“Puppetry might seem quite unusual or niche if you haven’t come across it much before,” Kerrin explains, “but people quickly realise that puppetry is for everyone and is very varied in its many different forms. Being largely visual, puppetry is able to bring people together and cross barriers such as language, ages and abilities. It is hugely accessible and offers unique ways of telling stories. Newcastle Puppetry Festival does include many events for children and families, but we are also very passionate about puppetry for adults and teenagers. Puppets can do many things which human actors can’t and so can also push boundaries and invite us into unseen worlds.”
The festival has become such a success (it even won the Journal Culture Award for Best Newcomer) that it is now going to be annual and is registered as a charity, although Kerrin is keen to stress that it’s still very much a local, community organisation.
When is it taking place?
The festival is running from 30th March to 7th and at various times (the website has all the details).
Where is it taking place?
The festival takes advantage of many of the performance and arts spaces in the city, with Northern Stage acting as the hub. There will also be shows and workshops at Great North Museum: Hancock, Breeze Creatives / The John Marley Centre, Newcastle University and - over in the Ouseburn – Seven Stories, Ouseburn Farm and The Cluny. There will also be a walkabout performance and parade – Beasts On The Street and the City of Kittiwakes parade – on Northumberland Street on 30th March.
What is happening during Newcastle Puppetry Festival?
The programme really is packed and varied, with something for everyone. Again, the website has a wealth of detail but expect a mixture of shows, street performances, Q&As, workshops and more. A few things caught our eye, like the UK premiere of Ascension from the SITIO Compagnie, a hit at the World Puppet Festival, a ‘visceral and cerebral spectacle for adults and teens’ and Breathe by Half A String, a combination of puppetry, folk and camera work in a celebration of nature - both happening at Northern Stage).
There will be a series of events on Northumberland Street – performances like The Snow Lion and A Sweep Of Swallows – with wonderful animal puppets moving and interacting with the public, and even an urban nature walk starting at Great North Museum: Hancock. There will be screenings of puppet-based movies (for example Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie) and a series of puppet-making workshops.
We asked Kerrin to point out a couple of shows that they’re particularly excited about, and they mentioned (among others) The Moving Parts Puppet Cabaret at Northern Stage on 1st April (‘a puppet-filled evening of laughter, wonder, glamour and mystery’) and Ghost Stories by The Paper Cinema, supernatural tales told with paper animation and live music, at Northern Stage on 4th April.
How much are tickets?
Ticket prices vary by event – some are free, some cost just a few pounds, and the workshops mostly cost around £120. The booking website has details of ticket availability and pricing (some events have already sold out so don’t dither!).
Is it family friendly?
With the wide range of shows available, it is worth checking suitability in advance. Some shows are specifically aimed at kids or teens, others are open to all and a few – shows like Lachlan Werner’s Voices Of Evil and Meet Fred by Hijinx Theatre – have age restrictions in place, so do check before you book tickets.
Newcastle Puppetry Festival really is one of the most delightful happenings in the city’s cultural calendar, a series of events full of imagination and wonder, with something for every taste. We really can’t recommend it enough, so get out in the city and sample some of the awe-inspiring events and activities on offer during this fantastic local festival.
