No strings attached to Puppet Festival in Poole (From Dorset Echo)

No strings attached to Puppet Festival in Poole

12:00pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Stage By Ruth Meech

LIGHTHOUSE in Poole, the largest arts centre outside of London, has announced it will be hosting Poole’s first ever Puppet Festival over the spring half-term.

The festival will be celebrating all things puppet-related and will feature incredible, innovative and captivating family puppet shows and wonderful puppet workshops, plus performances for the grown-ups as well.

The festival will feature thirteen shows, one puppet cabaret, one exhibition and six workshops, with at least nine puppet theatre companies involved.

Helen Donaldson, education programmer at Lighthouse, explains, “This is a pilot festival but we hope it will prove successful enough to run as a regular event.

“Puppets and puppet shows have been around for centuries but over the last 10 years there has been a resurgence, with London hosting the Suspense puppet festival and International Mime Festival.

“Lighthouse has always included puppetry in its programme but it’s exciting to welcome some new companies, Cube Theatre and Squashbox Theatre for children.

“We are also delighted that the talented Blind Summit Theatre will present their ‘extreme puppetry’ sketch show, The Table, which won a Fringe First at Edinburgh Festival.”

The event kicks-off on February 11.

For further details and to book tickets call 0844 406 8666.