Project

Nottingham Puppet Festival 2024

Project dates: April 2024 - April 2024

Bringing the city to life with puppets and people

Nottingham Puppet Festival

The 2024 Nottingham Puppet Festival was produced by the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall and City Arts. The festival took puppetry of every kind to all corners of the city. It included shows, workshops, talks, exhibitions and processions. 2024 was the third Nottingham Puppet Festival.

City Arts’ contribution was focused on community outreach, artist development and a day long programme of free, accessible puppetry in Nottingham city centre. City Arts’ events attracted a total live audience of over 16,000.

Community Tours

We toured two shows for 0-4 year olds to libraries across the city. The Search for Teddy Island and Charlie Comet & the Magic in the Attic visited libraries in Bilborough, Bulwell, Wollaton, Strelley, The Dales, The Meadows, Hyson Green, Clifton and St Anns. The shows brought the festival to local people in the heart of their communities.

A group of young children sits on the floor, watching a puppet show. The puppet, with a large round head and simple facial features, is being manipulated by a person hidden behind a red wooden structure. The children, seen from behind, are attentive and engaged in the performance.
Charlie Comet & the Magic in the Attic. Photo by Lamar Francois.

We also transformed community centres into puppet theatres to bring world-class puppetry to local people across Nottingham. Stephen Mottram performed his puppetry showcase Eggbird and other String Puppet Stories at the Vine Centre, the Sheila Russell Centre, Bulwell Riverside and the Brendon Lawrence Centre. The performances were followed by puppet making workshops run by Sarah and Terry from Curious?, and Martin and Grace from By Our Hands.

Three children and one adult are engaged in a crafting activity at a table indoors. The adult, wearing a patterned headscarf, smiles as she assists the children, who are focused on their tasks. The table is filled with various craft supplies, including yarn, scissors, and fabric. The room has bright lighting and other people are visible in the background, participating in similar activities.
Puppet making workshops. Photo by Lamar Francois.

Puppet Maker Commission

We commissioned puppet maker Cat Rock to work with community groups to design two brand new puppets. The groups were users of the Hubb Neighbourhood Centre, pupils from Cantrell Primary School and the Nottingham Rebel Theatre Group. They were involved in selecting the artist we worked with and coming up with a concept for the puppet design. They decided on the idea of creating two magpies. The magpies were showcased at Nottingham Central Library as part of the puppet festival’s big City Centre day. Afterward they visited Cantrell School, Lakeside Arts, the Hubb and William Booth Primary School.

A group of six adults stands together outdoors in a park, smiling for a photo. They are surrounded by green grass, lush trees, and a partly cloudy sky. Two large black and white bird puppets with outstretched wings and a nest with blue eggs are behind them. The individuals are dressed warmly in jackets and coats.
The magpies at Hubb Community Centre.

City Centre Spectacle

On Saturday 13 April, Nottingham Puppet Festival took over Nottingham city centre. It was a packed day of activity featuring large scale puppet parades, performances big and small, exhibitions, a workshop and puppet walkabouts. City Arts produced the free day of puppetry and performance.

A large crowd gathers in a city center to watch a street performance. In the middle of the circle, performers interact with a giant puppet, alongside a woman in a red dress. The crowd includes people of all ages, standing closely together, and some taking photos or videos. The surrounding area features shops and storefronts.
Inspirate’s Ancient Giants. Photo by Lamar Francois.

On Albert Street, Inspirate’s impressive Ancient Giants battled. Mahogany Carnival Arts’ stunning costumes and puppets made a series of appearances, filling Market Square. There were elephants on Lister Gate. Finishing off the day, the Can Samba bateria provided a soundtrack to Mahogany’s puppet parade. The festival quadrupled the footfall on Lister Gate in Nottingham city centre – 16,577 people compared to 4,097 the previous Saturday.

A man performs with a puppet in front of an audience of children and adults, who are seated on the ground. The children look excited and engaged, with one child reaching out towards the puppet. The performer, dressed in a sweater and trousers, interacts closely with the audience. The outdoor setting is bustling with people.
HandMade Theatre perform outside Nottingham Central Library. Photo by Lamar Francois.

There were shows and exhibition inside Nottingham’s Central Library. Outside the Library Handmade Theatre and Lempen Puppet Theatre performed. As a result of hosting festival events, Nottingham Central Library reached its maximum capacity of 3,000.

Artist’s Bursaries

The festival awarded three bursaries to East Midlands artists to support them to realise a project. Their projects could be small or large scale, street puppetry or studio based, verbal or non-verbal, object theatre or craft based. The outcome could be a performance, a walkabout, a Q&A session, an exhibition or something else. Disability-led Meander Theatre Company received a bursary to develop a puppet show about workplace bullying and hate crime. Artists Bryony McCombie Smith and Liz Johnson received the others.

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