The London Puppetry Festival won’t leave you in Suspense

Puppetry, physical theatre and original music in The Fantasist

When: 25th October – 3rd November 2013

Where: At venues across London

£: Ticket prices vary depending on the event

What is it?

Suspense is a festival of puppetry which takes place annually in London.  The aim of the festival is to explode the myths that currently surround puppetry in this country; proving that puppets are not just for kids.

From 25th October to 3rd November Suspense will be showcasing a diverse range of contemporary work from UK and international practitioners, bringing puppetry to new adult audiences.

Here are some of the festival highlights:

Go on a journey with the Dustpan odyssey

Alice
At the V&A on 2nd & 3rd November
Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10)
It is 1915.  While bombs rain down outside Alice takes refuge in her dusty cellar, rediscovering her childhood amongst old lamp shades, broken toys and moth-eaten christening gowns.  The objects around her come to life, transporting you to a magical world of talking rabbits, mad hatters and savage queens.   Alice is based on Lewis Carroll’s literary classic and the real life Alice Liddell who inspired it.

Boris & Sergey’s Astonishing Freakatorium
At The King’s Head Theatre, 25th – 28th October & 2nd November
Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10)
This puppet clown duo’s cabaret has been commissioned especially for the Suspense festival.  Hold on to your hats as they delve for your titillation into the world of the macabre.  Watch them recreate traditional scenes of geeking, feats of incredible fortitude, endeavours of unimaginable physical endurance and formidable artistry.

Dustpan odyssey
At the Little Angel Theatre, 1st – 3rd November
Tickets cost £16 (concessions £13)
The great puppet master, Philippe Genty, invites you to join Ulysses and his shipmates for an incredible journey.  In this object theatre adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, our hero is a corkscrew and sails on his indestructible vessel, which is nothing but a dustpan.

Boris & Sergey’s Astonishing Freakatorium

The Fantasist
At the Tristan Bates Theatre, 28th October – 2nd November
Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10)
Spinning together puppetry, physical theatre and original music, Theatre Témoin team up with War Horse’s Robin Guiver to explore the murky depths and glorious heights of bipolar disorder.

The Shop of Little Horrors
At the Pleasance Theatre, 26th – 28th October
Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10)
Grimlake’s Emporium of Novelties is a dilapidated shop on the outskirts of Nowhere, where corny magic tricks and strange puppets collect dust and cobwebs.  No one has entered the shop for years, but that’s just fine by proprietor Albert Grimlake.
Please note: This show contains no carnivorous plants!

More info: suspensefestival.com