Horse + Bamboo Theatre’s Puppet Festival
When: 14th – 16th July 2017
Where: Horse + Bamboo Theatre, 679 Bacup Road, Waterfoot, Rossendale BB4 7HB
£: Ticket prices vary, depending on the event. Some events are free
What is it?
The Horse + Bamboo Theatre’s Puppet Festival will take place from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th July in Rossendale, Lancashire.
This year’s festival promises something for everyone, young to old, with plenty of quirky shows, workshops and even a puppet parade to enjoy. There will be eight spaces around the theatre, both indoor and outdoor, showing everything from intimate little puppet shows, storytelling and music performances, to the larger theatre spaces featuring a mix of shadow puppets and marionettes in classic and modern tales.
On the Friday, there will be special free Theatre for One performances, where a selection of mini theatre experiences for one spectator will be taking place at The Whitaker and The Co-Op. These special shows will give audiences the chance to put their head in the mouth of a lion, or look into Darwin’s time machine to see the origin of a most unusual species. Other new quirky mini theatres, lasting just three minutes, will also be premiered at the this year’s festival.
Miniature puppet shows inside a big, mule puppet, with Kit and Caboodle
Also on the Friday will be The Matthew Robins Show, which promises a collection of songs, short stories, shadow puppets, home-made films, made-up games, choose-your-own-adventures, and competitive audience puppet-making.
On the Saturday, the Insect Circus will invite the audience to forget reality and become immersed in the strange and beautiful world of insects’ get lost in the forest with Cyborg Rodents and the Curious Contraption; or enjoy a ‘pop-up’ adventure of perilous quests with The Fisher-Knight’s Tale.
Also on Saturday, enjoy miniature puppet shows inside a big, rolling mule puppet, as the timeless theme of migration is packaged up in Thingumajig’s latest street act, Kit and Caboodle.
Sunday’s entertainment will include a 12th birthday party, the story of a sorrowful stag, a circus workshop, and wrapping up the festival weekend, a puppet parade.
More info: www.horseandbamboo.org and www.horseandbamboo.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/PuppFest2017