At October half-term Norwich Puppet Theatre has an exciting programme of shows and workshops for children and families. The events form part of a special season to celebrate the Theatre’s 30th Birthday.

“This autumn we have a packed events programme to celebrate our 30th anniversary. The season will culminate in an exhibition at Fusion in the Forum, a celebrity glove puppet auction, open day and cabaret event. We hope people will get involved and see what we have to offer” – Ian Woods.

Arabian Nights from Theatre of Widdershins opens the half-term performances on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October at 2.30pm. The production brings together the three lost tales of Sheherazade, the Queen of storytellers. Andy Laurence and Theatre Widdershin, fresh from sell-out shows at the Edinbugh Fringe, takes audiences on an exciting journey through roasting deserts, sand-dunes, scented markets and fish-filled seas, using puppets, masks, storytelling and wonderfully atmospheric music.

On Wednesday 27 October at 2.30pm Nutmeg Theatre will be performing Pip’s Wildlife Garden. Pip takes audiences to the wild, glorious jungle at the bottom of her garden. Here they will see a host of natural wonders including the hedgehog feasting on snails, the barn owl hunting, and, if they are lucky, the hare dance by moonlight. But all is not tranquil in the garden as Pip clashes with grumpy Grandad. As the story unfolds, will Pip and Grandad find a way to share the garden, and will they all get enough to eat? The production is brought to life with a wide range of puppets, storytelling, songs and original music by Nico Brown of the Dublin Ark.

The last show of the week is Cornelius and Jones’ retelling of the classic puppet story Pinocchio. “Only good sons have a chance of becoming real boys” warns the cricket. But try as he might, Pinocchio the puppet cannot stay out of trouble.The play captures the magic of the original story and is performed with hand-carved puppets and original music and songs by Andrew Dodge

During the half-term week there are also lots of opportunities to get hands-on with four fantastic workshops. For children aged 5+ there will be chance to make a marionette (a string puppet operated with cross bar and strings) and the opportunity to create something scary at the Mask-Making or Puppet-Making Halloween workshops. For children aged 10+ the Theatre is offering another of its hugely-popular MagiMation workshops. Children will spend two days with animator Tim Edwards making their own films which they will get to keep on DVD and show friends and family. The children will write a script, plan the scenes, model the characters, animate them and record the sound track.

This autumn Norwich Puppet Theatre, one of only two theatres in England dedicated to puppetry, is celebrating its 30th Birthday. Since opening on 1 December 1980, hundreds of puppetry professionals have developed their art and skills in devising, directing and performing puppet theatre in Norwich. They have become some of the leading names in the puppetry community, at the heart of the art form in the region, the UK and Europe with hundreds of performances reaching audiences across the world.

The Birthday celebrations kick-off with a special exhibition at Fusion in the Forum, Norwich, from 29 November – 4 December. On the 30 November the Theatre will be staging an auction of glove puppets signed and adorned by a host of celebrities. Then on Saturday 4 December there will be a public open day with free performances of Thumbelina and Little Red Robin Hood, as well as drop-in puppet-making activities. During the evening there will be a puppetry cabaret event for adults showcasing some of the best of British puppetry including lots of home-grown talent.

Performances:

Arabian Nights
Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 October at 2.30pm
Age 5+
Running Time 60 minutes

Pip’s Wildlife Garden
Wednesday 27 October at 2.30pm
Age 3+
Running Time 35 minutes

Workshops:

Marionette Figure Workshop
Monday 25 October at 11am
Children 5+
Running Time 90 minutes

MagiMation Workshop
Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 October at 10.30am (2–day workshop)
Children 10+
Running Time 5 hours each day

Halloween Mask-Making Workshop
Thursday 28 October at 11am
Children 5+
Running Time 90 Minutes

Halloween Puppet-Making Workshop
Friday 29 October at 11am
Children 5+

Booking:
Box Office – call 01603 629921or email [email protected]
The box office is open Monday – Friday 9.30am to 5pm and from 9.30am on performance or workshop Saturdays. An answerphone service operates at other times.

Please note that children under the age of 3 years can only be admitted to the auditorium where specified in the programme as ‘baby friendly performances’.

Tickets for Performances:

Adults £7, children £5
Concessions £5.50
Go4Less child £3
Family ticket £20

Not suitable for children under 3 years.

Tickets for Workshops:

Children (age 5+) £7.50
MagiMation workshops (age 10+) £55 / £35 concessions for 2 days