The DARKER side of Puppetry
A new approach to Contemporary Puppetry
In this hands-on experimental performance workshop we will look at a number of puppet species that don’t normally get much visibility eg:
the Alter Ego,
the Menace,
the Imaginary Friend and
the DARKER worlds of the Imposter, the Phantom and the Effigy.
By distorting our fundamental notions of Puppet Theatre, we can discover fresh, new perspectives about manipulation, agency and who really controls who. We can even witness disturbing power games between puppet and performer and reveal the deeper, DARKER and more unexpected layers of contemporary puppetry performance.
It's a spooky place the DARKER side. It can be unnerving but there is beauty and pathos and a lot of fun to be found there. It’s a very inspiring approach to puppetry.
These sessions will be a fun and safe place for experimentation and an opportunity to really dive into these alternative performance methods. Techniques are geared towards performance for adult audiences but they can easily be adapted for use in all theatre types.
Suitable for all curious theatre practitioners: actor, dancer, clown, puppeteer.
NO PUPPETRY EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!
Duration: 1 to 5 days
Capacity: maximum 12 people
Ninon Noiret exploring the DARKER side of Puppetry for her show The Raft of the Crab. Glasgow 2021
Max has been kicked, shoved, stripped and dropped...
Royal Conservatoire Scotland - dance/movement improvisation
Following clues in a DARKER side installation piece - Atelier Libusin. Prague
NASTY puppetry workshop - UQàM Montreal 2020
Bochum figurentheater Germany - dance/movement improvisation
Pickled haunted heads - Installation
See Calendar for upcoming workshops
Development of the DARKER side
Since Faulty Optic I have been exploring alternative ways to approach the use of puppets on stage. Attempting to draw away from the classical traditions of puppet theatre and having worked with many performers with a huge range of different skill sets, I realised that puppets can be animated in completely unexpected ways depending on who is doing the moving. For example an aerialist or a contemporary dancer will physically handle a puppet in a totally different way to an actor or puppeteer, a clown will find laughter if they continually drop the puppet on its head but this would be something a puppeteer would find absolutely outrageous and they would probably leave the room!
So I have been developing new ideas of contemporary training which would give any performer the confidence and techniques to be able to incorporate a puppet into their own work. I am still learning and so I am always developing new ways to allow others to gain this insight.
My research has been helped enormously by collaborating and working with:
puppeteer and choreographer Anne-Kathrin Klatt
actor and aerialist Ninon Noiret
Quotes from previous workshop participants:
- "As a complete beginner in 'proper' puppetry, the workshop has been extremely valuable."
- "Gavin's experience and insights have been fabulous. I feel I've come miles in an area that previously felt out of reach to me and my confidence has really grown"
- "Gavin's teaching style was relaxed and playful but backed up by a wealth of experience"
Liverpool, UK 2022
- "although we were exploring ‘the darker side’ of puppetry the atmosphere in the group was so warm, supportive and friendly that my inhibitions quickly melted away"
Atelier Libusin, Prague CZ 2022
- "Learning something completely new is rare. This experience has been one of my most meaningful and I've participated in many different workshops since 2012.."
Stamsund, Norway 2024
- ‘The disrespect towards the puppets was shocking but in the best possible way!’
- ‘I particularly enjoyed giving voices to different parts of the self using puppets and objects. I think this Darker Side of Puppetry really lends itself well to this kind of exploration.’
Moving Parts Festival, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK 2025