Introduce Greenwich Children's theatre festival

This post is for introducing the second 'Greenwich Children's theatre Festival'.
It was held from 6 to 18 April in 2009 at Greenwich theatre. The contents of this post was condected by News Shopper Online on 31 March 2009.
The web address is http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/leisure/4249305.Puppetry_pulls_the_strings_for_Greenwich_Children___s_Theatre_Festival/

('BABE-The Sheep Pig, Source: photo from 'Theatrework')


Greenwich Theatre’s executive director James Haddrell talks about his love of puppetry and how the medium is sure to enchant families in the forthcoming Children’s Theatre Festival.


(Source: Photo from Greenwich theatre website)

" This year’s Greenwich Children’s Theatre Festival is bigger and bolder than last year’s debut programme, with more shows, more workshops and more venues included, but looking through the programme one of the strongest themes which emerges is puppetry.

I have always been a fan of puppetry as a way of telling a story.
I think the reason it can be so affecting for an audience is it’s so simple, very often you can see how it is done and yet it can be so magical.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a one-man show in a tiny fringe theatre or The Lion King in the West End — even though the puppeteer is clearly there on stage it doesn’t take long for an audience to forget and just watch the puppet as if it’s a living character.

The reason it works so well for children is they can enjoy the magic.
They’re the best people for letting loose their imagination because that’s what they do every time they play a new game — but then they can understand how the magic works and reproduce it at home.
A puppet can be a 12ft giant, like the one we used in our last pantomime, or a tiny clothes-peg with a face drawn on which a child makes at home.
That’s why, this year, we’ve added a puppetry workshop to the line-up of events in the festival.
Gavin Skerritt, the puppeteer who performs The Little Matchstick Girl, will be inviting children to meet the puppets in his show and to create their own to take home.
The other thing I’m particularly proud of this year is the unveiling of a brand new story.
I love the idea at this festival we could see a new fairy tale being born which is why I have invited Blunderbus Theatre Company, the team behind our sell-out hits Giraffes Can’t Dance and The Selfish Crocodile, to present the all-new Grandpa Joe’s Magic Show.
Who knows, maybe it’s a story children in the audience will pass on to their children in years to come."

Here, Leisure highlights the must-see puppetry shows and best activities from Greenwich Children’s Theatre Festival

April 6: Utopia Workshops. Create a new show with puppetry, music and costumes in three days. Free.
April 11: Rainbow Fish. Based on Marcus Pfister’s fishy tale, puppetry brings dreamy underwater life to the stage. 11am. £8.50.
April 15: Pinocchio. As Geppetto, Steve Tiplady performs the classic tale about the puppet who longs to be a real boy. 11am and 2pm. £8.50.
April 17: The Little Matchstick Girl. Fantastical story-telling followed by a meet and make the puppets session. 2pm and 4pm. £8.50/£10.
April 18: The Tell Woman. This show combines dance, theatre and puppetry in a dark and beautiful way with lots of yukky jokes. 3.30pm. £6 (News shoper Online, 2009).