The Story Book Puppet Theatre, in partnership with Konnektiv Arts, will be presenting a Summer Programme of puppet shows and workshops suitable for family audiences, during the school summer holidays.
The sessions are suitable for children 3+ years upwards and will take place in St Michael’s Community Hall Stone, every Tuesday afternoon. Starting on July 23rd until the end of August.
Each Tuesday there will be two separate afternoon programmes, one starting at 12 noon and one at 2pm, which begin with a delightful performance of the Hansel & Gretel story.
A poor woodcutter is searching for his children, Hansel and Gretel, who are lost in a dark, scary forest inhabited by a child-eating Witch! The gripping drama unfolds when he meets some unexpected characters deep in the forest. Will he find his children in time, before they are cooked and eaten by the Witch? Follow him on his journey that has a very funny and unexpected ending to the traditional story.
After the show, each child will have the opportunity to make a puppet they can take home and, with the help of “Freddy the Frog” they will be invited to stage their own puppet show for their parents before they go home. The cost for the sessions is £5 per child and adult entry is free!
The Story Book Puppet Theatre is a new project created by Stone puppet master, David Leech (aka: “Professor Pelpop”) “in memory of Bob Pelham and Pelham Puppets.
David has been presenting puppet theatre for over 50 years. Born and raised in Stone, in the 1960s he became known as “Stone’s Young Puppet Master” while still attending Alleyne’s School.
After several years working for PELHAM PUPPETS in Marlborough Wiltshire, he established a puppet theatre in Weymouth, Dorset and went on to produce and direct performances in theatre and TV in the UK, Spain, Canada and the USA.
He was awarded the President’s Prize by the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild in 2018 for his work in advancing and promoting the Art of Marionette Theatre in the UK and he is a member of Equity, the Variety Artistes’ Federation and is on the National Council of the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild.
The summer programme will be presented in partnership with Nicky Barron from Konnektiv Arts, (Stafford) and Paola Vecchiarelli who recently moved to Stone.
Nicky has been involved in theatre projects in Birmingham and Stafford for over 20 years.
A few years ago, she established Konnektiv Drama and Theatre Arts which is a non-profit, community drama and health group in Stafford and is currently working on a project to develop creative space in Stafford with the aim of increasing participation in the performing arts.
As the workshop facilitator and stage director, Nicky assists groups to devise original performances. These have included storytelling, physical theatre, song and poetry and shadow puppets.
She has directed performances for street, pop-up and traditional theatre performances and has an MA in dramatherapy and is passionate about the ‘healing powers of drama.’
Paola trained and performed for several years as a puppeteer and storyteller in Italy. She worked for five years as the lead puppeteer for the longest running pre-school children’s program on Italian public television, “L’albero Azzurro” – The Blue Tree.
After moving to the UK, she worked as a puppeteer in London at the Chicken Shed Theatre and as a drama teacher in schools.
More recently she has run puppet clubs in primary schools in Stafford and Penkridge and led two puppet master classes at the Gatehouse Youth Theatre in Stafford.
On Saturday August 17th
“Professor Pelpop” will be in the Market Square Stone with the “BUZZ-KING” Marionettes – a musical cabaret featuring a variety of entertaining characters, such as The Singing Frog, the Dancing Donkeys, Monkey Business and other puppet performances appealing to family audiences.
Konnektiv Arts will be presenting a variety of interactive performances for children and adults throughout the day as well.
David said,
“I’m delighted to have been invited to provide some traditional entertainment for the Craft Market Day and together with Konnektiv Arts we hope to make it a memorable and entertaining day for lots of families during the long, summer school holidays.”
Website: www.pelhampuppets.uk.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Prof-Pelpop
