The Mind Creative March 2014
Pelican created by AboutFace Productions
For Sydney Puppet Theatre’s production
“Storm Boy”
Playing in schools, halls, museums, galleries, outdoor events or in private
homes, the set up of the puppet theatre is a portal into the imagination.
Puppeteers are also employed for film, television and advertising.
A number of Australian puppetry groups have been invited to puppet
festivals and events overseas. Unfortunately we cannot repay the
invitation. Since the demise of the “One Van” International Festival of
Puppetry (1998 to 2005 directed by Sydney Puppet Theatre) we do not
have any international puppet festivals in Australia. In 2008, Spare Parts
Puppet Theatre hosted the four yearly UNIMA Conference and Festival
in Perth. This attracted artists from all over the world but the expense
of such an event has meant that we have not been able to produce a
large scale festival since. In March, the Maldon Puppet Carnival in Victoria
held the banner of our only national puppet festival (directed by Dream
Puppet’s Richard Hart).
From 2003 there was a one year Post-Graduate Diploma or a two-year
Masters Degree in Puppetry on offer at the Victorian College of the Arts
(instigated by Peter Wilson). This course ran for 7 years. However,
currently, there is no formal puppetry training in Australia, although
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