Puppetry

From the creator of some of the world's most iconic puppetry shows comes this National Theatre Backstage Guide to the craft.

With a focus on the processes within each stage of creation and the key roles involved, the book offers insights into:

the benefits of using puppetry in your performance;

how to research and design your puppets;

how to perform with a puppet, from the technical considerations to character acting;

how to maintain your puppet and even repair it during a production;

how to pursue a career in puppetry

Drawing on both his experience working at the National Theatre on productions such as War Horse and Pinocchio, the author supplements his own know-how with contributions from other notable figures in puppetry, such as Fred Davis, Daisy Beattie, Audrey Brisson and Sarah Wright.

Photos of puppets, from prototypes to final designs, are included.

This is a unique opportunity to learn the principles of puppetry from someone who has worked extensively in the field across theatre, musicals, opera and dance.

About the Author

Toby Olié is an Olivier Award-nominated director, designer and puppeteer. He creates productions that are both original and unconventional, expanding audience’s expectations of what puppetry is capable of. His work includes The BFG (Royal Shakespeare Company); Spirited Away (Tokyo Imperial Theatre/London Coliseum); The Wolves in the Walls (Little Angel Theatre); 101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre); Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining (Shakespeare’s Globe); The Elephantom (National Theatre/Gillian Lynne Theatre); War Horse (National Theatre/Gillian Lynne Theatre); Pinocchio, Peter Pan, The Light Princess, and Hansel & Gretel (National Theatre); Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Royal Ballet); The Wind in the Willows (Royal Opera House); Little Shop of Horrors (Manchester Royal Exchange); Running Wild (Chichester Festival Theatre/UK tour); The Grinning Man (Bristol Old Vic/Trafalgar Studios); and The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Theatrical).