Published on:
06
April 2009
The Scottish Puppet Animation Festival comes to Clackmannanshire this week when Sterling Mills hosts three free shows over the Easter weekend.
The festival, which is the UK's oldest and largest performing arts event for children, celebrates its 25th birthday this year. Thanks to the support of Clackmannanshire Council's Cultural Services the event presents three performances for local children and adults to enjoy.
'A Stitch in Time', suitable for children aged 7+, will be presented by Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre at 2pm on Friday 10th April. The show last 45 minutes.
When I was a little girl I used to go and visit my grandmother in the country. There was always the sound of a clock ticking in the corner. The clock came to me from my grandmother, along with a pair of scissors, a glove and her sewing skills.
With beautiful embroidered scenery, found objects, original music, minimal text and cloth puppets, the puppeteer weaves a story inspired by her Irish childhood, a story of people and places long forgotten, but still moving through time with the chimes of her grandmother's clock.
'The Frog Prince & Other Tales', suitable for children aged 4+, is presented by Kidgloves Puppets at 11am on Saturday 11th April. The show lasts 45 minutes.
Spoiled Princess Sophie is on the lookout for a handsome Prince. Meanwhile the golden ball she has taken from the palace without permission drops down a well. In order to get it back, Princess Sophie finds herself having to promise to kiss a frog...a promise she has no intention of keeping!
Will she mend her ways and what will be the reward? This and other tales, are all told in Kidgloves' gentle and humorous style presented from a booth, with colourful hand held puppets and plenty of opportunities for audience participation.
'Cinderella Ashputtel', suitable for children aged 3+, is presented by Banyan Theatre Company, at 2pm on Sunday 12th April. The show lasts 50 minutes.
Enter a world where a shoe becomes a woman, a hat stand a tree and a stool and broom combine to create a horse in front of your eyes.
Cinderella Ashputtel is a one woman play fusing traditionally crafted puppets with the transformation of ordinary objects through inventive design and animation. The performance involves storytelling, physical and puppet theatre set to a swinging musical soundtrack.
Banyan's stylish and playful reworking of the Cinderella story explores its powerful fascination in an imaginative adaptation which will delight both young and old.
The Scottish Puppet Animation Festival lasts for over a month, presenting more than 250 performances, workshops and film screenings in more than 125 venues for over 16,000 people throughout Scotland. The festival offers an abundance of quality theatre for children and adults. For more information about the festival visit hwww.puppetanimationfestival.org/index.php. For more information about the Clackmannanshire performances contact Cultural Planner Kathleen O'Neill on koneill@clacks.gov.uk