Category Archives: Made in Lancaster

Rough Magic Theatre “Lights Up the Streets” of Lancaster

Posted on by Collette Knowles
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I had a lovely time performing my two shadow puppet suitcase shows “Jabberwocky!” and “Edward Lear’s Nonsense” at the “Light Up the Streets” event in Lancaster on Friday.

I had created light up hat decorations, (using my new top hat that I bought from a stall at Glastonbury Festival) and a light up buttonhole decoration specially for this event.  It was a bit of a challenge working out how to illuminate my costume for the event.  I couldn’t use anything that would catch on the shoulder and waist straps of the suitcase when I take them on and off and I couldn’t use anything so bright that it would interfere with the lighting for the shadow play by creating multiple shadows.  I think the overall effect, (using a combination of battery operated fibre optics and miniature fairy lights) was very attractive and worked very well.  I did get a number of compliments on my hat 🙂

I did my performances in the area between Lancaster Castle and The Storey Institute.

When it rained (a lot) I retreated inside the Storey and did a few performances in there for the wet and bedraggled audiences who swarmed inside to escape the weather.

I think people appreciated that they weren’t missing out on the entertainment by coming indoors.

Altogether it was a fantastic and friendly atmosphere and the rain did not dampen people’s spirits.

A big thank-you once again to Tim Austin for taking photographs of the show and generally helping out.  And a big thank-you to George Harris and The Duke’s for the use of their lovely dressing room, (quite a treat for a street performer).  And thank-you to all my audiences for turning out in the wet.

Mega Busy!

Posted on by Collette Knowles
2
It's that puppet again!

She gets everywhere!!!

So, as promised, the everything happening at once that I promised to tell you all about.

Lots of things have been happening just when I am trying to really crack on with the Hansel & Gretel Toy Theatre show that is creeping up increasingly quickly.  Despite this I have got the majority of the final quality puppets drawn out and I plan to get all of the artwork finished for Monday when it will be taken to the printers.  Our filming date has been pushed back to next Friday, all being well.  A large chunk of the sliders are complete and the corrugated plastic scenery that things will be mounted on will also be complete by Monday.  The curtain is already finished!

So, what else has been happening?  I hear you ask.  Yesterday I had an audition for a tour of Little Red Riding Hood with Norwich Puppet Theatre.  This is the first in house show they have produced for some time, so it is very exciting.  The voices I have been using for Hansel & Gretel came in very nicely, I fancy.  I also got to play with an in progress wolf rod puppet and used a song, some acting and puppetry from our Alice in Wonderland show to demonstrate my skills for them.  This took all day, including the drive from North Yorkshire to Norwich and back.  The people I met there were all very nice by the way.

This leads on to another thing that has happened.  We are doing our Alice in Wonderland show at Hebden Bridge Arts Festival on Saturday the 25th of June at 1.30pm.  I am also doing shoe box toy theatre making workshops at Buxton Puppet Festival on Saturday the 30th of July.

Given the amount of work I need to do in time for the Vischmarkt Papierentheater Festival, you will not hear from me for some time.  If any of you are attending the festival I shall see you there.  I am very much hoping that someone will write a review of our show, and I intend to try and write up some of other people’s.  So, goodbye for now.  Don’t forget, you can help support our show by going to our Wefund page, please see the links on the right of the home page.