We are launching a strand of new core activity today at Puppet Animation Scotland! Our National Touring Programme for Visual Theatre and Puppetry supports artists to reach communities across Scotland with their work throughout the year and supports venues to build relationships with artists directly.
Lempen Puppet Theatre, Puppet Animation Festival 2022
As we move away from our festival model, after 39 years of offering puppetry over the Easter holidays, to a more flexible year round approach to supporting artists to engage audiences regularly we celebrate the success of a festival that introduced puppetry and visual theatre to audiences across the country. From Shetland to Dumfries & Galloway and everywhere in between, it has led to established relationships between PAS, venues and community bookers and created a strong venue network for puppetry and visual theatre that we hope will grow in the coming years through our new touring support offer!
Our new model for supporting artists touring across Scotland has been developed through consultation through focus groups with artists who have participated in our Puppet Animation Festival, venues who are part of our network and wider artist surveying which has informed these plans as part of our wider 5 year business plan for 2022-2027.
Red Riding Hood – Norwich Puppet Theatre – Tue 14 April 2015 – Lochgelly Centre, Fife (photographer – Andy Catlin)
Feedback from venues and artists involved in the festival last year was very positive about the plans to offer more periods when family puppetry and visual theatre could be featured.
‘it would be nice to offer events throughout the year. Especially around Christmas and Wintertime. That is an expensive time of year and our community would enjoy if we could programme a show for them.’
‘We are building our family and young audiences as much as we can so would definitely consider doing more throughout the year.’
‘It would help maintain links with family groups who might be interested in this programming ‘
Our first submission window for our new National Touring Programme opens in August 2022 for submissions by artists and companies interested in touring work to arts venues, community spaces and outdoor sites from Feb to August 2023. Venues will have access to our curated programme pack from September, to see what’s available for their Spring and Summer programmes, including the Easter holidays where we hope to see the festival’s legacy continue.
A second submission window will open in March 2023 for submissions of work available to tour across the Autumn and Winter, bookings from September 2023 – Jan 2024.
If you are a venue interested in booking work for Spring/Summer 23 please contact [email protected] for a copy of our touring pack and to be added to our mailing list.
If you are an artist with work you’d like to share, you can apply through our submissions form (https://airtable.com/shrADDgu0LfuVqBos), and find out more about support from Puppet Animation Scotland through our artists pages.
Images: Lempen Puppet Theatre, PAF 2022 & Norwich Puppet Theatre, PAF 2015