News

Puppet Animation Scotland is excited to offer a new installation design commission opportunity for the MANIPULATE Festival 2021.

New Artistic Director and CEO Dawn Taylor has just completed her first 2 weeks in post with the organisation – here she shares a welcome message and discusses her approach in the first few months, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Ailie Finlay and her puppet, Little Mouse, are here to teach us some easy to remember rhymes which children can say to themselves to give them comfort if they feel worried or anxious about going back to school.

We are proud to introduce Puppet Animation Scotland’s first puppeteer in residence, Alex Bird.

We are delighted to announce that in the recently released Creative Europe 2019-2020 awards,  Puppet Animation Scotland and partners Ljubljana Puppet Theatre (Slovenia), Lele Theatre (Lithuania) and the Academy of Arts & Culture (Croatia) received significant funding to support the development of a contemporary puppetry critical platform.

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Dawn Taylor as Puppet Animation Scotland’s new artistic director and CEO.

At first glance, one might not think that the aesthetic and techniques of the animated film lend themselves easily to a documentary format. Have a watch and see if they work for you!

A selection of vibrant, brilliantly original and thought-provoking films, full of joy and passion for the craft of animation.

Starting on the 30th of April, Puppet Animation Scotland is excited to be collaborating with puppeteers across Scotland to bring you unique Puppetry at Home tutorial videos every Thursday up until the 4th of June. The videos will include step by step instructions on how you can craft your own puppets and crankie theatres using materials you can find in and around the house, or you can simply order online.

We have been in touch with companies who have been toured with us for several years and presented unforgettable events. We would like to take a walk down memory lane with you and share some of these memories.

During a lockdown, one can be faced with a plethora of films to select from each day across streaming websites. For puppeteers or those interested in puppetry, to help narrow down the search, our Artistic Director has collated a list of brilliant puppet films, and provided links to access them!

After a great deal of thought and discussion, it is with much sadness that we announce the cancellation of this year’s Puppet Animation Festival.

Today we have some sad news from Puppet Animation Scotland’s wonderful Artistic Director, Simon Hart, who has been with us for the past 25 years.

From hand shadowgraphy to avant-garde puppetry and adult fairy tales, the Festival offers Norwich audiences a rare opportunity to experience some grown-up puppetry and related artforms in the magical setting of Norwich Puppet Theatre.

With a total of 75 events at this year’s MANIPULATE Festival it can be difficult to decide on what to attend and how best to plan your day but don’t worry, we’ve done all the hard work for you.

On SAT 1 FEB between 2pm and 10pm, the MANIPULATE Festival presents 32 puppetry and visual theatre performances, animated films and works in progress throughout the day across ten spaces in Summerhall, Edinburgh.

We would like to introduce our Associate Producer, Nick Wong.

On SAT 1 FEB at Summerhall, Edinburgh you can see 28 animated films across three screenings for only £8 / £6. 

We have launched a series of workshops and sharings at MANIPULATE Festival #13.

We are pleased to be working with venue partners Summerhall and The Studio at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, and the Norwich Puppet Theatre, to present MANIPULATE Festival #13.

This September, we are heading to Charleville-Mezieres, in the north of France, for the 20th edition of the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes, where we will be presenting the showcase Scottish Caravan Theatre with Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre. Our artistic director, Simon Hart, tells us more about the project.

After a successful run at Summerhall during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019, we are taking the Swallow The Sea Caravan Theatre to Charleville-Mezieres, France, for the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes. // Aprés notre résidence à Summerhall en Août, Puppet Animation Scotland et l’équipe de Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre arrivent au Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes en Septembre.

Puppet Animation Scotland and Swallow The Sea Caravan Theatre present: Swallow The Sea Caravan Theatre at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019. The performances will take place inside the Caravan Theatre, in the Summerhall Courtyard (Fringe venue 26) from 11am to 5:15pm every day between August 2 and August 25, with each show running for 20 minutes.

This year, Puppet Animation Scotland worked with the British Council Scotland on an exchange programme between Scotland and Pakistan. Scottish-based puppeteer Emma Brierley tells us about her experience of the exchange, and the work she developed with award-winning young Pakistani puppeteer Yamina Peerzada.

In September 2018, we had the chance to work with Marta Maluva, as part of a Santander Placement at Queen Margaret University. We caught up with her this month to talk about her highlights of the month, and what she learnt during her month with her.

As part of our Open-Door policy we are starting Free Cake Friday. Join us in the Summerhall Café, Edinburgh, every last Friday of the month, between 9am and 12pm, meet the team and tell us about your practice and projects, and …. get a free slice of cake!

We are delighted that Heidi has joined the team and we look forward to delivering our next batch of festivals and projects with her. 

Where does all of the time go?! We’re delighted that on our 35th year we are presenting 165 events in over 90 venues across Scotland and the North of England.