Island Puppetry Workshop | October 28-29, 2017 | Bribie Island, Queensland
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017: Aspiring and professional Australian puppeteers from as far as Melbourne will be visiting beautiful, but bashful Bribie Island in October to attend a rare training workshop hosted by Larrikin Puppets.
Internationally trained puppeteers Brett Hansen and Elissa Jenkins are bringing children over 8 and adults together to learn the basic techniques that bring Muppetstyle puppets to life for stage and film.
Blending rigorous practical tools with imagination and play, Brett and Elissa are excited to not only build on the drama and improvisational skills of theatre practitioners, but also to help everyday people increase their confidence, improve their communication skills and make people laugh.
While Larrikin Puppets regularly runs puppetry workshops for schools, festivals and theatre companies, this is the first public workshop they have hosted since the award-winning business started five years ago.
Principal puppeteer and founder of Larrikin Puppets Brett Hansen said he’s been practicing puppetry since he was three years old, but formal training in the artform was very rare.
“As an adult I set up my own puppetry business to service the greater Brisbane area and, last year, undertook some advanced training in the USA under puppeteers from Sesame Street and The Muppets,” said Brett.
Larrikin Puppets is a fast-growing arts business that performs weekly puppet shows at festivals, childcare centres, schools and parties across Queensland.
It’s a Queensland small business success story – an arts business that grows from strength to strength every year.
With help from his wife Elissa – who also received puppetry training in New York City and often assists with some of the larger or touring puppet shows – Brett’s two-day puppetry workshop on Bribie Island will be tailored to all levels of skill and interest and is guaranteed to be an enjoyable weekend of entertainment and education.
“So far we’ve got people attending from as far as Melbourne, Sydney and Mackay, but would love to see a large Brisbane contingency take advantage of this rare training opportunity.
“You might be a children’s entertainer, theatre performer, improviser, aspiring film and TV star or simply someone who love puppets and wants to do something completely outside of the box.
“Every workshop participant will be able to work with a physical puppet. On day one we’ll cover the fundamentals of puppetry as well as puppetry for the stage while on day two we’ll be working with a video camera and TV monitor to show how film and TV puppetry is performed,” said Brett.
What: The two-day Island Puppetry Workshop is open to everyone aged 8 and over.
Times: Saturday 28 October, 10 AM – 4 PM | Sunday 29 October, 10 AM – 3 PM.
Cost: $135+booking fee.
Bookings: www.larrikinpuppets.com.au/island-puppetry-workshop or email Brett Hansen at brett@larrikinpuppets.com.au
Media Contact: Brett Hansen, Larrikin Puppets 0430 086 835
