It has been such a blast this mini tour of Lancashire libraries and community spaces with Ada and her story, The Seven Ravens. We have been hosted by the SpotOn, Lancashire’s rural and library touring network. This morning saw our fifth performance to an audience of 33 parents, carers and children in Skelmersdale Library followed by a smashing welcome in the afternoon at Parbold Library.
I also had an exceptional breakfast bap at Thirsty & Co at Dangerous Corner in Appleby Bridge. This brings me to the spectacular scenery I have been driving through – I had forgotten how stunning the Lancashire countryside is! We have two more shows tomorrow at Mill Hill Library and The Dog Inn at Belthorn and then I will be facing my little van northwards again.
On Monday this week I was in Crieff. I shared two performances of ‘Nosferatu’, one of which was dementia friendly, at the Richmond Care Home. Thank you to the wonderful care staff, particularly Suzie and to Strathearn Arts for its support. It was a most enjoyable day!
I am so very pleased and proud to have been invited to write an article in this magazine which is published by Capital Theatres (CP). This came about because I was invited to visit the Capital Theatres Focus Group to share some extracts from Nosferatu and get feedback as to how it might work as a Dementia Friendly performance. The group were very generous with their ideas and discussion and have invited me to share a full performance this Wednesday 24th September at the Festival Theatre’s Brew and Blether event for people living with dementia and their carers. I was also invited to share my thoughts about the experience of visiting the Focus Group in an article in DementiArts.
I just love tutoring this class which has been running for several years now. It is relaxed, focussed on friendship and social interaction, and uses drama as a way of having fun together. It always involves a cuppa and some biscuits, a catch up chat at the start and the activities are different each week. It is run on a drop-in basis in case people have appointments, or other events or responsibilities, or even just fancy a week off. It starts on the 2nd of September 10.30 – 12.30 and will run for 16 weeks at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
This September I will be delivering this adult weekly acting course for Edinburgh Acting School at Summerhall Arts. The above pictures are of some of last terms students presenting the story they created in their final class of the course. We spent the term looking at lots of different aspects of storytelling – our voices, our bodies, our relationship to the audience, the use (or not) of technology, preparation for performance, rehearing, feeling confident, visual storytelling, object theatre and puppetry. Students wrote original work, performed a piece they had learnt in the past, or an extract from a favourite novel – even a dungeons and dragons scenario. I am looking forward to meeting the new students – there are still spaces available so please do come along to Summerhall this autumn and winter!
As posted previously I had the privilege of travelling down to the home of Puppetcraft in Devon to take a week long marionette carving course with John Roberts. This is my second training course with John, the first being in 2016 which took place at the Little Angel Theatre in Islington, London. This time there was a class of three – my colleagues being both fun to be with and wonderfully supportive – last time there was a class of six. Although almost a month ago the experience is very much in my head. I am itching to get back to making once the wonderful Edinburgh Festival has packed up for another year.
Ada and Little Toy are bringing their stories to Beacon Arts this Sunday. Ada is going on an epic adventure to find her seven brothers and Little Toy is risking life and limb on the high seas in search of best friend Gem. Don’t miss them! Little Toy is at 11 am and Ada’s story – The Seven Ravens – is at 1.30. Click on the links to book! #puppets #stories #fairytales #families #storytelling #objecttheatre #beaconarts
Last week was glorious, so very sunny and also extremely challenging. Me and my wee van travelled down to Totnes in Devon to spend a week woodcarving with John Roberts of Puppetcraft. There were two other woodcarving students – lovely folk – and we spent an idyllic, if very hardworking, week designing and making our own marionettes. This was the second time I had done this course with John – the first being in May 2016 at The Little Angel – and it was really good to revisit the processes and to approach the week with a better understanding of puppetry and even a little bit of wood carving experience under my belt. Very happy.
Unlock Your Performance: Explore Puppetry for Actors at EAS Studios
Hello everyone! I’m delighted to invite you to a workshop I’ll be leading at Edinburgh Acting School Studios – a great opportunity to explore new avenues of creative expression and expand your acting toolkit through puppetry.
Giving Life to Objects:
In the puppetry training for actors workshop, we’ll delve into the fundamental principles of bringing inanimate objects to life. Starting with simple sticks and moving to tabletop puppets, I’ll share techniques that can help you imbue them with personality, emotion, and compelling narratives.
Why Puppetry? Benefits I’ve Seen for Actors:
Based on my experience, engaging with puppetry can offer some wonderful advantages for performers:
Expanded Range: Discover fresh ways to embody characters and tell stories.
Deeper Character Exploration: Hone your skills in creating distinct and believable characters, through the manipulation of a puppet or an object.
Enhanced Ensemble Collaboration: Engage in group exercises that foster teamwork and collective storytelling.
Workshop Details:
Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM BST
Location: EAS Studios @ Summerhall, EH9 1PL, Edinburgh
What we’ll cover: We’ll explore core puppetry techniques, from basic manipulation to introductory character work, focusing on both stick and tabletop puppets.
Ready to Explore This Creative Path? Please join Me!
I believe this workshop offers valuable insights and practical skills in the art of puppetry for any actor who wishes to add this skillset to their portfolio.
Lissa Of Joyrides on the promenade with ‘Betsy’, the electric bike, and two lovely clients snugly wrapped up against the sea breeze in gorgeous crocheted blankets.
We are preparing for Tragic Carpet’s first performance of Nosferatu at The Seagrove Centre next week. The Seagrove Centre is a great resource that provides support to people living with dementia. I am helping Tragic Carpet reach this new audience, an audience that often doesn’t get the chance to participate in high quality arts. The Seagrove Centre are very proactive about the members having high quality experiences, so Tragic Carpet should fit in perfectly, and I hope this will be the start of a strong relationship between the two organisations.
Hello. I’m Lissa McIntyre. I run a small business called Joy Rides which specialises in getting older people out in their local community. Joy Rides takes people on a spin on an electric bike around the green spaces of Edinburgh. Passengers get the feeling of the wind in their hair and the joy of being on a bike, without having to do the hard work. They get the chance to interact with myself, their fellow passengers and the outside world. Often older people, or those living in care homes can be quite invisible and isolated, but this experience puts them right in the middle of things and they get the chance to chat and interact with folks.
The process so far is going well. We’ve found that care homes and agencies that work with older people and those living with dementia are really up for new projects and adventures so if anyone has an idea for a creative of fun activity you should just get in touch and ask them!
There is so much more I hope we can explore with this collaboration! I would love to see Suitcase Story performances happening in many more care homes or day centres so I will work hard to make that happen.
We are over the moon to have received our education pack from PuppetBox. We have unwrapped six lovely new puppets to work and to train with. We are so excited and cant wait to start using them all!
Taking a coffee break to update the show script and record any changes in the Celtx file. Then add all (!) the rehearsal notes from Stacey Mitchell and we are good to go. Final days rehearsal tomorrow at Edinburgh Acting School’s Studio – can’t wait!
Ada, Little Toy and me (the driver) are off to the wonderful Smethwick Festival in February! We are so excited that our suitcases are packed already! Smethwick Festival is organised by Black Country Touring – see the video below to find out about its exceptional work with local communities.
This little person has arrived in Edinburgh from London during Storm Eowyn. This means that she is now huddled down in the depot as posties are in their jammies today…
Her name is Ada and she will be performing the lead role in The Seven Ravens – Tragic Carpet’s Suitcase Story for 8+ years (and adults really…) She will meet the team this weekend – The Sun, The Moon and The Northern Star and maybe a Raven or two.
She has been created for us by the wonderful Keith Frederick – https://www.puppetsurgery.com/ – who is a UK Based Independent Puppet Maker & Costumier, and all round terrific person. (Photos by Keith).
I’m delighted to be delivering Core Skills A: Storytelling this semester for Edinburgh Acting School. With an eclectic background in theatre, puppetry, and visual storytelling, and a passion for sharing the magic of theatre through performance, education and community engagement, I’m excited to share some of this with the new students. My approach to teaching is rooted in collaboration and playful exploration, and in interrogating what we see in the space…
Each week we’ll focus on a different theme. These themes will include puppetry, mime, ensemble, voice and movement, confidence, storytelling. We’ll explore these themes through a variety of activities, including games, exercises, and scene work. We will be drawing on the work of Michael Chekov, John Wright, Mervyn Millar and Pierre Byland, maybe more! I can’t wait!
tragic carpet 