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.
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.
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!
And what is the secret that Ada learns about her past?
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name, this tells the story of Ada, a feisty young girl, is visited by a Raven and thrust into a dream world of quests, feathers and a Glass Mountain.
The audience is taken on a tiny world adventure over an extraordinary, felted landscape as Ada unlocks the secret the Raven is trying to tell her.The Seven Ravens is a brand new and unique performance/installation by Tragic Carpet Theatre using an innovative mix of live puppetry, digital image capture, processing and display, needle felting and specially composed music and song.
Weekly drop in drama sessions for those feeling a bit isolated, or are looking to gain confidence in going back out again or are looking to find new friendships.
What is it?
A weekly session where we play fun games, tell stories and enact small scenes from different inspirations. We also organise trips to the theatre to see different kinds of interesting shows, so far we have visited the Festival Theatre, The Storytelling Centre and we have plans to visit the Lyceum soon.
Questions you might ask:
Ok, so what if I haven’t done drama before or I did and didn’t like it?
The classes are respectful, inclusive and fun. They are built around us sharing stories, playing games which build our skills and confidence – great to transfer to everyday life – and anything we don’t like we don’t do it again.
What if I am not very confident about going out now after the Pandemic?
This is just the place to come to help you get used to getting back out again. The Centre is a safe place to find your feet and the group is friendly and supportive.
What if I have done drama before?
Then please come! The group is learning all the time so this is a place where you can refresh skills whilst having fun.
Why Over 50s?
Because we thought that there are people in the older age bracket that are struggling with loneliness and self confidence after the lockdowns. It is a huge step to take to come along to a new group when feeling like this, we know. So do come and try it out – you will probably find it a friendly relaxing experience and have a lot of laughs along the way… and laughter is the best medicine!
Why have others come along? They came because they were curious, some had done drama before and they say “Honestly it is fun” and “you can express yourself”.
Poster with details of the class – Tuesdays 10 am at the Prentice Centre Granton
tragic carpet 