Puppetry Masterclass
Exploring Queer stories and identities through the art of puppetry.
For beginners and professionals - everyone is welcome.
Thursday 8th May 2025 | Free Refreshments From 6:30pm | Masterclass Starts at 7pm
Masterclass Finishes Approximately 10pm | Drinks, Socialising and Cabaret From 10pm - 2am
The Two Brewers, Clapham
£40: Only 40 Places Available On A First Come, First Served Basis.
What To Expect:
Puppetry is a powerful storytelling tool that’s developed in myriad ways across the world. It has enchanted audiences throughout history and, alongside the other performance styles, has allowed communities to interrogate their society and environment. They are soul-led beings and, in their simplest design, are inherently without identity. Being brought to life by the person or team of people guiding them, they have the capacity to portray concentrated levels of emotion, physical experience and transformation that can, at times, go beyond a human performer’s capability. They are energised and defined by the intuition of their puppeteer(s) and have an uncanny habit of drawing out the stories that need to be heard most, sometimes without their humans realising they were there!
In this workshop, we will explore how our puppets develop their identity, how they are impacted by the environments we place them in and by the characters around them. We’ll learn about working as a physical ensemble and cover the fundamentals of puppetry when bringing any inanimate object to life. Then, working in smaller teams, you’ll build characters of your own for us to discover and embrace.
Doors will open at 6:30pm for free tea, coffee and snacks. We expect to start the session at 7pm. We will finish at approximately 10pm, when we will move to the main bar to enjoy socialising and cabaret together from 10pm - 2pm (optional).
A professional photographer will be in attendance and all attendees will receive a link to all the photographs to use for whatever purposes they wish, entirely free of charge.
Your Puppetry Director: Abigail Matthews (she/her).
Abigail has been working as a professional puppeteer since 2012, having learnt the skill whilst alternating the role of ‘Aslan’s Head’ in Rupert Goold’s production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which played in the 360 Degrees Theatre in Kensington Gardens. Since then, she has performed as an actor and puppeteer in War Horse (West End, Gillian Lynne), Goodnight Mister Tom (West End, Duke of York’s), The Butterfly Lion (The Barn Theatre, Cirencester) and most recently as Toto in The Wizard of Oz (West End, Gillian Lynne and UK Tour). She has worked alongside Vaudeville Productions and Selladoor Venues as puppetry consultant, participated in research and development with Little Angel Theatre and the Polka Theatre and is an associate performer at Puppets with Guts outdoor arts company. She has lead numerous workshops and masterclasses, teaching youngsters as little as 5, through to University students and industry professionals. Most recently she was puppetry director for Imagine Theatre’s Snow White at De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
Getting There
The Two Brewers is located at 114 Clapham High Street, London, SW4 7UJ.
• By Tube: The venue is a short walk from Clapham North & Clapham Common Underground (Northern Line) and Clapham High Street (London Overground) stations.
• By Bus: Multiple buses stop nearby, including routes 50, 88, 155, and 345.
• Parking: Limited street parking is available, but we recommend using public transport where possible.
Accessibility:
The venue is fully accessible for wheelchair users.
What Do I Need?
- Clothing: Please wear comfortable clothes and trainers that allow you to move easily and will not harm others when working as a group. No boots, stilettos or hard soul shoes.
- Materials: We will provide you with all the resources you require on the day. If you have puppet, please feel free to bring them along with you to the session for others to see.
Important Information
- Physical Contact: This will be a physical class requiring movement around the space and in close proximity to others. There will be some physical contact to enable elements of team puppetry. If necessary, please notify us of any injuries or access requirements, including neurodiversity, ahead of time so we can accommodate your needs and ensure you get the most from the session.
- Trigger Warning: Due to the nature of this session and the themes explored, discussions around discrimination, gender identity, transgender health and wellbeing, far- right prejudices and activity and mental health may, amongst other topics, be raised. This may be triggering. We as management aim to create a safe space where all participants feel their voice can be heard and where all members will be expected to treat one another with compassion and respect.