TheatreFest15 is to promote the resurgence of interest in puppetry with a workshop to be led by professional puppeteer Corina Bona.

Corina, who says she is ‘passionate about puppetry and its power to entertain, educate and mystify’ will be sharing her love and knowledge of the art with young people when she holds two workshops at the Youth Arts Centre in Kensington Road, Douglas on Sunday October 4.

Outlining the morning session for children aged 5 to 12 Corina said: ‘With this introduction to puppetry children will learn how to model puppets from junk and newspaper.’ And describing the afternoon workshop, aimed at 13 to 18-year-olds, she said: ‘I’ll be using a variety of puppets to teach everything from table-top puppetry to lip-synching with “Muppet-like” glove puppets.’

TheatreFest15 is a five-year project aimed at encouraging new work for the theatre and is a partnership between the Isle of Man Arts Council and the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA). NODA’s chief executive Tong Gibbs said: ‘Puppetry’s enjoying a renaissance and is now very much part of mainstream theatre. At its heart TheatreFest15 is about promoting theatre at its most diverse, relevant and universally accessible. It’s also about encouraging active participation and inspiring creativity, aims perfectly complemented by Corina’s workshops.’

Workshops are priced ?10 each per person and must be pre-booked. To book contact Kieran Moore, 697420, Kieran.Moore@gov.im. 

Photo - Puppeteer Corina Bona.