Training with puppets and objects not only provides actors with an additional skill – how to give life to an inanimate object – but brings them face to face with the fundamentals of acting.

Performing through an external object – be it an articulated wooden figure, a coffee cup or a piece of paper – highlights questions of presence and focus, clarity of movement, conveying emotion, the difference between actor and role, articulating meaning, complicity with the audience, and so much more.

Working with sticks, materials, puppets and everyday objects, students learn manipulation skills that can be applied to any object or material to give it stage presence and convey the impression that it is ‘alive’.  At the same time, they are asked to reflect on how these techniques help them develop as an actor.

Course length: minimum 30 hours