Moving Parts Arts is back in Newcastle this month, with their week-long celebration of all things puppetry.
This flagship project has existed since 2017 and earned The Joint Culture Award in 2018 for ‘Best Newcomer’.
The festival includes workshops for children and adults, talks, training and networking for professionals – and is a pure celebration of the imagination.
From small-scale hand puppets to massive models, the spectrum of things on display is joyously staggering.
With the aim to create a collaborative, accessible and celebratory event, the festival’s values focus on inclusion, self-expression and confidence-building.
As a puppet is an extension of the body, it acts as a natural medium to explore difficult topics and themes to audiences. Often non-verbal and focusing on movement, it breaks down language, demographic and cultural barriers, allowing unlikely participants to connect through creativity and expression. It is also non-age-centric and has a whimsical appeal that can connect to all.
Creator of the festival, Moving Parts Arts, was created to use puppetry to create a sense of community in the North East and to build an audience for the craft. They aim to improve the well-being of observers and participants by bringing people together to witness unique experiences that are diverse, inclusive and accessible.
Running from 30th March – 7th April, this year’s festival features a catalogue full of free events and ticketed shows ranging from £4 – £12, meaning that there is sure to be something there for everyone. From outdoor parades to indoor performances, workshops to spectacles, you are invited to curate your own experience.
A highlight for this year is sure to be the ‘City of Kittiwakes’ parade, inspired by the iconic seabird that famously nests under the Tyne Bridge. The bird represents themes of migration, sanctuary and natural marvel; so the parade will be adorned with birds and costumes of every shape and size. Accompanied by music, this year will include a new original folk song celebrating the kittiwake and the unique city of Newcastle. Created with 150 local residents, you are invited to get involved, if you wish, to work alongside professional artists to create puppets, masks, costumes and large-scale pieces of art. You can then take part in the parade through Newcastle City Centre and showcase your work surrounded by like-minded creatives.
For a true celebration of the creative, the North East and puppetry, don’t miss Newcastle Puppetry Festival.
For further information, head to movingpartsarts.com.
