Puppet Parlour

Photo drop curtesy of the mega star that is Collen Chandler!!!

Oh Shambala Festival, you did it again! The wind and rain didn't stand a chance against all the positive vibes!
Massive thank you to our amazing crew and performers. As always we come away from the festival wondering how we got so bloody lucky to know such amazingly talented human beings.
And a huge thank you to you, our audiences for coming along, making puppetry part of your festival and creating the most ridiculously long queues in torrential rain and 30mph winds. Seriously you lot- those queues were something else!!!!!
More photos to come soon from the great Collen Chandler but for now, we rest!

Oh, and thank you for all your cooperation and understanding whilst we dealt with the Goblin infestation. We have heard from them and their new king - after meeting their demands and buggering off they are much happier. But they have promised that if we build the Puppet Parlour on their nest again next year, we'll get more than we bargained for....

Last day! Let’s make it a great one!

Happy Saturday!

Let’s go!!!!

You are all cordially invited to the MONSTER DISCO and what better way to make an entrance than turning up with your very own creature creation!

Come along to the Puppet Parlour tent and make yourself a monstrous new friend, then bring them for a boogie at Sunday’s Monster Disco!

For those who want to end their festival with a fright, this mixed bill offers an array of devilish delights. Whether it’s ooky spooky or blood, guts and gore, come and get your horror fix here…. if you dare!! Puppets and horror – what’s not to like?

They found something buried in the theatre!

An arctic expedition find something buried in the Ice, something not of this earth, and as thecrew of Outpost 31 will soon discover, not everything buried is dead...
The Pop-up Puppet Cinema gang bring the 1982 scifi horror classic into the puppet world for you. Take a good long look at the person beside you, they may be a thing! (but not too long, they might just call security).

Crowd pleasing, slick, and above all extremely funny" - Starburst Film Festival
"Truly original and utterly hilarious!" - RAD screenings
"Very funny and inventive!" - Dirk Maggs (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)
"Their Thing is everything I wanted. Silly, funny, inventive, movie accurate. Go see!" - Rob Kemp (The Elvis Dead)
"Highly recommended, fun, original and puppet-tastic!" Level Up Leroy

Also from tatwoodpuppets is their brand new show Liminal!
Liminal is a modern and abstract one person puppet show using marionettes and object manipulation. In a series of sequences that explores space and the relationship between objects, the show invites a liminal space where boundaries of the human form are manipulated and reimagined.

After selling out the Puppet Parlour in 2022, we had to have them back! Tatwood Puppets return with Cabaret of Curiosities!

Pull back the veil and enter the Cabaret of Curiosities - a gothic, vaudeville extravaganza for adults and teens who enjoy the stranger side of life. In a modern reimagining of the traditional booth show, otherworldly creatures appear in a variety of unique puppetry acts that will amaze, bemuse and entertain. Expect mysterious puppetry, close-up magic, laughter, wonder and original live music.

Brought to you by the fantastic travelledcompanions is Loic in the Sky- creative play!
A Turtley Awesome Adventure

Loic is a wise and brave adventurer who is relied on by many but there is unrest in the waters so…he has taken to the sky to find an answer. Can you travel with Loic through the wind and waves? You may just find that you have an important role to play….

An interactive play session exploring the world around us. We will embark on a journey together where we will explore life under the ocean and above the clouds through simple storytelling, live music and play.

This is a 45 minute session ‘for little ones’ and their grown ups to move their bodies, discover exciting stories and maybe even make a little something.

KILL ALL CYNICISTS is a puppetry and storytellingshow by Roos Buskes and Tuesday Wulterkens. But it is way more than that. It started out with a brilliant book by Bell Hooks called 'All About Love' and it ended up as an ode to love, solidarity, anger and humanity. I mean look at the world, how can you love? But also, look at the world, how can you not love? And what is love anyway? And why is it so hard to be vulnerable? Maybe the answers lie in Greek mythology and foam rubber men. KILL ALL CYNICISTS is a radically different point of view in a world in which vulnerability is rapidly fading and cynism is becoming the order of the day. Is it impossible to grow old without being afraid to say ‘I love you”? Through puppetry and storytelling we will steer you away from that cynical, conservative, bitter, big angry wolf.

Monsters aren’t really scary – they just want somebody to dance with! Bring your dancing shoes, and your best dance moves and join the fun at THE MONSTER DISCO! Fancy dress encouraged and big smiles guaranteed! From Headstrung Puppets and friends.

We’re delighted to welcome our good friends Fool Size Theatre to the Puppet Parlour with their new show Eyes on Earth.

Mother earth has a story to tell
but she isn’t feeling well.
Our doctors don’t know how to save her
we need your help
can you do us a favour?
We need to listen in a new way
so we can hear what she has to say.
A kids show with puppets, mime and lo-fi film.

Saturday night brings you the best of the best in puppet cabaret. Featuring acts from our wonderful Puppet Parlour team and hosted by the one and only Nana Funk. Expect the surreal, the beautiful and the bizarre!

Why Fish? is a new one woman show that explores Izzy’s experience of living with
Tourette’s Syndrome. Personifying her tics as brain neurone puppets, Izzy creates a visual
story of her mental fight for control. The show not only uses puppets but real anecdotes and
lots of humour to entertain and educate about a commonly misunderstood condition. Due
to the nature of her tics there is a small amount of swearing present in the performance and
so it is aimed at audiences of 12+.
The story follows Izzy through events in her life from her teen years when her tics began,
over all the medical and diagnostic hurdles, to finding strong support circles and learning to
work with her body and not against it. Izzy hopes that sharing her experiences will spread
understanding as well as help people with similar experiences feel less alone in their
struggles!
So join us on this abstract adventure to find out... Why Fish?

Back by popular demand, returning to the Puppet Parlour this year are Pop-up Puppet Cinema

Taking the traditional Punch and Judy stand and giving it a Hollywood twist, Pop-Up Puppet Cinema perform condensed puppet parodies of popular movies.
Doc Brown has invented a time machine but through error and circumstance it sends Marty back to 1955..where his presence endangers his own existence. Can Marty and Doc get his parents together? Can they get the 2.21 gigawatts they need? Can they get Marty ... BACK TO THE FUTURE!

“Crowd pleasing, slick, and above all extremely funny” – Starburst Film Festival
“Truly original and utterly hilarious!” – RAD screenings
“Very funny and inventive!” – Dirk Maggs

What would you do if you moved to a strange new city? All your friends are far away, your new house smells weird, and it rains all the time?!

Kit takes matters into his own hands, when one night, while drawing to pass the time, the swirls and whirls on his page giggle into a life of their own, and a very unusual adventure unfolds! Join Soap Soup Theatre on their most riotous, colourful adventure of all - where a bedroom becomes a forest, a school turns into a solar system and the drawings in your bag have a life of their own!

A story about the magic of creativity

Devised by one of North Somerset’s leading theatre makers for family audiences, Minny Stynker is performed by Artistic Director of Soap Soup Theatre Tomasin Cuthbert, and brings the vibrant illustrations from her book to life using a delightful mix of 2d and 3d puppets, gentle audience interaction and gorgeous music.

Fresh from her sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe, we’re delighted to welcome Freddie Does Puppets back to the Puppet Parlour.�After Edinburgh Fringe smash hit Potatohead, Freddie Hayes returns to Shambala with her latest outrageous comedy character – expect ridiculous props, puppetry and true magic!
Formerly a glamorous assistant, this haphazard showbiz loon now has her moment in the spotlight. Enter the magic circle and meet this powerful, deluded, reckless woman. Expect ridiculous props, puppetry, and true magic.
WINNER – Most Bizarre Moment in Theatre Award 2022��“She is the most perfect clown and a fantastic storyteller.”�★★★★ Everything Theatre on Potatohead��“Gleefully silly fringe fun.”�★★★★ British Theatre Guide on Potatohead��“Homemade scuzz.”�Ed Fest on Potatohead

The Magic Lady created by Freddie Hayes, directed by Mikey Bligh Smith.

It’s getting close…

What a magical weekend!!!! , you really know how to throw a party!
A big thank you to everyone who queued up and made puppetry a part of your festival.

This year was our busiest yet so a massive shout out to all of our performers, puppeteers, crew, ushers, workshop leaders and techies who all worked so hard to make sure the tent ran smoothly- you’re all superstars!

And now, we rest!

FINAL DAY!!!! Make it count!

DAY TWO!!!

LET’S GO!!!

For those who want to end their festival with a fright, this mixed bill offers an array of devilish delights.

Whether it’s ooky spooky or blood, guts and gore, come and get your horror fix here…. if you dare!!

Puppets and horror – what’s not to like?
Featuring scares from…
Velma Von Bon Bon
Charlie Wood
Pop-up Puppet Cinema
Headstrung Puppets

is Summer 2023….

Coming to a cinema near you…

Puppet Parlour Pictures presents…



Movie Night!



It’s Friday night, put on your pjs, grab the popcorn, snuggle up under a blanket and we’ll dim the lights as we present our first ever Movie Night.

Be ready for puppet twists on classic movies, premieres of new puppet films, trailers and the general chaos we’ve come to expect from an evening at the Puppet Parlour!

Feature presentations include blockbusters from Pop-up Puppet Cinema and Magpie Factory

Saturday night brings you the best of the best in puppet cabaret.

Featuring acts from our wonderful Puppet Parlour team and hosted by the one and only Nana Funk this promises to be a night to remember!

Expect the surreal, the beautiful and the bizarre!
Featuring acts from the wonderful…
Velma Von Bon Bon
Thingumajig Theatre
Magpie Factory
Laura Coppin
Gemma Divine
Headstrung Puppets

This Summer 2023….

Coming to a cinema near you…

Puppet Parlour Pictures presents…



Movie Night!



It’s Friday night, put on your pjs, grab the popcorn, snuggle up under a blanket and we’ll dim the lights as we present our first ever Movie Night.

Be ready for puppet twists on classic movies, premieres of new puppet films, trailers and the general chaos we’ve come to expect from an evening at the Puppet Parlour!

Feature presentations include blockbusters from Pop-up Puppet Cinema and Magpie Factory

Just when you thought it was safe to enter the Puppet Parlour….

Returning to Shambala and the Puppet Parlour this year are Pop-up Puppet Cinema!

Taking the traditional Punch and Judy stand and giving it a Hollywood twist, Pop-Up Puppet Cinema perform condensed puppet parodies of popular movies.

Join them for adventures with Quint, fearless captain of a shark-hunting vessel The Orca.

Something deadly lurks in the waters around the seaside resort of Amity. Chief Brodie, Sharkologist (might be a word!) Matt Hooper and salty seadog Quint form a motley crew to stop the great white killer in JAWS!



“Crowd pleasing, slick, and above all extremely funny” – Starburst Film Festival

“Truly original and utterly hilarious!” – RAD screenings

“Very funny and inventive!” – Dirk Maggs