Buxton pulls the strings in annual puppet festival

Published: 26 July 2014
Reporter: Steve Orme

One of the workshops at Buxton Puppet Festival

Buxton continues to be the home of festivals as the Derbyshire town welcomes back the annual Buxton Puppet Festival.

It was started by the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild in 2003. Three years later, Buxton Opera House took over from the Guild and now presents the festival with puppetry organisation Funny Wonders. There will be performances and workshops in various locations around the town.

In the Pavilion Arts Centre, the highlights will include Aladdin on Monday 3 August at 2:30PM, A Real Fairy Story, in which Miss Amelia Buttersnap embarks on a journey to photograph a fairy, on Tuesday 5 August at 2 and 4PM and Ticky, Ticky, Boom, Boom, a traditional tale from Jamaica which tells the story of a cheeky spider who does not like to do any work, on Wednesday 6 August at 4PM.

Other puppet shows include The Three Billy Pigs on Thursday 7 August at 2PM, Dangerous Dave on the same day at 7PM and All at Sea with Noah on Friday 8 August at 2PM.

Outdoor puppet shows during the festival include A Melange of Marvellous and Magical Monsters on the Pavilion Gardens bandstand, with creations from Buxton Infant School Puppet Club, on Friday 8 August at 3:30PM and Round the World Safari on Saturday 9 August at 11AM and 2PM.

There will be free puppet shows on the Opera House forecourt from Wednesday until Friday, 6 to 8 August, as well as a number of workshops.

Buxton Puppet Festival runs from Monday until Saturday, 3 to 9 August. Further information is available at the Buxton Opera House web site.

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