Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter

This issue is dedicated to Norman Hetherington who died 06.12.2010

Eulogy presented at Norman Hetheringtonʼs funeral on 13.12.10 by Richard Bradshaw UNIMA Australia remembers Norman HetheringtonNorman Hetheringtonʼs Awards and PublicationsNorman Hetherington Remembered by Peter SolomanTributes to Norman HetheringtonWhatʼs On in January 2011Terrapinʼs 30th anniverary yearPuppet Palace 2011Story Time Channel 31ArtPlay 2011Kassius Kamel is back!Puppet Poem by Kay YasugiAbout O.P.E.N.

OP e

N

Issue Nø 11December, 2010

Norman Hetherington OAM, Australiaʼs most well-known puppeteer and creator of Mr. Squiggle (which played on ABC TV for 42 years), died on December 6, after a long illness. He was aged 89. This issue of O.P.E.N. is dedicated to Norman. Many have paid tribute to him and we celebrate his

life and achievements in the following pages.

Norman Hetherington 1921 - 2010

The following is a eulogy written and presented by Richard Bradshaw at Norman Hetheringtonʼs funeral on Monday, 13th December.

I was still at school when I first met Norman. That was in 1952 when I went to see a Saturday afternoon show at a small puppet theatre for children in an old army hut in Burnie Park, Clovelly. At the end of the program some adults presented a marionette version of an Aboriginal legend and one of those adults was Norman Hetherington. They were not his puppets, but he was there for some first-hand experience before he embarked on a career of puppetry.

Later that year Norman turned up at a meeting of the Puppetry Guild with two marionettes he had made. They were based on traditional variety figures: a devilish contortionist and a skeleton which could fall apart and reassemble. They were stunning figures, better looking than most we had seen in books of overseas puppetry.

Then in 1953 he mounted his first marionette production, “The Reluctant Dragon”, a play by Harcourt Williams. I remember it very fondly. Itʼs about a dragon who would prefer to write poetry than wage war. He is finally worked up to battle when he is accused of writing “punk poetry”. Smoke comes out of his nostrils ... or from one nostril in this case ... and this was the forerunner of lots more smoke down the years. Norman designed brilliant puppets, had a wonderful sense of fantasy, and used lots of talcum powder ... to make smoke. In later years on TV the human presenters faced the smoke from Bill Steamshovel and Rocket. Sometimes it came out in lumps.

Norman felt that puppets should do what humans couldnʼt. In his 1954 production of “The Magic Tinderbox” the king was transformed before our eyes. His arms became owls, his legs became frogs, and his body became a big purple pig. You canʼt learn to do that at NIDA.

One night, at a Puppetry Guild meeting in Erskineville, Norman did something quite special for us. He used his hands and bits of card to make an amusing series of shadow sketches. I particularly remember the swan, whose neck and head were his own arm and hand, and whose body was Normanʼs head. Norman had a wonderful head of thick, dark, curly hair and I remember the audienceʼs delight when the swanʼs head turned to preen the “feathers” on its back. He had to stop doing this great little show when a chisel he was using to carve a puppet slipped and cut into his forearm, seriously damaging a tendon to his thumb and requiring surgical repair Fortunately for everyone the accident did not end his puppetry career.

As a boy Norman had attended Fort Street High where the Principal was horrified to learn that Norman had decided to leave school to study art. How could he possibly choose the frivolous pastime of art above the academic study of language, history and football? What future was there in that?

Norman was sometimes called “Norm”, but his talents were far from those of the norm ... (that bad pun is for Bill Steamshovelʼs benefit). While he was a teenager studying art at East Sydney Tech The Bulletin published cartoons he sent them. [I hope his old school principal read The Bulletin!]

During World War II Norman joined an Army Entertainment Unit. The actor Michael Pate was in the same unit and wrote a book about it. On the dust-jacket is a cartoon of the members of the unit, “The Islanders”, drawn by “Heth”, which is how Norman used to sign himself. As the obituary in the Herald mentioned, it looked a bit like a Chinese character. There are two photos of Heth in the book. In one he has a little moustache and a bowler hat and is holding up the words of “Daisy, Daisy” for a community singing session. In the other, with smock, beret and palette, he is doing one of his lightning sketches as part of a Concert Party for troops in northern Queensland.

.

These troop concerts took him north of Australia to New Guinea, Dutch New Guinea and New Britain and the lightning sketches were often of personalities in the units they played to. These were accompanied by funny ad libs from Norman and sometimes he would transform one portrait into another by adding a few lines and turning it upside down. Mr Squiggle was already on his way from the Moon!

Photo: Australian War Memorial 68989

During the War Norman would contribute the occasional cartoon to the Bulletin and other magazines from up north and after the War he became a full-time cartoonist there, alongside Norman Lindsay and Ted Scorfield. He ended up doing a full-page cartoon spread in addition to single cartoons. In 1949 he made his first puppet following instructions in a 1935 Popular Mechanics Monthly from the U.S. that his father had given him. He saw that puppetry offered a way of combining his performance skills with his cartooning ability.

TV came to Australia in 1956 and Normanʼs puppets began appearing on the very first night of ABC TV. He also worked on Channel 7 in a syndicated puppet show that included a “Cartoonerator” where he was able to use the talents he had developed as a lightning sketch artist. Meanwhile he continued cartooning for the Bulletin until 1960 and presented holiday puppet-shows in department stores. These were joyful little shows and very often culminated with a treasure surpassing gold... a large plum pudding. Often close inspection of a puppet would reveal something usually found in a kitchen drawer ingeniously integrated into the design.

Mr Squiggle just happened. To fill a gap in programming. It was not planned that he would be around for 40 years but Squiggle clearly had other ideas! In Australia we often celebrate the larrikin, but here was a TV puppet hero who was gentle, extremely polite (“Please excuse my back Miss Pat”) and occasionally needed his hand held. That all began in 1959.

A year earlier Norman had married Margaret and, thanks to her, Mr Squiggle would never be lost for words. We should remember that they worked as a team.

In addition to Mr Squiggle, grumpy Blackboard [“Hurry up!”], the impish doormat, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail ... two non-puppets joined the household: Stephen, now a Professor of Philosophy at UNSW, and Rebecca, who eventually became Mr Squiggleʼs presenter, the last of a line of talented presenters. And letʼs not forget the valued contribution of Mr Squiggleʼs director at the ABC, Beverley Gledhill.

In the early days Norman was concerned that someone else might “borrow” the technique of Squiggle. Personally I think it would be very hard to find someone else who could draw such amusing and fantastic sketches leaning forward over a near-vertical pad with a pencil fixed at right-angles to a metre-long handle and a heavy weight at the end. And who else would give an umbrella to a fish? Often, as in the army shows (but for a reason not obvious to the young viewers) Mr Squiggle would ask for the picture to be turned upside-down.... and would then turn it into something fantastically different. No wonder thousands of children posted off their squiggles to see what might become of them.

Five years ago the Mosman Art Gallery organised a splendid retrospective exhibition. It was called: “Mr Squiggle ; Whoʼs Pulling the Strings?” One exhibit was an envelope that a child had addressed as follows: “Mr Squiggle, The Moon.” It got there!

Norman Hetherington, Bill Steamshovel, Mr. Squiggle and Gus Photo provided by Rebecca Hetherington

Thirty five years ago a 12-year-old boy in Newcastle wrote to Norman, not really expecting a reply from such a prominent person. (The boy was already a member of the Puppetry Guild of which Norman was President.) He asked how to go about stringing a marionette for a trapeze act. A reply came with a detailed drawing, alternative methods of stringing, references for further research, hints from personal experience and it was signed “All the best, NH”. The puppet’s construction began that afternoon.

That boy, Murray Raine, became a very successful puppeteer and as an adult struck up a close friendship with Norman who became a mentor. A week before Norman died Murray was at his bedside getting advice on his latest puppet.

Murray’s raunchy cabaret marionettes, decked out in feathers and sequins, were hardly what Mr Squiggle would have been used to on the Moon, but with a few quick swirls of a pencil Norman captured the mood with designs for Murray’s sexy divas . As he often said: “You never know what you can do until you try!”

Murray regrets that he can’t be here today. But this very night puppets designed by Norman Hetherington will be performing on a cruise ship which left Sydney on Friday.

The East Sydney Tech where he first trained has become the National Art School and just last month a plate he had recently designed, which featured Mr Squiggle, was in the annual plate auction to raise funds. Some years ago Norman went to COFA, the UNSW College of Fine Arts, to further his already considerable skills in etching. There, in 2005, he received the Dean’s Award for Excellence.

Norman was valued and admired by puppeteers, not only here in Australia but internationally. He inspired us all and was a good friend. In 2008 he was made a Member of Honour at the 20th congress of UNIMA, the international

association of puppeteers which, by happy chance, was held in Perth, only the third occasion outside Europe. There was an exhibition of Mr Squiggle and Friends at Perthʼs Public Library. Tributes have already come from puppeteers in England, and North America and his death has been top news on UNIMAʼs international website. Ronnie Burkett , the Canadian puppeteer who performed at the Opera House last year, has written: “Looking at photos today, I'm reminded how fresh and vibrant his puppet design sense was.”

He was not only ranked at the top by fellow puppeteers. In 2008 he was made a life member of the Australian Cartoonistsʼ association and last year was given a standing ovation when presented with their Jim Russell Award at Darling Harbour.

20 years ago he received an OAM, the Medal of the Order of Australia, for his services to puppetry and to Australian television.

Did I just hear “Hurry Up”?

Norman had a rich and rewarding life, full of fun. Fun was paramount. He brought smiles to thousands ... millions ... of faces. Even with Smileyʼs Good Teeth Puppet Theatre for the Dental Health Foundation, which he created with Margaret in 1968 and which toured schools for 17 years. These last weeks have not been fun, not for Norman, nor for his devoted family, and especially not for Margaret and Rebecca.

But now let us be grateful and happy that he brought so much joy to so many people as we remember Norman Hetherington, a great Australian.

Richard Bradshaw OAM

Awards1984 “Penguin Award” for Childrenʼs

Television Personalities. Television Society of Australia. Received award again in 1989

1990: Awarded OAM for services to puppetry and Australian television.

2002: Presented with UNIMA Australiaʼs Lifetime Achievement Award at UNIMA

National Puppetry Summit

2005: Presented with Deanʼs Award for Excellence in Art, Design and Education

(College of Fine Arts, UNSW, for contribution to the medial

2008: Member of Honour at 20th International UNIMA Congress and Pestival,

Perth.

2008: Australian Cartoonistʼs Associationʼs Jim Russell Award.

Above: (L - R) Ronnie Burkett, Murray Raine and Norman Hetherington backstage 14th October ʼ09 at ʻBilly Twinkleʼ, Sydney Opera House. Photo by Neil Ray reproduced from ʻAustralian Puppeteerʼ ʼ09

Left: Sculpture of Norman Hetherington on UNIMA Lifetime Achievement Awardsculpted by Julia Davis

Publications1974 Puppets of Australia written by Norman and wife

Margaret for the Australia Council

1980 Mr Squiggle and the Great Moon Robbery written and illustrated by Norman and wife Margaret. Published by ABC

Books.

1988 Hand Shadows written and illustrated by Norman and wife Margaret. Published by Angus & Robertson.

1992 Mr. Squiggle and the Preposterous Purple Crocodile written and illustrated by Norman and wife Margaret.

Published by ABC booksRight: Cover of Hand Shadows

1988

Below:Book produced by

Mosman Art Gallery for Norman Hetherington

retrospective exhibition 2005

The following is a tribute from Jennifer Pfeiffer, President of UNIMA Australia. Norman Hetherington was the founding president of UNIMA Australia in 1970

We celebrate the life of Mr Norman Hetherington, who passed away after a long illness on Monday 6 December.

Norman was most remembered for his pioneering work in Australian television with his show based on his puppet character Mr Squiggle. Mr Squiggle first appeared in the late 50s, and which several generations of Australian children grew up with, being broadcast for over 42 years!. Squiggle has a pencil for a nose and changed scribbles sent in by viewers into recognisable and mostly humorous drawings. Sometimes Squiggle drew sideways or upside-down.

Norman was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1990 for service to children's television programs and puppetry.

He was a man whose involvement with puppetry was always motivated by a sense of fun and good humour.

http://www.youtube.com/v/2u74YGPQCHA?fs <blocked::http://www.youtube.com/v/2u74YGPQCHA?fs>

Norman was also very active in the formation of the UNIMA Australia Centre in its early years, and worked to encourage young performers, inspired them and set a benchmark for excellence. He was president of the Puppetry Guild of NSW, which later changed to the Puppetry Guild of Australia, of which he was the NSW branch president, and was later president of UNIMA Australia (1970-1984). He was a co-convenor of the original UNIMA Australia Scholarship to assist emerging puppeteers, and who was honoured at the UNIMA World Congress in Perth 2008, being bestowed Member of Honour.

Jennifer

Jennifer PfeifferInternational Executive UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette)President UNIMA Asia-Pacific CommissionPresident UNIMA Australia The UNIMA Australia logo was designed by Norman Hetherington

Norman Hetherington Remembered A personal recollection by Peter Soloman Sunday 12th December 2010

It was in 1974 when having joined Peter Scriven’s Marionette Theatre Company as an ASM that I decided to become a member of the APG (Australian Puppetry Guild). One night at a Guild meeting over an inevitable cup of tea I met one of the senior members - Norman Hetherington. Norman was well known to me, for throughout the 1960s I was magnetised to our family television set, watching his wonderful creation Mr Squiggle (the moon man/boy who ventured to earth each program, just to “make complete” children’s squiggles). However at the time, being a fairly naïve twenty-four year old, I did not know how important Norman was to Australian puppetry - or indeed the arts in general.

Touring for a year with Peter Scriven’s last production of the Tintookies, Tintookies 2000, was a fascinating introduction to the world of professional puppetry and commercial theatre. And friendship still remains from this time, namely with ex-puppeteer Virginia Mort. In 1977 I met my life partner Mark Wager, who, whilst on summer recess from the design course at NIDA, earnt some well needed money doing craftwork in pre-production of Phillip Edmeston’s Scrivenesque show, The Grand Adventure. Thirty-four years have past since Mark and I made Melbourne home, and though I cannot remember how we came to socialise with the Hetheringtons, I will always be grateful for our times together. Throughout the years when travelling to Sydney, Mark and I have always looked forward to catching-up with these delightful people.

For those who never had the pleasure of meeting Norman I can perhaps provide a sketch of the man. Photographs in the Hetherington archives reveal a young man who shared similar dark romantic looks to British artist and author Mervyn Peake. The Norman I met in 1974 was about fifty-three and his wavy hair was turning grey. What struck me at the time was how “puppet-like” his lively facial features were. For unlike his beautiful puppets that were rarely designed to be “fully articulated”, everything worked practically on Norman’s head: his eyelids, eyebrows, cheeks, mouth and for all I know ears!

Norman’s skills and achievements were examined in a video essay made some years ago for ABC television’s Australian Story. This program, known well for its high production standards, is nonetheless limited to what it can cover in a twenty-five minute format. Hence the vital place that Margaret, Norman’s work and life partner had in his life, were barely touched on. A few years after the airing of Australian Story a Sydney gallery celebrated the work of Norman in a retrospective exhibition. However, when all is said and done the scope of Norman’s development as an artist and the importance his wife and daughter had on his longevity as an entertainer in Australian television, is yet untold.

At this point I cannot continue without expanding on the importance of Margaret Hetherington. Peggy [as her friends call her] has been the significant other half to Norman’s celebrated career. For thirty-plus years Peggy wrote the scripts for Norman to perform to, and there-fore should be rightly thought of as an Australian television writer with one of the longest careers, as well as the principal collaborator with Norman. For their unique contribution to Australian entertainment, Norman and Peggy Hetherington should join the select ranks of a diverse group of creative couples who have given their lives to the arts; including Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge, Googie Withers and John McCallum, Tommy Dysart and Joan Brockenshire, Ray Lawler and Jacque-line Kelleher, and John Bell and Anna Volska.

Norman Hetherington’s talent as a fine artist and etcher has been extensively documented, as has the black and white cartooning that he began for the Bulletin magazine pre WW2. But perhaps it is as a marionette puppet designer/maker/performer that Norman will best be remembered? Mr Squiggle and Friends was a program made by the Australian Broadcasting Commision (as it was then known) for their Children’s Television Entertainment department. The show was designed for primary to upper primary aged children and ran for a staggering forty years. This achievement alone would put Norman Hetherington in a television entertain-ment category of his own, for I cannot think of a puppet maestro in Great Britainor the United States who would have had such longevity with one con-current program (even I suspect the redoubtable Bill Baird?).

To speak of Norman’s cartoonist style, my guess is that he was influenced by European animated films of the late 1940s to 1950s (UPA Studios esp.), along with French and American children’s picture books of the 1950s to early 1960s. With regards to the materials and methods by which Norman made his puppets; from memory Mr Squiggle is about 850mm high and strung for short strings. His clothes are machine and hand sewn, with hands/gloves and shoes stuffed with wadding. His body is a shell so as to accommodate an extendable neck, and I believe his head is wooden. His hair is made from dyed sheep wool. Mr Squiggle’s nose – I think I can reveal this now – is a black oil crayon. As to other puppets seen on Mr Squiggle and Friends or in Norman Hetherington’s (live) Puppets shows, unlike the current trend for complex figures that boast wig hair lacing, or rely on triggers and mechanisms; Norman used fabric, shaped styrene covered with paper towel mache, acrylic paint and coloured plastic tubing.

Throughout the 1960s to 1980s television producers and puppeteers from around the world sought to understand the “trick” that enabled Mr Squiggle to draw with his nose. But why: the trick was not a technical feat but a philosophical one. The magic of Mr Squiggle was that Norman Hetherington imbued his creation with the qualities of a blessed child: kindness, vulnerability and resourcefulness.

Moreover, for thirty years the Hetherington’s were indefatigable. Aside from keep-ing up with the demands of television rehearsals and recording, Norman produced and performed one-man Christmas shows at Grace Brothers retail store (then at Broadway, Sydney), and was artist in residence at Frensham Ladies College in New South Wales. If this was not enough the Hetheringtons gave any spare time to morally support “Puppet Tragics” at home and abroad, just as Richard and Margaret Bradshaw, Richard Hart and Julia Davis and others have done.

But what of Norman: what sort of person was he? Thinking back on the discussions that I had with him, not a word dealt with politics of the day, the economic state of things, religious or gender-based issues. Rather, if you wished to talk philosophy, English literature, history and the ancient world - Peggy was the one. This is notto say that Norman was unthinking or unaware of life’s deeper issues. Far from it, he just absorbed these concerns and filtered them through a dreamy, child-like imagination. Socially, Norman may have fashioned the persona of a wise, doddery, avuncular puppet master to deal with his public notoriety. But I believe underneath he was just as over-whelmed by the callous and relentless bustle of daily life, as Squiggle.

If we the baby boomer generation were fortunate to have been Mr Squiggle and Friends’ audience, Norman Hetherington was fortunate to have worked at ABC television when it was staffed with committed people who were rewarded for innovation, open-mindedness, experimentation and risk taking. To some peoplethe golden years of ABC television and Radio were the 1960s-1970s. In my view, all this changed from about 1980, when the “bean counters” moved in and dumbed down much of arts programming to the lowest common denominator. In the future the ABC may continue to assign money and effort to its news and current affairs programs. But sadly, I think the days of innovative and memorable children’s entertainment and drama have gone.

Australian artist Norman Hetherington passed away on 6th December 2010: he was eighty-nine. For all the years I knew Norman he puzzled at artists who aspired to intellectual significance, at the expense of straightforwardness and simplicity. After all, as he always said, ‘I just want to have fun’. And he did.

Happy moonbeams Norm’.

Peter SolomonAsmodeus Films

He was such a lovely gentle man, and so humble. i remember meeting him up at Blackheath, and at the Perth puppetry festival, will cherish the photo I took of Norman and his beautiful wife. What an Amazing man and couple. He will be missed. Sandy Blake VIC

Sad news and a loss from the cultural landscape, but what a legacy!! Mr Squiggle was part of the cultural fabric of childhood (my childhood) of the 1960s Australia. The originality of the Squiggle concept hasn't been replicated (such as I am aware) and in hindsight his puppetry for the local (Australian) TV is something Australians can all be proud of. And he was such a nice man too! Thank you Mr Hetherington, May you rest in peace. May your puppetry live on in the hearts minds and archives such that new generations have the opportunity for discovery and rediscovery. Sue Blakey VIC

Please extend to Margaret and family my sincere condolences. Norman's presence at the World Festival in Perth rounded off his amazing life of dedication to gentle amusement for all ages. I will miss his hesitant smile, soft voice and gentlemanly manner. The puppetry world will mourn his passing, but his art will live on in film for future generations. Sincerely Mildred Clarke WA

I always found Norm a great inspiration and full of highly original ideas. He could make characters out of the most unlikely objects and had original thoughts on his attitude to puppets. He will be very much missed in the world of puppetry. Ann Davis. NSW

What an inspiration! ‘Squiggling’ was a habit I developed in my childhood after watching Mr. Squiggle on TV. I often looked at the random arrangements of marks on a page to find the completed picture suggested there. I still do....... Julia Davis VIC

Joan and I met Norman briefly a couple of times; at the UNIMA festival in Japan and then again in Melbourne. I never saw Mr Squiggle but do have a postage stamp with a picture and of course Norman and Margaret's hand-shadow book and I did have at one time his Puppets of Australia book. It is obvious that he and the programmes were well loved by the amount of information now online and videos. Ray DaSilva UK

I first met Norman in 1980 at a NSW Puppetry Guild meeting. Having grown up with Mr. Squiggle, Blackboard and Steamshovel, I was awestruck at being introduced to him, knowing his name only. Since then I have met him often, but briefly; the more I met him, the more I liked and respected him as a person, apart from his puppetry and design genius. Richard Hart VIC

He has been a father figure to me, a wonderful mentor and a close personal friend. Words cannot begin to explain how I will miss him; he has shaped the career I have today. Murray Raine NSW

I'm so happy to read that the next O.P.E.N. will be a dedication to this remarkable man and his extraordinary work. I can offer a picture of the man that we met so often at UNIMA gatherings. His gentleness and warmth reached out to us without noise or fanfare; his contribution was massive, reliable and consistent. What a lovely man and a wonderful puppeteer! My sympathy to all Norm's family, friends and colleagues. Anita Sinclair VIC

I worked with Norman as an actor on Squiggle for 2 years when I lived in Sydney. He was an interesting man who to me really was a combination of all his characters he played. It was always interesting watching him interact with Jane and see the dynamics there -particularly if he was annoyed with Jane on the day Bill the steam shovel would blow extra smoke into Jane's face and we would always watch on with interest with how she would cope it all,.,,,,  fun times!!!!! Ian White VIC

A sad day for the puppetry community. Kay Yasugi NSW

I got a mail about Norman Hetherington. I pray for the repose of his soul. Sung Hee Cho South Korea

$36/$30/Child $24Family (2 adults/2 children): $99Seymour Centre: 02 9351 7940Sydney Festival: 1300 668 812Ticketmaster: 136100

Friday 7 at 7pmSaturday 8 at 11.30amSunday 9 at 2pm & 5pmTuesday 11 to Saturday 15 at 7pmWednesday 12 & Friday 14 at 2pmSunday 16 at 2pm & 5pm

Snow on Mars is an inspiring adventure that blasts off with aerial performers, actors, music and songs, making it perfect for audiences from 6-106.

York Theatre Seymour Centre January 2011

Conceived and designed by Kim Carpenter and written by Richard Tulloch Director: Gale Edwards  Composer: Peter Kennard

Choreographer: Rowan Marchingo

Twelve year-old Waylon wants to be the first man on Mars and he’s not afraid to shoot for the stars. But with his family constantly on the move he’s

fallingf urther behind in his schoolwork, and becoming a NASA astronaut like his hero Andy Thomas seems about as likely as finding snow on Mars.

With help from his family and friends Waylon discovers that although dreams are hard to reach there can be fun and excitement in trying to achieve them

And yes, there is snow on Mars

Whatʼs On - January

Dream Puppets at Sea Days. Prom Coast Summer Festival SUPERBIA

31st December at 11.00 a.m. 1st January at 11.00 a.m and 2.30 p.m. 2nd January at 11.00 a.m. www.welshpool.vic.au

Also:

Dreamer in Space at Coburg Library January 12 Ph. 92401246Dreamer in Space at Clarinda Library January 18 Ph. 95804377Dreamer at Newport Library January 18 Ph. 99322050Superbia at Springvale Library January 19 Ph. 92395398

___________________________________________________________________________________

Pirates' Secret Treasure written and directed by Phil Bell

Colourful and interactive, it leads the audience on a journey to find the secret treasure. Children are encouraged to come dressed their your favourite pirate costume!

The dates for your diary are: Tuesday 11 January to Friday 14 and Tuesday 18 to Friday 21 January.

Shows are at 9:30am and 11:00 am daily. If you are from a day care and vacation care centre and would like to bring a group,

bookings are now being taken on 0438526411. For more information, go to www.qtop.org.au <http://www.qtop.org.au>

__________________________________________________________________________________

Coming up in 2011:

Terrapin Puppet Theatre 30th Anniversary Year

Tasmania’s Terrapin Puppet Theatre has announced its season for 2011 – its 30th anniversary year. In what will be the biggest year in its history, Terrapin will stage six productions over six Australian states and territories, and

tour to the USA, Ireland and New Zealand for the first time. On the anniversary itself, Friday 22 April, Terrapin’s much-loved production of Boats will be staged in New York at

the Long Island Children’s Museum, as part of an international tour that will stop in Wellington New Zealand, Dublin Ireland, and Cleveland and Seattle, as well as various venues around New York state.

Boats will also undertake a two-month tour across Australia, encompassing shows in Sydney and regional NSW, Brisbane and regional Queensland, regional Victoria, Darwin and outback Northern Territory, where it will be

accompanied by an Indigenous translator, before heading back to Tasmania for a stay in Launceston. The stunning collaboration with the Children’s Art Theatre of China, When the Pictures Came, which opened in Shanghai earlier this year, will have its premiere Australian season in March at the Australian Festival for Young People (Come Out) in Adelaide, before returning to Terrapin’s home town of Hobart for Ten Days on the Island. The critically acclaimed Helena and the Journey of the Hello will be seen in Melbourne’s Arts Centre, while the

inventive The Falling Room and the Flying Room will tour Victorian schools. Two new productions will be staged in Tasmania. The Waltzing Tree will tour into primary schools in every corner

of the state over eight week weeks in May/June, while Love will premiere in Hobart’s grand Theatre Royal in September before touring to Burnie.

Terrapin Puppet Theatre, and the international tour of Boats, are supported by the Australian Government through the

Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body; and Terrapin is further

supported through Arts Tasmania by the Minister for the Arts. The Australian

Government is also proud to be associated with the Australian national tour of Boats

through the national performing arts touring program, Playing Australia, which gives Australians across the country the

opportunity to see some of our best performing arts. The Tasmanian school

tour of The Waltzing Tree is supported by Aurora Energy.

Boats

From Tehran To Torrensville Puppet Biz in the 2011 Adelaide Fringe

 Puppet Palace in the Garden of Unearthly Delights is again the centre of the 

Australian puppetry world when we present the Adelaide Fringe’s only dedicated puppetry venue. With almost two hundred shows over the four 

week season Puppet Palace is Australia’s largest annual puppetry performance project.  Started in 2007, the Puppet Palace is now a sought after fixture by audiences in the Adelaide Fringe introducing the Adelaide public to a variety of puppet shows ranging from the purely traditional to the really wild and wacky. In 2010 over 8,000 people attended shows in the Puppet Palace 

venue.  

With a new show taking to the stage every hour, the venue relies on presenting only portable puppet shows.  This year’s program sees the Puppet Palace venue continue to develop this rapid‐fire presentation of shows  

with no less than four international companies taking part in our packed 2011 program.  

Highlights of the 2011 program include a four week season by the For family audiences we are especially proud to present Appletree Puppet Company from Iran with their delightful traditional production of Pahlevan Kachal (The Bald Hero), an internationally acclaimed show telling a traditional Persian folk‐tale. Appletree is four talented sisters from Tehran who are at the forefront of the Iranian puppetry revival. All their shows are 

accompanied by exquisite live Persian music.  Canadian shadow‐puppet genius Jeff Achem (aka Mr Bunk) will present a brand new shadow puppetry show called ‘Swamp Juice which promises to be spectacular. We are pleased to be hosting Stringbean Puppet Company  a young company from Wellington, New Zealand with a whimsical Italian‐inspired show featuring pasta‐making marionettes and a Neopolitan‐style Polichinello show. 

Also from new Zealand, Puppet Palace hosts TABLO The Notional Theatre of New Zealand, a highly creative visual theatre/puppetry company with intriguing roving characters & sketches… 

 Puppet Palace and Pooka Puppets break new ground this year with the launch of a provocative new production called “Punch and Judy Take Afghanistan’ an adult puppet production that combines spoof, political satire and lashings of slapstick violence.  It features the talents of Australia’s Three Professors of Punch and Melbourne’s 

internationally recognised puppet‐maker Chris Van Der Craats.  

Puppet Palace in 2010 had a number of favourite South Australian shows that will again be returning to delight both families and adults. We will again be presenting the hilarious ‘in your face’ puppet rock opera Tyrannasaurus Sex, the pathetic story of Bob the Penis’s journey through the country of SizeMatters only to find fulfillment at the 

other side. Our most popular family show The Amazing Drumming Monkeys ‘Save The Planet’ sees the two intrepid mammals solve global warming through acts of kindness, Lindi Jane, Australia’s leading female 

ventriloquist presents her superb Snaps Kakadu Club (Lindi Jane was an award winner in Dubai this year)  and  of course we will be presenting both the family and late night versions of traditional Seaside Punch and Judy by Professor’s Haig & Preston. We see the return of Pooka Puppet’s hit‐production of ‘Pigs In Wigs’ the funky 

fairytale version of the classic tale from the Big Bad Wolf’s perspective. For late night owls Puppet Palace goes into object animation of a different kind with acclaimed cards and cabaret artiste Tony Roberts presenting his 

intriguing comedy‐card show Late Nite Aces Hi In all, you’ll have to agree… Puppets are looking good for the 2011 Adelaide Fringe Festival! Come and enjoy! 

 The 2011 Puppet Palace Program is presented by Puppet Palace Project Company in association with The Garden of Unearthly Delights and Strut’n Fret Productions. 

 For more information please contact: 

Keith Preston & Lachlan Haig  Mob: 0418 839 264 Email: Artbeatkp@aol.com  Web: www.puppetpalace.com.au 

Expression of Interest – PuppetLab at ArtPlay ArtPlay is Australia’s only creative arts centre for children and families. We provide high quality arts experiences through workshops and performances in all art forms. ArtPlay believes something special happens between artists and children. In June 2011 ArtPlay will be presenting a week of puppetry workshops and performances: PuppetLab. We are looking for:

! a performance suitable for our gallery space (see tech specs) ! workshops in a variety forms of puppetry for children aged 3 to 5yrs, 5 to 8 yrs

and 8 to 12yrs and families. Dates: Confirmed: Tuesday 12 to Sunday 17 July Tentative: Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July PuppetLab has been part of the ArtPlay program in 2007, 2008 & 2009 and has involved over 40 artists including Ken Evans, Rebecca Russell, Men of Steel, Lynne Kent, Liz Talbot, Justine Warner, Tim Denton, Annie Forbes, Vanessa Ellis and heaps more! If you have an idea for a workshop, or a performance ready to perform then please send us an email outlining:

! Contact details & Bio ! A short description of your workshop/performance ! Age suitability ! Cost of 3 workshops*/cost of 4 days of performance ! Capacity of workshop/performance

This should be between ! to 1 page of detail. * please note our stand fee for 3 x 2hr workshops with one artist over different days would be approx $650. This varies from artist to artist depending on difficulty in prep time, if the workshops occur on the same day, artist experience and length of workshop. If your EOI is successful, we will negotiate fees further. Please send your EOI to Alex Desebrock by Wednesday 12th January on alex.desebrock@melbourne.vic.gov.au If you have any questions you can contact her on (03) 9664 7904. Please note ArtPlay will be closed from the 22nd December to the 4th January.

This show has been made with the help of RMITV, the Dandenong Library, Casey Safety Village, the CFA and Myuna Farm. It will air on Wednesdays at 9:30am starting December the 8th on Channel 31.

Producer, Bret Dalgleish says, “We have developed the show with the hope that it will increase story time patronage for libraries throughout Australia. Each show will also feature a 15 second advertisement spruiking the local library

story time experience”.

Every episode features a craft activity that can be downloaded from the show’s web site www.tallted.com <http://www.tallted.com/> .

Story Time is a new children’s TV show centred on library Story Time sessions. The show is called Story Time and will feature a different

Storyteller each week. All guests on the show are regular library performers and the show is hosted by a seven foot bear called Tall Ted.

Where is Kassius?

He’s back! Waffling with the wallies ......... and whistling to Wikileaks?

About O.P.E.N (Oz Puppetry Email Newsletter)O.P.E.N. is a free and voluntarily produced newsletter and is open to all. You can contact us on

dreampuppets@netspace.net.au

Please send reports of any known or suspected puppet activity by the 25th of each month. (Profiles of puppet characters or drawings/cartoons also welcome). Please keep photo resolutions low. Preferably send written material in .doc form so that it

can be edited or rearranged on the page. Publication will be during the first week of each month.

If you have urgent news: deadlines or notice of performances previously not advertised, you can send it to us for inclusion in Op-date at any time.

LINKS to more information about Australian puppetry:www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au

www.PUPPETRYNEWS.comhttp://africanpuppet.blogspot.com

www.unima.org.auhttp://twitter.com/OzPuppetry

www.dreampuppets.comwww.puppetpalace.com.au

Thank you to Richard Bradshaw, Peter Soloman and Jennifer Pfeiffer and all those to contributed to this special edition of

O.P.E.N. No. 11, dedicated to the memory of Norman Hetherington 1921-2010.

This email newsletter will not be produced in January, but please send contributions for the next issue, O.P.E.N. Nø 12 in February, 2011

Julia Davis and Richard Hart December 2010

Season’s Greetingsfrom O.P.E.N.