About

My name is Naomi Guss, and I am a puppet maker and designer in Melbourne, Australia. My main interest in puppetry is to design and build the puppets; not so much performing with them. I also focus on puppetry for adults, which can also be enjoyed by children. While I applaud children's puppetry, we need more stuff for adult audiences (which isn't burlesque or R-rated). I do not make toys; I make puppets to be used on a professional level in the theatre.

Read about Commissions and Repairs. You can find more information about my latest projects on my blog.

I graduated in 2002 from Swinburne University's theatre course. There I met my two company partners, and made lots of friends. My company, Sticky Apple Legs, debuted in 2003 with a performance that used more than 30 self-made puppets. We have since produced a new show for 2007 (much of which you can read about here). We are also members of the Aussie branch of UNIMA.

Since graduating I have worked with various Melbourne-based theatre companies, groups and festivals, mainly as a theatre technician. At some point or another, I have done every role you could possibly do in theatre. I have worked with the likes of: Arena Theatre Company, Red Stitch Actors Company, NICA, Swinburne Uni, Fortyfivedownstairs, Double Pump Producement, the 2004 Melbourne Fringe Festival, La Mama, and many others. Throughout 2002 to 2006 I ran a not-for-profit online theatre publication, The Prompt Copy. In 2005/2006 I worked for Arts Hub, an online arts publication. In early 2008, I went to the international puppet conference in Perth, which you can read about here.

Most of my puppetry skills are self taught, although I can credit some learning to:

• My dear friend Jeany (Hye Jean Lee) and fellow SAL founder
• Ken Evans, the puppetry lecturer at Swinburne while I attended
• Masterclasses with Richard Bradshaw, Nori Sawa, Neville Tranter, Gary Friedman and Sue Giles

For the first time in 2007, I designed and built puppets by myself for our Sticky Apple Legs show, City Head, some of which were used for a corporate video. I am currently undertaking a range of puppetry-related projects... If you'd like a copy of my CV please contact me and I'll forward one to you.