Learn

Please note: this post only applies to education opportunities in Australia. If you are from another country, I would suggest visiting The Puppetry Homepage, UNIMA USA, or UNIMA UK.

Please also note: I do not offer classes myself at this stage.

Are there educational places in Australia where you can make or perform with puppets? Yes! 

The only full course for puppeteers in Australia is at VCA. The course is three years, and is a postgraduate/masters combined. I can't speak of the quality of the course myself, but I do know that many of the professional puppeteers consider the course to be excellent. It is run by Peter Wilson, one of the foremost Australian puppeteers. 

Second to that is the puppetry component at Swinburne; it is only part of their acting/tech course. It is was run by Ken Evans (as a sessional lecturer), one of the founding members of Handspan, until 2007. In 2008, Julia Davis from Dream Puppets is running the puppetry component (sources inform me). I undertook this course, and can highly recommend it. It has changed since I was there, and the puppetry component has become a larger part of the course; I also know that the coordinators hope to extend it into an undergraduate counterpart to VCA's course. 

There are no puppet-making short courses that you can do in Melbourne, but there are a few classes (see next paragraph). I don't know of any in other states. If you are already a theatre or arts student, you can ask your university or TAFE if they offer work experience placements with local puppetry companies. 

Outside of that, your best bet is to find a local puppetry company (there are many!) who offer classes. Very few offer adult classes, but they do exist. Try checking out Puppetry Australia or UNIMA Australia for companies who offer classes. If you are near Sydney, you can try my good friend Gary Friedman, who does offer classes for students and adults. Erth Visual and Physical Inc based in NSW, and produce large puppets, combined with physical theatre (circus, acrobatics, etc.). They also offer workshops. Polyglot Puppet Theatre in Melbourne has some children's classes, but I am not aware of any adult classes on offer by them and they offer masterclasses for professional puppeteers - nothing really for newbie puppeteers though. Polliwog Puppets in Gippsland offer kids classes and ones for seniors, but none (it seems) for adults in between those ages. Festive Factory in Woodend, Victoria, offers performances and workshops. They seem to be mainly focused on children's events and festival pieces. 

You can also travel overseas, where in Europe, the UK, and America, there are more opportunities for formal study. If you need to find somewhere to study, I recommend checking out UNIMA Int, which has links to all the puppetry union's branches around the world; from there you can find a course in the country you want to go to. 

I can say that in my experience, since VCA's course came into existence - only a few years ago - professional puppeteers have become reluctant to take on mentorships or internships with emerging artists. This used to be the only way to gain learning experience in Australia (and just as common overseas), but now puppeteers are all directing prospective protegés to VCA. I personally find it disappointing, because I want hands-on practical experience, without having lecturers, assignments, and classrooms. However, I believe that if you want to study puppetry, you can do no better than applying for either Swinburne or VCA. 

If you desperately want to get some practical experience, I am trying to initiate regular puppet-making days with my friends. We've done one already in (September 07) and it was very enjoyable. I try to bring all my books and tools, and we all bring our own materials; sharing knowledge and encouraging each other to try new techniques and builds. Feel free to contact me if you want to be involved. 

See also my post on finding puppetry work in Australia. And do also check the category Puppet Courses where I will add posts about new or upcoming classes.

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