May Fayre Memories Documentary

For 45 years Maggie Pinhorn and Alternative Arts have organised the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet Festival. In this video Punch and Judy professors, puppeteers, entertainers and puppet builders discuss what makes the day so magical, why people travel from across the globe to attend, and thank Maggie for her unparalleled contribution to British puppetry.

...and a Very, Merry Christmas to One & All!

Theatre Centenary

Nigel Peevers shared this recently:

The Lyceum Theatre in Crewe was 100 years old this year and for their centenary they had a specially commissioned light show projected on the front of the building...in one of life's weird little coincidences I'd already been telephoned and asked if they could use some images from my toy theatre book in the show.

May Festival Recognizes Bicentennial

The poster's striking image is a brilliant focus on the foundation of toy theatre:  PAPER!

7th INTERNATIONAL PAPER THEATRE MEETINGS
25 – 29 May 2011
Pays d’Epernay – Terres de Champagne
Bicentenary of Paper Theatre Just 200 years ago, in the window of a small publisher’s book shop in London, appeared the sheets which made it possible to construct a real theatre at home for the first time; miniature but real…
All Europe published these theatres until they gradually disappeared at the beginning half of the twentieth century before reappearing in the 1980s by artists who brought them a future in other scales.
The Paper Theatre International Meetings which takes place in Pays d’Epernay – Terres de Champagne is devoted to this technique.
Exhibition
Paper Theatre from the Origins to the Present Day

Two hundred years of history, the first portraits until the most contemporary proposals
An exhibition in 200 m²
18 May – 25 June at the Multimedia library of Epernay
Coproduction: Papierthéâtre, Pays d’Epernay, Epernay Municipality, the Puppetry International Festival of Charleville-Mézières, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Champagne Ardenne Regional Council and Marne Departmental Council.
(The exhibition will be in Charleville-Mézières in September 2011)

SHOWS
16 companies
9 countries
20 towns

Companies:
Svalegangens Dukketeater – Denmark
Paperplays – England
Puppet Working Group – England
Anima – France
Théâtre de l’Arc-en-Terre – France
Atelier de la Boule Bleue – France
En Verre et contre Tout – France
Volpinex – France
Barbara Steinitz & Björn Kollin – Germany
Burgtheater – Germany
Darvag – Iran
Papelito – Italy
Facto Teatro – Mexico
Teatro de Formas Animadas de Vila do Conde – Portugal
Scope Toy Theatre – The United States

Towns:
Avize, Bouzy, Congy, Dormans, Epernay, Fleury la Rivière, Germaine, La Caure, Le Breuil, Mareuil le Port, Oeuilly, Orbais l’Abbaye, Pierry, Tauxières Mutry, Tours sur Marne, Troissy, Vandières, Vertus, Villeneuve-Renneville-Chevigny, Villevenard

Information:
Paperthéàtre
Papier.theatre@wanadoo.fr
Reservation:
MJC d’Ay
contact@mjc-ay.com
0033 (0)3 26 55 18 44

Website: www.ritp.fr

Toy Theatre Bicentennial

A website devoted to the small stage has declared 2011 the bicentennial of toy theatre.

Actually there has been talk about 2011 being toy theatre's bicentennial year before.

I'm not sure how 1811 has gotten momentum as the chosen 'year one' of toy theatre; many will posit that toy theatre existed before then in one form or another, but as regards the classic form that is associated with Victorian England, I think it can be argued to have its roots in that general time frame.

The question now is, will the toy theatre community at large acknowledge this?  Will it be embraced, and used to celebrate and publicize toy theatre far and wide?  I think it would be a great opportunity to do so...