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Founders of
Meet our Associate Artists
Peter Morton
Accessible Set Design & Concept Artist
Peter is a visual artist who specialises in intricate puppet design & complex set. He is artistic director of Half a String and enjoys crafting powerful stories that use puppetry & stunning set as a fulcrum. In his design work he is greatly inspired by The Handspring Puppet Company, Japanese Bunraku Puppet Theatre, and visual art. He has worked as a performer & designer with Half Moon Theatre (Dust), Theatre Témoin (The Marked & Roots), Sparkle and Dark (I AM BEAST), Stuff and Nonsense (3 Little Pigs), The Gulbenkian Theatre, The Marlowe, The Big Reveal (Dancing on Armistice Day), House of Stray Cats (Invisible Me), Futures Theatre (Cracked Plaster Sky), and is co-founder of Knuckle and Joint Theatre Company.
On Working with Us:
" It has been a fantastic couple of months working with Broken Puppet on the project, designing and drawing the different creatures and worlds. I have been developing my drawing skills in a really supportive creative environment which is already having a knock on effect in my further practice. Broken Puppet's attitude and understanding of working with disabilities allows everyone to be included and creative. It has been really inspiring to see how they create and find ways to work regardless of physical disability, which really shows anything is possible with enough understanding and drive to make it happen."
Follow Peter's other work:
Website
Youtube Channel
Some of Peter's Set Designs & Concept Art
Peter worked with us throughout our covid lockdown project in 2020-21 to help visually develop the set design concepts for our upcoming short film series. Later in the process, he will return to help us develop these initial sketches into accessible digital production film sets for our tabletop theatre.
Right:
Peter's Artwork based on the 'Sail' Tree concept for our upcoming puppetry short films series, 'The 5 Elements'.
Left:
Clare's variation of Peter's 'Sail Tree' design, adapted for use in our film and print work.
Below:
Peter's Artwork based on the 'Roots of the Willow' Tree concept for our upcoming '5 Elements' production
Below:
Peter's Artwork based on 'Grandma Kin's Kitchen' for 'The Kin Project' - Our upcoming forestry school production
To see how Peter's work inspired the set designs for the 5 Elements short films we're working on throughout 2020-2024, check out the behind the scenes blog and video clips by clicking on the Chaos Rune Stones scattered all around this site!
Anna Ingleby
Associate Shadow Puppetry Mentor
Anna Ingleby is a puppeteer and co-artistic director of Indigo Moon Theatre – also founder and co-director of Beverley Puppet Festival.
She has toured shows, workshops, residencies and training sessions throughout the UK at many theatres, schools, arts venues and community centres.
She performs with several types of puppet, including marionettes & rod puppets , with a particular specialism in shadow theatre, having originally trained in the visual arts (stained glass and printmaking) but later in mime, physical theatre & puppetry – including in India & Indonesia. Indigo Moon Theatre were the only UK company at the triennial Schattentheater Festival in Schwabisch Gemund in 2015. They have also performed in Spain, Singapore & Abu Dhabi & were shadow theatre consultants for the band Take That. Film & TV credits include BBC Storymakers and Peaky Blinders.
Anna worked with us throughout our covid lockdown project in 2020-21 to facilitate online Shadow Puppetry workshops for our team and Broken Live Academy Artists. We are currently working on several puppetry short films utilising her fantastic techniques, including one for a Virtual Puppetry Residency with Pittsburg Centre for Media Arts in the USA.
On Working with Us:
" It's been great to share my shadow puppetry skills with the Broken Puppet team. I was very hesitant about how to approach remote online teaching, and this is a great opportunity for me to dip my toe in the water, as well as to connect with other creatives during this socially isolated time. As someone who is really passionate about shadow theatre it means a lot to be able to share techniques of Indigo Moon Theatre with those who can really make use of them and develop them in future. One silver lining of the Pandemic is that geographic isolation can be bridged by online activity "
Follow Anna's other work:
Anna is keen to collaborate with other artists on creative projects and skill sharing, as well as to further explore video commissions.
For more of Anna & Haviel's Wonderful Work,
Check out their website:
For a great library of puppetry activities and performances, check out Anna's Festival: beverleypuppetfestival.com
Sally Burnes
Associate R & D Writer/Online Facilitator
In her creative facilitation work, Sally has worked with groups from early years to adults, finding fun ways to engage participants in creating and making drama, using dialogue, movement, music and more! Her main aim when working with any group is to ensure that participants feel good about themselves and enjoy creating and being imaginative.
On Working with Us:
"Broken Puppet's work has been consistently creative and impressive, and I have really enjoyed the facilitation of research and development for their school's performance. The team are hugely knowledgeable in their approach, technique and understanding of how to engage with diverse audience members and participants with varying needs and what could be perceived as barriers; but Broken Puppet strive to make work that is accessible and exciting for everyone. The work that they do is so incredibly important in terms of engagement and ensuring that the arts are accessible to all."
Sally Worked with us to help begin the writing process for our creative learning workshop production, 'The Forest of Kin' - an interactive site-specific production for early years and primary forestry schools in Devon. The project is currently on hold awaiting further funding to move into its next stage of production, but the writing will also feature in our short filmed version before being scaled up into a 'real life' performance and workshop offer, featuring 'life sized' versions of characters from the film.
Jon Nash
Associate R & D Writer/Puppetry Director & Puppeteer on 'Ephelant!' Project
Jon was our very first Associate Artist at Broken Puppet, becoming involved in the R & D and co-writing the script for 'Ephelant!' with it's creator, Clare. 'Ephelant!' was our second show using puppetry to tell the story of a little girl's experience being diagnosed with a mysterious chronic illness. Jon also went on to puppeteer a walkabout version of our 'Ephelant!' Puppet at community events in Plymouth.
Jon works as a freelance playwright and theatre director.
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He trained at Exeter University.
Directing credits include: ‘Kilminorth:Assemble’ for Play It Again Theatre, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ for UnTamed Theatre, ‘A Christmas Carol’ for Plymouth City Council and ‘Attempts On Her Life’ for Barbican Theatre Company B.
Jon also directed the puppet show ‘The Weeping Tree’ for Jo Hruby Arts which was performed at the Little Angel Theatre in London.
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Some recent writing credits include ‘RopeWalks’ for Plymouth Museum, ‘Why Would You?’ for DCON/Plymouth Universities and ‘The Door’ for Dreadnought.
On Working with Us:
"I first became involved with Broken Puppet through the Barbican Theatre. I have previously worked with their Creative Director Clare, and was really drawn to both the style (puppetry) and content (invisible illness awareness) of the project. I was keen to get involved, firstly supporting the writing and development of the shows.
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My role in the company grew as I became dramaturg, as well as supporting the writing /storytelling and physical creation of the shows. I will be directing ‘Ephelant’ and also working in multiple hats for ‘Broken:Live’! I will also hopefully get to do a little puppetry and performance too!
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I’m looking forward to bringing the characters and stories to life and following their journeys from the page to the stage. Also - as has already happened - the chance to meet a wide range of extraordinary people all in the name of a good cause is very exciting."