Puppet Theatre Initiative Aims to Expand Artform’s Reach

The construction of a specialized puppet theatre is currently in progress, following the continued success of an annual festival. Moving Parts Arts, which has organized Newcastle’s Puppetry Festival since 2017, is now preparing to establish a permanent venue within a disused AA call centre in Elswick, with the goal of making the artform “less niche.” Artistic director Kerrin Tatman stated that puppetry is frequently “misunderstood” but is now attracting a “growing following.” The forthcoming facility will enable an increase in community workshops and additional performances. Kerrin highlighted a common misconception about puppetry, noting that people “think that’s something for children only or that’s only Punch and Judy.” However, they clarified, “But, actually, puppetry comes in all shapes and sizes and it is very much for everyone.” Moving Parts intends to enhance the accessibility of its work, including an annual parade through the city centre for public viewing. Kerrin mentioned that The Newcastle Puppetry Festival has become one of the largest puppetry festivals in the UK, adding that the objective has always been to open a theatre. “We’ve dreamt of this very unique venue that may be something that’s missing in Newcastle- a visual, sensory, storytelling theatre,” they said. The new space, located in Carr Ellison House, will initially function as the workshop for the 2025 festival, scheduled to run from 19-27 April with the theme ‘Toon Underground’. Kerrin indicated that this will serve as a trial for future community workshops, with the aim of opening the theatre in April to coincide with the festival. However, the significant effort is just beginning. Moving Parts has successfully fundraised over £5,000 to acquire new flooring, staging, and potentially upgrade its light and sound equipment, and the organization plans to undertake most of the work themselves. “It might not be glamorous,” Kerrin remarked, “but we can at least say we built something from scratch here.”