The Puppet Theatre Barge in Little Venice has been putting bums on seats since 1982. The 55-seat theatre is described as having comfortable seating and modern facilities, and also has a very famous patron - former Monty Python member Michael Palin.
The unique venue puts on shows each year from October to July. Regular shows take place each weekend, with extra performances put on during school holidays. Every day from 22nd October to 28th October, for example, the Puppet Theatre Barge is putting on two shows - The Three Pigs and the Wolf, and Captain Grimey - suitable for those between three and eight years of age.
And then from 30th October to 6th November, as part of the Suspense London Puppetry Festival, the Puppet Theatre Barge will be putting on a production of The Money Game (or The Getting of Wisdom).
In a charming little video made by the theatre (see end of article), one of the puppeteers speaks eloquently about the magic of this fabulous yet occasionally misunderstood theatrical genre.
It's a wonderful secret thing," she says. "Somehow or other, [the puppet] takes on a separate personality of its own. It doesn't exactly take control of you but there's this great, exciting and pretty thrilling process, which is when you get connected to the puppet…I always liked the idea of animating an inanimate object…that was the thrilling part about puppetry for me."
Another talks about the barge-based theatre itself: "People are always amazed when they first go on it and see a show because there's nothing else quite like it….it's puppetry and it's sophisticated puppetry."
The Puppet Theatre Barge, situated in a leafy and pleasant part of London, is a well-established venue that has built up an excellent reputation over the years. To find out more, visit its website here or take a look at the short video below.
