Lottie, the Travelling Doll
A String Theatre Production
Aimed at ages 5-11
Lottie, a brave and curious doll, gets carried away by a gust of wind and embarks on a journey around the world. Her first postcard to Sophie reads:
“I am sorry for the manner of my leaving but I am not sorry that I left. The weather was so fine for the time of the year, I couldn’t bring myself to go back inside and I knew that if I didn’t leave at that exact moment, I might never go, I might never see the world. I am a doll after all and dolls don’t have the same freedom that people do. When an opportunity presents itself, they must take it, and speedily.”
Inspired by an event that happened in Franz Kafka’s life, the production follows Lottie’s adventures to find her own path, exploring the themes of identity, friendship and freedom.
Gallery
Age Guidance
Lottie the Travelling Doll is aimed at ages 5-11. Our shows for this age group have storylines that can be followed by children from around age 5. They work for a wide age range and there will be elements to engage the older children, and adults, in the audience, for example music, puppetry techniques, more complex ideas, language or humour. Children under the recommended age can often enjoy the visuals but may not follow everything, and may not stay engaged. If the show contains any parts likely to be scary or upsetting for anyone, these will be mentioned in the FAQ below.
There will be mats on the floor, and rows with soft blocks and chairs behind this. We encourage children to sit on the mats for the best view of the stage. There will be up to 70 people watching the show.
This isn’t an interactive show, but we always welcome vocal responses from young audiences. The audience stay in their seats while watching, but you can leave and re-enter the auditorium at any time.
There is a dramatic moment when a crab is fished by a fisherman and the doll is left alone on the beach. She is then grabbed and thrown in the water but is saved by her friend the kite.
About the Company
String Theatre are a London-based touring company that presents long string marionette productions in a custom-built stage with bridge. This form of puppetry consists of the creation of a world where the marionettes become the main characters on stage and the puppeteers are out of view, operating from a standing position on the bridge. The lack of human presence on stage allows the artists to transform a small space into a new world with its own sense of scale and depth.
Stan Middleton – Founder
Third generation marionettist from the Puppet Theatre Barge (London), he has worked with the Little Angel Theatre and toured internationally with Paper Cinema. He is a tutor at The Curious School of Puppetry.
Soledad Zárate – Founder
Trained as a marionettist at the Puppet Theatre Barge in 2007 and co-founded String Theatre in 2011. Since then, she has created six productions featuring string and shadow puppets.
Credits
Concept- Soledad Zárate
Director – Mikel Fernandino Hernández
Voiceover artist – Sadhbh Marshall-Coghlan
Music and sound – Jimmy Sheals
Piano intro – Jessie Maryon Davies
Postcards writer & voiceover director – Caitríona Ní Mhurchú
Voice recording engineer – Niall Toner Jr Animation: Chloe Rodham
Light design – Alfonso Lázaro
Glove puppets – Mikel Fernandino Hernández Marionettes: Soledad Zárate
Shadows – Jess Shead
Prop maker and outside eye – Raúl García
Marionette movement – Stephen Mottram
Performed by Alfonso Lázaro, Jess Shead, Soledad Zárate
Multibuy Offer on Children’s Puppet Festival events:
(exclusions apply*)
Get 10% off when you book 2 events
Get 20% off when you book 3 or more events
How it works:
Step 2
If you add a second show or family workshop to your basket 10% discount applies to both events
Step 3
If you add a third show or family workshop to your basket 20% discount applies to all events
* Puppet Placations, other Family Workshops and Adult Workshops are excluded from this offer. Offer applies only to shows or family workshops (Ice Screams! and Ahoy There! Puppet Pirates) taking place between 1st August and 1st September only. Shows and family workshops need to be booked in the same order for the discount to apply, but if you have booked in separate orders and would like to claim the discount, please contact the box office. Please note that if you book more tickets for one show or family workshop than another, the discount only applies to the number of tickets booked on all events (e.g. if you book 3 tickets for two shows and 4 for a third show, 9 tickets are discounted 20% and the extra ticket on the one show is not discounted).
August – September 2024
Little Angel Theatre’s OFFIE award winning Children’s Puppet Festival
Jam-packed with shows and workshops for all the family and adults too!
We are delighted to announce the return of our Children’s Puppet Festival which will take place across both Little Angel venues this summer from 2 August – 1 September 2024. The vibrant programme will showcase a broad range of puppetry by the most exciting UK and international companies currently making theatre for young audiences.
There will also be plenty of opportunities for everyone to take part, with workshops for families, community events, fun days for children and courses for adults to try out the craft of puppetry.
If you cannot find an available event to suit you, you can join our waiting list for sold out events here.
Accessible Performances
Audio Described Performance: Saturday 17th August 2024, 2pm
Click here to book tickets.
These performances are audio described live for blind and partially blind people. During the performance, the soundtrack will be incorporated with a live commentary that explains what is happening on stage via a headset.
In addition, we also provide a touch tour before hand at 1.15pm, guided by two people.