Marionettes: An Exhibition Celebrating String Puppets
To celebrate our 65th birthday, we’re bringing together historic and newly made marionettes in a landmark exhibition. For the first time in a generation, we will be showcasing work by leading British makers across six decades, from Little Angel Theatre founders John and Lyndie Wright to a new generation of artists.
Through this collection of puppets and objects, we hope to reconnect the theatre’s present with the original collections that helped shape its history, taking advantage of a rare opportunity to showcase a historic marionette collection in direct dialogue with our brand new marionette production, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Fewer than five people in Britain currently make a living carving marionettes. This is the story of how that happened — and what we’re doing about it.
The exhibition is free but you need to book a timeslot to visit. More information about coming to the exhibition can be found further down this page.
The Story
In 1662, Samuel Pepys watched a marionette Punch and Judy show in Covent Garden and wrote about it in his diary. It’s one of the earliest records of a British tradition that runs, unbroken, through fairground booths and Victorian theatres to Muffin the Mule and Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation all the way to a converted temperance hall in Islington, where John Wright founded Little Angel Theatre in 1961 and gave marionette puppetry a permanent home in the UK for the first time.
Today, that thread is close to breaking. Marionette-making is listed on the Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts. Unlike most puppetry disciplines, it has no college course, no apprenticeship scheme, no formal route in at all — only the slow, hands-on transmission of knowledge from one maker to the next. Little Angel Theatre is one of only a handful of theatres in the world still equipped with a marionette bridge, the elevated rig marionette performers work from, and we’re using our 65th anniversary with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore it, train new makers and puppeteers, and stage a brand-new production.
This exhibition is where the past and future meet. This is a celebration of marionettes from across six decades of British puppetry, shown alongside the live workshop, rehearsal room and stage where the craft is being kept alive right now.
“Endangered crafts survive because people choose to practise them, teach them and pass them on. If this exhibition helps even a handful of people discover the same fascination I felt standing backstage at the Little Angel Theatre all those years ago, looking up at those silent figures hanging patiently above me, then perhaps we have helped ensure that marionettes will continue to dance for generations yet to come.”
— Oliver Hymans, Associate Director, Little Angel Theatre
Featuring puppets made by John and Lyndie Wright, Stephen Mottram, Jan Zalud, Ash Appadu, Maria Herbert-Liew., Gren Middleton, John Kaye, Sarah Vigars, Oliver Hymans and Peter O’Rourke as well as puppets lent by Miranda Lewis-Brown, Jose Navarro and Stan Middleton.
Visitor Information
This free exhibition takes place in Little Angel Theatre’s Puppet Workshop at 41 Cross Street, N1 2BB, just short walk from our Theatre.
Booking times are a flexible window of arrival within the hour to manage visitor numbers.
The exhibition takes place across two floors. Unfortunately, there is no step free access to the basement section of this exhibition, however, we will be recording the downstairs installation and can provide digital access upon request. If you have any questions about accessing this event please contact [email protected].
All ages are welcome at the exhibition but please bear in mind that it has not been specially designed for very young children. The exhibits are not interactive and visitors are asked not to touch them.
Please note that you will be required to park any buggies or large luggage outside in our walkway area. We cannot be held responsible for loss or damage of property left outside the exhibition.
This project is supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players.
The Marionette Heritage Project is delivered with Applied Live Art Studio (ALAS) CIC.
Artwork by Pablo Larrosa.