Norwich Puppet Theatre is an inspirational centre for the development and celebration of puppet theatre and an outstanding cultural venue in the East of England. It is a registered arts charity, founded in 1979. The theatre opened its doors in December 1980, situated inside a converted Medieval Church at St James, Norwich, being one of only three building-based puppet theatres in England. It is the home of a ‘family’ of puppets, some of whom have ‘lived’ there for almost 40 years!
Back in 1979, the pressure was on to convert the redundant church, temporarily a night shelter, to a fully equipped live theatre specially designed for the art of puppet theatre. Then as now, Funding was a pressure. From that time, Tony Ede, Steering Group chairman talked about “another jewel in the crown of Norwich”. Then, as now, he said that a great deal of time and hard work had already been put into the scheme. All that he asked for was £15,000 (“not too much money at that time”, he said) from business and the community as well as time energy and moral support to bring original professional puppet theatre to Norwich.
Then, as now, the Puppet Theatre toured nationally and internationally carrying the name of Norwich as an ambassador representing our fine city and all our sectors and communities.
We are working on a “£40k for 40 Years of Puppet Theatre” campaign for our birthday in 2020. We are very keen to speak to partners who can help us raise the money we need by sponsorship, partnership, energy and goodwill. We are often told, “I have so often passed by but never been in.” Please contact us and arrange a visit if you’d like to discuss opportunities to work together, or simply look at https://puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on and come to one of our events. The charity provides an excellent introduction to the magic of theatre with original shows, activities, workshops and master classes for all ages and abilities. Our touring has a trusted and popular national footprint, taking live professional puppet theatre all over this land! Our creative learning work mainly operates from our base in Norwich, and the main beneficiaries are in Norwich and Norfolk. Contact me, Chair of Trustees on [email protected] or our lovely team on [email protected] or 01603 615564 To support us online https://puppettheatre.co.uk/support-us/donate