2004 Puppetry Students - Photo Rachelle Roberts

The Postgraduate Diploma and Masters in Puppetry commenced at the VCA in 2004. The program is housed within the discipliine of Production and caters for students who wish to study and further develop their skills in the areas of writing, design, making and performance in puppetry.

The program would not have been possible without the generous support of Lyndsey Cattermole and Dame Elizabeth Murdoch. This initial support enabled the program to find a studio home base on campus and begin to put together a library of books and puppets and technical equipment for teaching purposes.

Central to the course was the need to surround the program with teachers who are also practitioners and who are highly regarded for their continued contribution to the development and growth of the art form.

Puppeteer and director Peter Wilson, heads the programme and teaches in the area of performance skills. Writer and director, Gilly McInnes teaches the writing and design component of the course with designer Richard Jeziorny. Al Martinez heads up the technical skills subject.

Students work across all disciplines and are  given the opportunity to create and present a solo work at the end of first semester. The course has attracted some renowned international directors in its first 3 years including Philippe Genty, I Made Sidia and Petr Matasek.

Graduates have found their way into various areas of the industry whilst maintaining their strong connections to the teaching program at the VCA.

2007 alumni (Indirect Object) have just presented their 2007 solos program in the Adelaide Festival Fringe. It was shortlisted for the Adelaide Fringe puppetry award along with 2004 Alumnis work Men of Steel.  SIXPACK was devised and originally presented here at VCA s part of the Post Graduate Diploma in Production - Puppetry course.

They have also worked on a TV commercial for a New Zealand Insurance company.
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Alumni from 2006 and present puppetry students took part in Moomba Parade, designed by Richard Jeziorny, who teaches design in the Post Grad puppetry course.

Penelope Bartlau (2007 Masters) wrote and directed a piece for Chrissie Shaw of Canberra. The Keeper  is a one woman show based on Chrissie's extensive research into lighthouse keepers and presented in a theatrical style of songs, stories and object theatre. It was presented in the Street Theatre Canberra to very favourable reviews.
Penelope's piece Dispatch will be  presented as part of the ASSITEJ Festival (Adelaide) in May 2008
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Jacob Boehme (2007 Masters) is working with Polyglot Theatre and the students at Northland College.
-Birrarung project (Birrarung Stories - stories from the indigenous people of Birrarung Marr.)
-3 minute piece  commissioned by Next Wave
-ASSITEJ International Festival in Adelaide May (ASSITEJ is the International Association of Theatre for Young People)

Conor Fox, Leonie Van Eyk ,(2007) and Tamara Rewse ( 2004) just completed a season of COOP for Black Hole Theatre, at 45 downstairs.

Lyall Morris Puppet maker for the Australian Ballet's production of The Nutcracker Suite. Also puppet maker and performer for Lyric Opera's production of Cinderella at Chapel off Chapel. 

Sam Routledge Puppeteer-Operation at Arts Centre as part of Full Tilt program.

Hamish Fletcher  Assistant puppet director to Peter Wilson on the Citrawarna - Colours of Malaysia Festival.

Gretta Newall  Puppeteer Dreamer for Dream Puppets.

Lachlan Plain   Puppeteer "AboutFace Production's' The Legend of Ned Kelly - originally produced by Terrapin Theatre - which  toured to Adelaide Festival Centre and Victorian Arts Centre.
Designed the puppets for, and worked with the puppeteers on, the VCA's 3rd year drama school production, The Perjured City.

Shan Jayaweera Puppeter with his John Howard Puppet in The Comedy Festival - Once Upon a Coffee Cup.

You can watch a trailer for the show here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ze6ODqeY68


Sam Routledge, Hamish Fletcher and Tamara Rewse
Puppeteers Men of Steel Edinburgh Festival
Nominated for a Green Room Award for Most Outstanding Ensemble of Performers
Men of Steel-Adelaide-Fringe Festival,Sydney-Big Laugh Comedy Festival,Melbourne Comedy Festival
On Holiday - Melbourne International Comedy Festival

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