Professor Tarpey's Travelling Puppet Theatre

01/04/2024

09/10/2023

Some great crowds this last weekend at the theatre's regular haunt of Gulliver's World. Come on down to meet Victor the fall-a-part Skeleton, and experience the consummate professional that is Mortimer Monkey in his new career as a Ghost Buster (what could possibly go wrong?)

We're expecting to be doing shows every Saturday and Sunday in October (except the Saturday 28th) and then also shows on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and, Friday the last week of October.

Hope to see you then,
Professor T.

30/09/2023

It's not just glove and string puppets the Professor makes. Here's some beautiful pictures of the very large "Fell Creature" puppet he made and performed for Obscura Theatre's production of their folk horror play "Fell" a few years back.

The whole puppet took three people to operate and spread out to fill the whole stage with its ominous (but ultimately benign) presence.

The body was made from strips of natural hessian, h**p, and tweed suspended over thick ropes. It's hands were made of whicker, and it's head made from papier maché in the form of a stylised Ram's skull with internal LED lighting.

Such a fun and creative show to work on with a wonderful cast and crew.
Regards,
Professor T.

23/09/2023

A lovely day today at Gulliver's World for the special The A World UK CIC event. Lots of junior puppeteers in training showing the Professor how it's done!

22/09/2023

Wilbur Rabbit being off on his travels again reminds us of his last journey out, to the Staffordshire Puppet Tree Jamboree organised by David Leech. What a great day it was!

Pictured; Mayor of Stone Staffordshire Jim Davies, Professor James Punch and Judy, Prof. Tarpey, and local Punch man Prof. John Townsley. Photo taken by David X Brunt

19/09/2023

Wilbur Rabbit had a grand day out yesterday at Kidology UK - the children's entertainers convention. It was so great to see our Punch and Judy community pals Tommy and Miraiker (pictured, right), learn some new magic tricks, and meet so many new people. Looking forward to the next one already!
Regards,
Professor T.

Make sure to check out Miraiker and Tommy's own pages at Miraiker's World of Puppets & Tommy's entertainments

07/09/2023

Meet Susan the Sea Serpent, Pirate Pete, and Sailor Sam. They're just some of the cast for the all new Pirate show we're working on and hope to premiere in October this year.

As with all our puppets they're lovingly hand made; these ones by noted puppet makers Bryan Clarke and Tony Green in the 1980s (but have never been used!).

Look forward to lots of nautical nonsense, maritime mayhem, and maybe even a bit of real life explosive cannon fire!

Regards, and yo-ho,
Professor T.

14/08/2023

Pip pip chums! Wilbur Rabbit here. The Professor's busy making plans for our Halloween shows this week. He always makes sure we does different shows every season.

If you've got a few spare minutes on your hands, you can catch me starring as the Easter Bunny in our first ever Easter Eggstravaganza show from earlier in the year here (about 6:40 onwards.)

Mortimer's still just as cheeky, but at least the Prof's finally gotten round to painting the second Knight's shield.

I'll introduce you to our new Halloween chums soon,
Wilbur 🥕

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10/08/2023

A new addition to the Puppet Theatre cast;

This beautiful hand carved female marionette puppet arrived in the post yesterday. She was part of the Richard James Puppet Theatre collection (founded pre 1955) where she was apparently called "Pearl."

After a bit of sprucing up and general mending she'll feature in a string puppet production again some time in the future.

Doesn't she look glamorous?

Regards,
Prof. T.

08/08/2023

Cecil Crocodile decided to help with the final (long awaited) coat of paint on the new "Next Show" clock for the Theatre before our shows at Gulliver's World this weekend.

In unrelated news, if anyone happens to have a new set of crocodile proof paintbrushes going spare I'd be much obliged.

Regards,
Prof. T.

07/08/2023

Some new (old) books arrived for the Puppet Theatre library today.

It turns out this copy of H. W. Whanslaw's "Everybody's Theatre" from the 1920s used to belong to noted artist and designer Pickford Waller (1849-1930.) Isn't that neat?

Regards,
Prof. T.

https://www.getty.edu/research/tools/digital_collections/notable/waller.html