Buí Bolg's Chancy Brothers at the 2011 festival launch!
October 5th, 2011
International Puppet Festival Ireland celebrates its 20th anniversary
- Announces plans for International Puppetry exhibition in 2012 in memory of the late Eugene Lambert
- Festival begins to extend out of Dublin
The 20th anniversary International Puppet Festival Ireland takes place from October 21st – 30th 2011. Performances and events will be spread across 3 hubs this year; Dublin City Centre, Dun Laoghaire and for the first time, Bray, Co Wicklow. The festival features 13 different puppet companies from around the world with adult shows and workshops, children’s events and free outdoor family fun.
The Festival Board are also delighted to announce plans for an International Puppetry Exhibition to be held in the RDS in 2012 in memory or the late, great, Eugene Lambert, founder of the Lambert Puppet Theatre and Ireland’s most famous puppeteer. The exhibition will feature puppets from the Lambert collection along with puppets from all over the world, giving a real insight into the history and development of puppetry in a global context.
Speaking ahead of the 2011 International Puppet Festival, Festival Director Polly O’Loughlin said, “For the past 20 years International Puppet Festival Ireland has brought the world’s finest puppeteers to the Irish stage and this year’s Festival is certainly no exception. The 2011 programme features artists and performers from China, Russia, Bulgaria, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and a good sprinkling of Irish puppet companies too. We will have our usual and hugely popular ‘Puppets in Libraries’ series held in libraries throughout Dublin and an amazing opportunity for adults to attend a workshop in Shadow Puppet making with renowned Hong Kong puppeteer Wong Fai.” she added.
“We have 3 fantastic venues this year” she went on, “The Samuel Beckett Theatre in Trinity College, the Lambert Puppet Theatre in Dun Laoghaire – and the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow will be our first venture outside of Dublin! As well as performances in theatres, we have our usual FREE outdoor family fun (weather permitting) in the People’s Park, Dun Laoghaire, the Mermaid Plaza in Bray and in Temple Bar, all on Sunday October 23rd.” said Polly O’Loughlin.
The Festival is again holding a networking and discussion event for professional puppeteers and all those interested in puppetry as an art form are invited to attend the UNIMA Ireland branch meeting on Monday October 24th in the Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire.
Tickets for all events and venues can be booked on www.puppetfest.ie or on the festival booking line 01 272 4030. Keep an eye on www.puppetfest.ie, the festival facebook page and @puppetfest on Twitter for news, competitions & updates.
For more information please contact Emily Tully, Emily Tully PR & Online Communications on 086 385 6225 or email emily@emilytully.com
