| News from Thingumajig Theatre |
| You are receiving this, our first email newsletter, because you have expressed interest or have had a connection with Thingumajig Theatre (or Kathy and/or Andrew). We hope to send updates of what we’ve been up to and what’s coming up a few times a year. If you would rather not be on our email list, please “unsubscribe” at the bottom of this email. Or, if you know of anyone who would like to receive our updates, please forward this email and ask them to sign up via our website.
--Kathy Bradley and Andrew Kim
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| It was Thingumajig Theatre's 3rd Birthday on 1 October, and we had lots to celebrate! The company has gone from strength to strength this year, with a tidal wave of wonderfully successful projects, forging new links with artists and companies near and far.
In April, we worked with Year 2 students at Bishop Bilsborrow RC Primary School on a Creative Partnerships project to write, build, compose music, rehearse and perform a play about a robot-run candy-floss factory and their trouble with the villains from the ice-cream factory next door!
In May, we spent an idyllic fortnight on Ærø, a beautiful small island off the south coast of Denmark, where we created 2 giant creatures from the sea with a workshop group of adults for the Ærø International Mask Festival. Papier-mache-ing on the quayside with sailing boats ambling in and out of the harbour....it doesn't get much better than this!
Back home in June to our own Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade, co-produced with HEADS. After 3 weeks of public and community workshops, the parade was even bigger, longer and more colourful than last year. We added a pageant and music at Calder Holmes Park and started the Handmade Samba Brigade, our in-house samba band. Everyone involved pulled out all the stops to make this a fabulous day, which after the second year is already becoming part of the essential Hebden Bridge diary.
In July, we were off to Manchester Town Hall where we worked alongside Walk the Plank to create a new site-specific play for the Manchester International Festival. In The Difference Engine, young audiences and their families help Charles Babbage (the Victorian engineer who almost invented the computer) to bring into being his dream machine. Shows and Walkabouts In amongst these projects, our giant walkabouts have had their busiest season ever, with associate artists, Mark, Jonny, Gil, Natalie and Tom stepping into the breach when we had our hands full. The Mystery of the Sock Snatcher continues to be a real favourite at summer events. Our shows in rep, The Vertigo of Sheep and A November Day are having a few outings this autumn...a highlight of the year for us was taking A November Day to Incanti International Puppet Festival in Turin. This was Thingumajig's first performance in mainland Europe, and a true delight to hear our show introduced in Italian!
What's Next?
The Difference Engine Reloaded
We are about to launch into a second outing for The Difference Engine this time in the 1830's Warehouse at The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. Public performances take place on 21 and 22 November (the show is free, but you need to book tickets). Giant Puppet Workshop In the last week of November start of December, we will be teaching a master class in giant puppet design, construction and performance to artists from Street Processions, a carnival group based in Surrey.
This winter we will be creating a new giant walkabout puppet/street show. Hieronymus, who is part hippo and part machine, is feeling under the weather. Fortunately, his companion doctor/mechanic is only too eager to show you what's under the bonnet to diagnose the problem. What follows is an array of puppet shows built into the troubled creature revealing the origin of his malaise.
See you soon!
--Kathy and Andrew
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Robots and Candyfloss
Giant Puppets by the Sea
2nd Hebden Bridge Handmade Parade
The Difference Engine 
