Smethwick Puppetry Festival
11th - 18th February 2024
Get ready for the first ever Smethwick Puppetry Festival!
Presented by Black Country Touring, in partnership with West Smethwick Park Pavilion.
Join us for some wonderful puppet shows for families, performances for adults, puppetry workshops, exhibitions and more, all taking place across 7 community venues in Smethwick during February half term.
All events will be Pay What You Can. Tickets available to book now!
Shows
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East of the Sun, West of the Moon
By The Fetch Theatre Company
Date: Sunday 11th February 2024
Time: 15:00
Venue: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, West Park Road, Smethwick B67 7JJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 3+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Inspired by a traditional Nordic story, "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" is a spellbinding tale of adventure, mystery and romance, featuring a magical white bear, a young girl and a troll. A young peasant girl leaves the safety of home to travel into the wilderness on the back of a bear who takes her deep into the forest to his home - a beautiful ice cave …..
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Anansi & The Lost Sun
By Swallow’s Wings Puppetry
Date: Monday 12th February 2024
Time: 15:00
Venue: Brushstrokes Community Project, 253 High Street, Smethwick B66 3NJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 4+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
One day Darkness covers the face of the Land. Lion appeals for someone to bring back the Light and save the World. Who will succeed? The Powerful Eagle? The Clever Monkey? or Anansi the Spider and his mates?
A funny, inspiring & entertaining West African tale mixing puppetry & traditional West African Music.
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Special Delivery & Festival! (double bill)
By A Bird In The Hand Theatre
Date: Tuesday 13th February 2024
Time: 15:00 & 17:00
Venue: Dorothy Parkes Centre, Church Rd, Smethwick B67 6EH
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 3+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Special Delivery is a simple story about the delights of trying something unexpected. When a heavily laden postman is suddenly surprised by a rain shower he discovers that all his packages have lost their labels. In the process of trying to work out the intended recipients, he discovers a bit more about the people on his rounds - and decides to bring a little sunshine into all of their lives.
Festival! is a Chinese circus in miniature. This 10 minute show features acrobats, jugglers, martial artists, wild animals and a Festival Lion Dance, all performed using traditional Chinese hand puppets.
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SeedHeart
By Indigo Moon Theatre
Date: Wednesday 14th February 2024
Time: 14:00
Venue: Bearwood Community Hub at: Bearwood Baptist Church Hall, Rawlings Road, Smethwick B67 5AD
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 4+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Meet Grey. Our journey begins as Grey finds themself trapped inside a jar. They try to remember how they got there and how they could be free… Indigo Moon Theatre’s latest show, SeedHeart, tells the important tale of human impact on the environment and questions what we can do to restore our once green planet, with interactive chaos in the laboratory along the way! Watch as our story unfolds (literally) from a single suitcase and follow Grey’s journey to a better future with magical pop-ups, puppetry and interactive scenes. A family friendly show from anyone from age 4 to 104!
There will be a SeedHeart workshop at 11:30 before the afternoon performance. Find out more here
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Laika The Space Dog
By Lori Hopkins
Date: Thursday 15th February 2024
Time: 12:00 & 14:00
Venue: Lightwoods House, Lightwoods Park, Adkins Lane, Bearwood, Smethwick B67 5DP
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 3+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
This is the story of an ordinary dog who went on an extraordinary journey into space.
Laika is stray dog who is trained up for an exciting space mission. The training is rigorous and Laika prepares to blast off!
Laika The Space Dog is a lively family show that retells the story of the first dog in space (with a twist)! Inspired by the true story, this show offers an alternative to the tragic tale allowing Laika to zoom through the asteroid belt, meet Space apes and return to earth in a shower of glory.
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I'm Glad I Asked
By Michele O’Brien
Date: Thursday 15th February 2024
Time: 19:30
Venue: Thimblemill Library, Thimblemill Road, Smethwick B67 5RJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 14+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
This performance will be BSL interpreted
An honest and truthful reflection on what it means to have an older parent and the questions we need to ask, but rarely get the chance to. The show reflects Michele’s own lived experiences with her 91-year-old Mother, Gena (represented by a life-sized puppet) and the impact that her mother’s dementia had on both of their lives. Through a truly personal and generous piece of storytelling theatre, Michele O’Brien explores the joys, heartaches, shared memories, love and conflict that binds generations together to convey a universal tale for all to enjoy.
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Dangerous Dave
By Noisy Oyster
Date: Friday 16th February 2024
Time: 14:00
Venue: Thimblemill Library, Thimblemill Road, Smethwick B67 5RJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 6+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Dangerous Dave, infinitely more 'daft' than 'dangerous' and his ridiculous sidekick 'Herbert Lemon' present some of the most mind bendingly silly stunts ever performed... ever... Marvel as this miniature superhero fights his way out of a wet paper bag .... climbs the slippery pole of peril to plunge into a domestic food processor .... escapes from the pickled egg jar of DOOM .... and becomes the fearless inhuman Cannon Ball!!
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Pixiematosis
By The Object Project
Date: Friday 16th February 2024
Time: 19:00
Venue: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, West Park Road, Smethwick B67 7JJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 14+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
PIXIEMATOSIS is a happy/sad tale of tiny extraordinary creatures living in a nocturnal paradise who realise, far too late, that they are being exploited for a distinctly sinister purpose.
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Flotsam and Jetsam
By Lempen Puppet Theatre Company
Date: Saturday 17th February 2024
Time: 13:00
Venue: Smethwick Library, High Street, Smethwick B66 3AP
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 5+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Flotsam is soft, flexible, laid back. She slides and glides through life on the ice. Jetsam is the opposite, his insectile body is stiff and nervy, alert and watchful, suspicious of all in his forest home.
And then comes the weather… and they are both cast adrift in a world that is strange to them and full of a range of dangers. Finally washed up on the same island beach they must discover the other and work out how they can work together.
A hopeful, adventure story about two very different creatures that must learn to work together.
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Mr Shadow
By Drew Colby
Date: Sunday 18th February 2024
Time: 14:30, workshop following performance
Venue: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, West Park Road, Smethwick B67 7JJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 4+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
In this light-hearted show for the whole family, Drew Colby will introduce you to his good friend Mr. Shadow and he will show you all the things Mr. Shadow can turn into. Beautiful creatures and funny little tales unfold, as you discover Mr. Shadow is everybody’s friend.
There will be a Mr Shadow workshop following the afternoon performance. Find out more here
Workshops
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Scrunch puppet making workshops
With The Fetch Puppet Theatre
Date: Sunday 11th February 2024
Time: 11:00-14:00 (drop-in)
Venue: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, West Park Road, Smethwick B67 7JJ
Admission fee: Free
Age rating: 3+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Make your own scrunch puppet with The Fetch Theatre Company then join the walkabout puppets in the park with your own creation! Drop in anytime between 11:00-14:00.
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SeedHeart workshop
With Indigo Moon Theatre
Date: Wednesday 14th February 2024
Time: 11:30
Venue: Bearwood Community Hub at: Bearwood Baptist Church Hall, Rawlings Road, Smethwick B67 5AD
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 4+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Join Indigo Moon Theatre for a workshop exploring some of the techniques in their show ‘SeedHeart’ then stay for the afternoon performance to see them in action!
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Mr Shadow workshop
With Drew Colby
Date: Sunday 18th February 2024
Time: workshop following performance at 14:30
Venue: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, West Park Road, Smethwick B67 7JJ
Admission fee: Pay What You Can
Age rating: 4+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Following the performance of ‘Mr Shadow’, this workshop gives you the opportunity to learn some shadow puppetry techniques for yourself.
Exhibition
The Noughty One
Installation at Thimblemill Library
Welcome to the mesmerising world of ‘The Noughty One’. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of a hybrid world driven by technology and crafted with puppetry techniques. Get up close to the action: Who is in control and who is being manipulated? Is this replication or creation? What exactly IS the story here?
The Noughty One is the latest creation from Noisy Oyster, a multi award-winning, international puppet theatre company. This installation fuses puppetry, automata, and robotics with 3D printing manufacture to explore our relationship with technology and the mercurial nature of the human world.
The installation will run from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th February
Dates: Thursday 15th February- Saturday 17th February 2024
Time: 10:00-17:00
Venue: Thimblemill Library, Thimblemill Road, Smethwick B67 5RJ
Admission fee: Free
Age rating: 1+
Access: Disabled access & toilet
Access
We are committed to improving access wherever possible and want to make your visit as enjoyable as we can!
Relaxed performances
All family friendly performances during the festival will be relaxed performances.
There will be fidget toys, ear defenders and blankets available at every venue, please ask staff if you would like to borrow any of these whilst you are at the performance.
Disabled access and toilets
All our venues for the festival have disabled access and toilets.
Tickets for carers/personal assistants
If your access requirements require you to be accompanied to a performance, Black Country Touring will provide a free ticket for your carer/personal assistant.
When booking online, please select ‘Carer/PA Ticket’ to book a ticket for a carer/personal assistant if required. If booking in person at a venue, please let the venue know you require an extra ticket.
BSL Interpretation
The performance of ‘I’m Glad I Asked’ at Thimblemill Library on Thursday 15th February will be BSL interpreted.
Please get in touch if you have any access needs that you would like us to be aware of: email hello@bctouring.co.uk or call 0121 533 7129
With thanks to our partners for helping to make this festival happen: West Smethwick Park Pavilion, Lightwoods House, Friends of Thimblemill Library and Sandwell Libraries.
Made possible with funding from Arts Council England, Postcode Culture Trust and Sandwell Council.