'Puppeteers must stand together to survive'

Puppeteers from across the UK and Europe will be gathering in North Yorkshire

A North Yorkshire town is hosting the UK's first "puppet symposium", allowing artists to discuss funding, employment and other challenges faced by the sector.

It will take place during the International Puppet Festival, which has been staged in Skipton since 2005, attracting theatre companies and artists from across the UK and Europe.

Puppeteer Liz Lempen said the symposium aimed to encourage "strength and support" in the industry.

"It is a crucial time because we need to be able to advocate for puppetry as an art form, and we can't do that unless we're acting as a community," she said.

"The idea is to bring people together, and find out how we can advocate and how we can support each other, and support new and younger artists."

Ms Lempen founded Skipton-based touring company Lempen Puppet Theatre in 1987 and has previously helped to organise the festival in its many iterations.

She and her partner Daniel were one of three puppet theatre companies in the area in the 1990s, and organised the first Craven Puppet Festival in 1997.

The event "grew exponentially each year", she said - and was later renamed to reflect its international attendees.

But after nearly 40 years of working in the industry, Ms Lempen said she had experienced a noticeable change in the creative landscape.

"Puppet theatre by its nature is small scale, lending itself to more intimate, small venues and often those venues, even with full houses, can't cover the cost," she said.

Lempen Puppet Theatre will be performing The Squabble at the festival

"Over the last 20 or 30 years, school work which used to be our bread and butter work has dried up."

She attributed this to a number of factors, including a lack of funding and a tendency to promote other creative media such as film.

"At this difficult time, it is increasingly hard for early-stage career artists to find their way and make a living," she said.

However, she called the Skipton International Puppet Festival "brilliant" and a way to celebrate and connect artists from across the globe.

Running on Friday and Saturday, the symposium will explore how puppetry has changed due to factors including Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Funded by Arts Council England, it will feature talks and workshops by key sector organisations, including the British Puppet Guild and Punch and Judy Fellowship.

The festival line-up includes the UK premiere of Lemba by Ángeles de Trapo

The festival features a programme of free and ticketed events hosted in venues across Skipton, such as the town hall and amphitheatre.

It is organised by North Yorkshire Council.

The line-up includes the UK premiere of Lemba, by award-winning Spanish puppet theatre company Ángeles de Trapo.

Its director and co-founder Wagner Gallo described the festival as "a big moment for the town".

"Puppet theatre has a way of drawing in both adults and children," he explained.

"There's something uniquely charming about puppets - and in a world glued to screens, nothing gives you the same buzz as sitting in a theatre and seeing them come to life.

"It's the sort of experience that stays with you."

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