Three years after the start of the Blackpool Town Centre Forum initiative in 1997, the first of the town centre annual festivals was curated under the banner of ‘Puppet Up!’. This was Blackpool’s first festival of puppetry and visual theatre, inviting the general public to join in and celebrate in a captivating programme of events, the culmination of which was to take place during May of that year.
The object of the initiative was to create an event which would capture the interest and involvement of the Blackpool community in the event itself and their own town centre, and to generate a future ownership of both. It was also intended to attract local, regional and national visitors to the town, to enjoy an open access festival which would raise the profile of Blackpool as a venue for such a cultural and artistic celebration.
Created as an open access community event, the project provided a fascinating experience for people of all ages. The town was to be buzzing with all the colour and vibrancy of carnival puppets masks music and artists, playing throughout the town centre, performing in the Grand Theatre, exhibiting in the Grundy Art Gallery and peeping from shop windows. It was to work on projects with local schools and community groups, involving workshops creating puppets of all shapes and sizes under the guidance of professional artists.
These workshops took place in advance of the main event, in schools colleges and community groups from early April to the main May festival weekend. Specialist puppetry personal and social educational shows and workshops were also created dealing with young people‘s issues.
Featuring the children and students who participated in the workshops, and their creations, the spectacular grand parade of puppets took place through Blackpool town Centre on the Saturday of the festival weekend. This featured The Gegantes, giant puppets from Manchester, samba and other bands, Chinese Lions and a dragon brought to the event by the Blackpool Chinese Sunday School, together with numerous professional street theatre performers.
After the Parade, the workshop creations were mounted for display in town centre shop windows and throughout the rest of the weekend an exciting and varied programme of street theatre took place at strategic locations throughout Blackpool town Centre, featuring professional artists, the animated streets crowded with visitors to the town, enjoying the event.
Prior to the event, puppetry displays were set up in town centre store and shop windows. During the festival weekend performances for people of all ages took place at the Grand Theatre, both in the main house and the studio. In the Grundy Art Gallery, a display was curated of Gerry Anderson original puppets such as Lady Penelope, Thunderbirds and other famous Anderson characters.
Alongside support funding from North West Arts, sponsorship was provided by numerous large and smaller business enterprises, the whole event proving a runaway success under the management of Blackpool Town Centre Forum team, headed by its Town Centre Manager Nigel Hanson, with the direction of the programme in the very capable hands of Rachel Riggs, the events festival director, together with the support of numerous volunteers and the Blackpool town centre businesses and organisations. As it happens, Nigel Hanson has become a very successful writer.
Together with the professional puppeteers who led the educational workshops, the event brought numerous professional artists and entertainers to the town as well as great numbers of local and regional visitors and a dynamic and festive atmosphere to Blackpool town Centre.
The event was to grow over the subsequent years, attracting the participation of well known names and international artists such as Sooty, Postman Pat, Horse & Bamboo Theatre, Philippe Genty, Ennio Marchetto, Dynamic New Animation, Bodger & Badger, Green Ginger Microtheatre and Tanit Teatro, to name but a few.
Special thanks goes out to Nigel Hanson for writing this post and to Collette Knowles at Rough Magic Theatre for providing the images.
Images by © Rough Magic Theatre
