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Where to find puppet shows in Australia?
Where to find puppeteers in Australia?
Where to find puppetry festivals in Australia?
What types of puppetry are performed in Australia?
What puppetry groups could I join in Australia?
Where to buy puppetry books in Australia?
More updates on news and events in Australian
puppetry can be found at: UNIMA Australia, ozpuppetry,
or OPEN.

There have been a number of new festivals created for 2012, so I thought it would be a good idea to rewrite this article as much of the info was outdated. THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO REFLECT UPCOMING 2013 DATES. Since 2012 is almost over. Included below are two brand new Australian puppetry festivals which are set to be premiered in 2012.

Although puppetry is not well recognised in this country, there are festivals that specifically celebrate the craft. They are few and far between though, and most have fallen by the wayside for a variety of reasons. The ones that do exist now are both for puppetry education/discussion (ie. for puppeteers, by puppeteers) and for the general public. (This post refers mainly to festivals; if you’re looking specifically for companies or puppet shows, check out this post instead/as well as)

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Every so often I get questions about groups for puppetry in Melbourne, and since I live in Melbourne this is a fairly easy question for me to answer. So I thought I’d post the most recent Q&A here. Most of my reply works just as well for other Australian cities (Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Hobart), since there really isn’t all that much available for the general public to get involved with. If you’re from one of those other cities - or anywhere else in Australia - then exchange any mention of a Melbourne-based company with one of the larger companies listed here or here. For the most part, the best advice is to check out UNIMA Australia for something in your area; and if nothing is suitable, to avoid ‘real world’ puppetry altogether and visit the following online puppetry forums or purchase some books from Amazon. … Now for the actual reply:

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This is a broad look at what kinds of puppetry is performed in this country; if you’re looking for specific shows and companies, visit this article instead. You may also be looking for the list of different puppet types and their explanations of what they are.

When people think of puppetry, they assume that there is a particular type that is native to Australia - Europe is home to the glove puppet and marionette, Asia to the shadow puppet, America the Muppet - surely there is one that represents Australia. Well, that assumption is wrong. Because Australia is a relatively ‘new’ country, in terms of its culture, there is no puppet type that is representative of the puppetry scene here.

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The term ‘puppeteer’ usually refers to the person who operates (manipulates/performs) with the puppets on stage or on screen. This post covers looking for performers; not puppet makers or writers. There are actually heaps of people who perform with puppets in Australia. Finding them though, can be tricky.

If you’re looking just for individuals, I suggest doing the following. If you’re looking for ready-to-go performances for kids parties, corporate functions, etc., then try my list of puppetry companies in Australia.

The following assumes that you are wishing to audition an individual/individuals for an upcoming performance. Keep in mind that the these suggestions also assume that you are offering professional (ie. paid) employment, and that you may not be able to find someone willing to volunteer if that is your particular requirement.

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