Puppetry

NEW IN 2026!

Puppetry provides great exercises for all theatrical disciplines, as an examination of character and of presence on stage or screen. Puppetry is one of the oldest forms of storytelling and continues to amaze and delight audiences as an art form that can often express what an actor cannot. Objects can take on life, characters can break the rules of physics, and creatures of the imagination can become living, breathing beings in physical space. Students will get the chance to explore puppets of many forms including Japanese Bunraku, marionettes, and hand and rod (a la The Muppets). The class will offer an opportunity to create and perform as individuals and/or groups. If you like building characters (literally) and working with your hands (literally), this is the class for you.

TUTOR: JON CODDINGTON

Jon is a New Zealand-based theatre designer, illustrator and animator who has worked primarily as a puppeteer and puppet-maker for over 13 years. A graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, his highlights include the hit marionette show Puppet Fiction, creating and performing puppets for Fat Freddy’s Drop music videos, and performing on stage with Coldplay. He has worked in screen puppetry (Custard’s World, Sweet Tooth), with training from Muppeteer Peter Linz, and in theatre has made taniwhas with Silo Theatre, vultures with Indian Ink, trolls with Trick of the Light, and crocodiles with Auckland Theatre Company.