Just back from a week of shadow puppet making workshops in Wales. It was a fantastic project to deliver to across 5 days in four schools, using puppetry to animate the students understanding of their curriculum. We covered the Tudors, the Victorians, World War 2 and Ourselves. The students worked in teams to create projected environments and shadow puppet figures within performed scenes, colliding images, music and text to share their understanding with their class. It was an amazing week and great to be re-united with the boroughs Arts Officers who have nurtured our company for many years.
It was also bitter as the Council in question had invested £20 million in Icelandic banks prior to the crash. The loss of this money, compounded by austerity, means that their Arts Team like many others faces the axe. All over the country passionate adults who believe economically poor kids deserve rich cultural experiences, are no longer employed to ensure that all young horizons, re-guardless of background, are broadened. Government tells us this is to ensure we do not pass our debts onto the next generation, whilst across the land poor kids are being short changed because of losses that were not made in their name.
Once again it is the innocent who pay the price for others ambition.
Heres a picture of a goblin.
