The renowned Islington puppet theatre uploads storytime and puppet-making videos online and asks for donations to stay afloat
Since 1961, the Little Angel Theatre has welcomed excited children through the doors of a former Temperance hall to see its magical puppet shows.
Now that the community theatre in Dagmar Passage has closed its doors, they are encouraging children to create and perform their own puppet shows at home.
Staff and artists have recorded a range of stay-at-home activities and stories to keep children entertained during the lockdown.
They replace the free weekly crafternoon sessions that the theatre ran for Islington residents.
Tips for starting a crafting collection, and how to make Three Little Pigs and Elves and The Shoemaker puppets are already online. Children can upload pictures of their completed makes to the website.
Performers are also recording daily storytelling sessions told to camera.
Puss In Boots, by Samuel Dutton (The Further Adventures of the Owl and the Pussy-cat) and an object theatre-filled rendition of Little Red Riding Hood told by Lori Hopkins are already online, accompanied by a guide for doing activities at home.
From learning to make a cat puppet using origami, to cutting out and decorating paper dolls to take on an adventure, activities are aimed at 3-11 year olds and use simple materials that can be found around the home.
“We have had an overwhelming amount of support from the artists,” said
Little Angel Theatre’s Artistic Director Samantha Lane, who is uploading a daily video about making a small scale puppet show with her own children using things you can find at home.
“The impact of COVID-19 is a critical threat to our
venue, and we are doing everything in our power to overcome it. Most of our funding comes from people coming to see our shows. Without these performances, the majority of our income is gone. We are determined to reopen to bring back our artistic and community programmes, look after our cherished buildings and remain accessible to all.” All resources are offered free although if supporters can give a small donation - even £1 or £2 - it will help the theatre to survive the period of closure.
“Any donation, large or small, will help us overcome this threat and ensure our future. Thank you for believing in us,” added Ms Lane.
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