Skipton hosts UK’s first international puppetry symposium
Puppeteers from across Europe will gather in North Yorkshire for the three-day event
Puppeteers from across the UK and Europe will be gathering in North Yorkshire for a major event featuring workshops, discussions and public performances.
The Skipton International Puppetry Symposium 2025 will be staged at Skipton Town Hall and is funded by Arts Council England and led by North Yorkshire Council.
It takes place on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, with public performances during the symposium in the evenings and throughout Sunday, October 19.
Entitled ‘Reconnect – Revision – Re-set’, those attending will explore the evolving landscape of puppetry following both Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and the Covid-19 Pandemic through debates, workshops and panel discussions.
The Council says it will seek to address the challenges and opportunities in touring, funding, training, and international collaboration and will feature key sector organisations including the British Puppet Guild, which celebrates its centenary this year.
Also present will be Puppeteers UK, the Curious School of Puppetry, Lempen Puppet Theatre, The Puppet Centre, British Unima, Theatre Rites and the Punch and Judy Fellowship.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for arts and culture, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “To stage the first ever symposium of its kind in North Yorkshire is a real coup.
“Arts and culture are hugely important and have a big role to play in the county, both in terms of the local economy and people’s mental health and wellbeing.
“I’d like to welcome all of those involved in the symposium and encourage residents and visitors to attend the public performances.”
Liz Lempen, from the Lempen Puppet Theatre, said she was excited about attending the symposium. They will be performing their new production, The Squabble, a sensory theatre experience aimed at young children between the ages of three and seven.
“As a former organiser of Skipton Puppet Festival and as a touring company for 38 years, we are very aware of the challenges and needs of the puppet sector,” she said.
“At this difficult time, where both funding support and work are thin on the ground, it is increasingly hard for early-stage career artists to find their way and make a living.
“It is so important that artists and people working in the sector have the chance to gather, network and find strength and support within the puppet community.
“We hope that by bringing people together to network and share ideas for a stronger more resilient future for the puppet sector, the symposium will help to bring more unity, consensus and advocacy for the sector as a whole.”