Terrapin Puppet Theatre celebrates 40 years of pulling the heart strings
A new exhibition showcases the extraordinary contribution to the state’s cultural landscape of much-loved puppetry company Terrapin.
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Sam Routledge grew up during what he calls the “golden age” of puppetry.
As a youngster in regional New South Wales, Routledge, 42, was captivated by TV shows and films such as Fraggle Rock, Sesame Street, The Muppets, Labrynth and The NeverEnding Story.
He started doing community theatre at the age of 12, and continued right through his teens, eventually completing a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (majoring in theatre and media) at Charles Sturt University and later a post graduate diploma in puppetry from the Victorian College of the Arts.
He quickly realised what he loved most about the theatre was visual storytelling. Which led him on a path to become a puppeteer – an occupation which eventually brought him to Tasmania, where he has spent the past eight years working as the artistic director of Terrapin.
The much-loved organisation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an exhibition that opens at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery later this week, has been presenting theatre performances at Tasmanian schools since 1981, and will this year perform to 15,000 primary students right across the state.
Terrapin’s current show, Scaredy Cat, is touring schools and follows the story of a cute cat who comes from a long line of fierce hunters, but is actually terrified of mice.
Meanwhile, A Not So Traditional Story, written by Palawa playwright Nathan Maynard, will be performed in Launceston and Hobart during the school holidays (shows from September 29-October 9) with the funny and adventurous production using masks, shadow puppetry and physical theatre to explore themes of culture, identity, bravery and friendship. A free school holiday workshop also invites Tasmanian children aged between 10-12 to revolutionise the
Australian national anthem, through a week of theatre games, song writing workshops and discussion, with their revamped anthem becoming the backbone of a new participatory work that is planned to tour Australia and the UK in 2022.
Terrapin puppets recently roamed Launceston’s Princes Square as part of Junction Arts Festival and Terrapin will also be part of an immersive sound work at The Unconformity Festival at Queenstown, on Tasmania’s West Coast, from October 15-17. Add to that a research project looking at the benefits of puppetry in aged care settings, and the upcoming
Never Grow Old: 40 Years of Terrapin exhibition at TMAG – which delves into the Terrapin puppet archive, unpacking marionettes, masks and monsters that haven’t been seen for decades – and Routledge says it’s a busy time for Terrapin.
He believes the breadth of the company’s practice, its ability to reach a wide audience and its willingness to embrace new technology has helped keep it relevant after 40 years.
During those four decades Terrapin has staged more than 140 productions in schools, theatres, festivals and public spaces and has also performed internationally in destinations including Washington DC, Denmark, Shanghai, Singapore and Budapest. Terrapin has offices and a rehearsal space at Salamanca as well as a workshop and storage facility in Moonah.
“What’s great about Terrapin is what’s great about Tasmania – a small company that can achieve great things, just like we’re a small state that can achieve great things,’’ says Routledge, who lives in Moonah.
“And we’re now playing to our third generation of Tasmanians.
“You saw our shows as a kid but your parents would have seen them as well and now your children are seeing them.
“I think we’re well loved and everyone has a story … they may not be able to remember the name of the show they saw as a child, but they do remember Terrapin … we’ve helped people build memories.’’
He says since Terrapin Puppet Theatre was founded by the late Jennifer Davidson in 1981, the organisation has continued to evolve.
Davidson previously worked as a designer for the Tasmanian Puppet Theatre, but when that organisation ended in 1979 she established Terrapin, with the aim of creating a touring company for schools with a strong reputation for design.
The company initially had a large full-time staff including puppeteers, designers and makers like Sandy McCutcheon, Tom Samek, Jindra Rosendorf, Greg Methé and Noriko Nishimoto.
By the early 1990s, under the direction of Annette Downs, the theatre company created shows with higher production values and embarked on its first international tours. Terrapin played in Hobart’s historic Theatre Royal for the first time.
Terrapin also toured internationally, staging Desires in Budapest and Little Red in Korea and Taiwan. One of the most successful productions created during this period was The BFG: Big Friendly Giant, which enjoyed success in Hobart then toured Australia for three years.
In 1999, Jessica Wilson took over as artistic director and the company began making productions for adult audiences – like Frankenstein and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs – and was also a pioneer in incorporating projection into live performance.
Subsequent artistic directors Annie Forbes and Frank Newman built on this success and also added digital puppetry to the mix.
Routledge, who was appointed as artistic director in late 2012, says the injection of new technologies has continued, while still staying true to the essence of traditional puppetry.
“What we’ve been able to do really well is to integrate new technology with the age-old art of puppetry and honour the physicality of the puppet,’’ says Routledge who worked for various theatre companies in Australia and overseas – including a stint with Terrapin in 2005 and 2006 – before moving to Tasmania.
A lot of care is also taken by puppet maker and designer Bryony Anderson to craft the company’s puppets from salvaged materials. “It’s not just about making beautiful puppets but it’s making them in a sustainable and responsible way,’’ Routledge says.
He says there’s something fascinating about puppets that continue to capture the imagination of audiences, both young and old. The father of two young children, Routledge says Terrapin shows are often a child’s first introduction to the theatre and watching their reactions was priceless.
“Puppets can do anything – they can defy gravity, they can be small, they can be very large,’’ Routledge says.
“Puppetry is an incredible tool to build people’s capacity for empathy or unlock the capacity for empathy that they already have.
“To watch a puppet and believe it’s alive, your rationality is overwhelmed by empathy because rationally you know it’s not alive yet we have no trouble at all investing in the life, drama and struggles of a puppet.
“For me it’s an enormously important art form, even more so now as children become more engaged in screens.
“Puppets are so important because they have that physicality, they are like an animation in that they can do things that animated characters on screens might be able to do but they are physical, you can reach out and physically touch them and that’s wonderful for children to feel that they can create something impossible just using their hands.’’
Routledge also loves the collaborative nature of puppetry. Terrapin currently has 4.5 full-time equivalent staff who work with a range of talented artists, writers and performers.
“By its nature, puppetry is a collaborative art form – many puppets don’t come to life unless two or more people work very closely to bring them to life,’’ Routledge explains.
“Light, sound and design all have a greater role in the storytelling than they do in conventional text-based theatre.
“And I love what it brings out in the people that are making it but especially what it brings out in the audience – children are absolutely fascinated and when adults see a work of puppet theatre they’re sort of returning to their childhood … it’s quite extraordinary to watch.’’●
The Never Grow Old: 40 Years of Terrapin exhibition at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery starts on Wednesday September 29 and runs until October 31. A Not So Traditional Story, written by Palawa playwright Nathan Maynard, will be performed at Launceston College from September 29 to October 2 and Hobart’s Theatre Royal from October 7-9. Tickets from $25. For more information about upcoming shows and workshops visit terrapin.org.au
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