Magical world of Boxes

Third generation puppeteer Annie Forbes talks about the people and practice behind the magical world of Boxes.  The play about friendship and diversity uses puppetry, sound and of course boxes, to create a witty and entrancing tale of Elton (performed by Annie) and Bernie (Tim Denton).

Bernie moves into a house with his belongings only to find that his tea turns into coffee, his flowers disappear and someone has been sleeping in his bed. He suddenly comes face to face with the mysterious Elton, and these two puppets must learn to get along. A witty tale of friendship unfolds as Bernie & Elton discover it’s much easier to enjoy a cup of tea together than fight over whose table setting is best.

With charming child-sized puppets, Bernie and Elton, and a beautiful score composed by Thomas Press this heart-warming production is the perfect tale for the whole family.

Boxes will be performed in Auckland during the April school holidays, presented by TIME OUT Theatre in association with Capital E National Theatre for Children.

How did you start as puppeteers?

I am a third generation artist and puppeteer. Tim started performing in clown, mask and mime then developed into puppetry as well.

Did you have any training?

Yes we have both had different pathways with our training but we each have had theatre training in voice, movement and stagecraft as well as intensive study with master puppeteers such as Philippe Genty, Roman Paska, and Eric Bass.

What gave you the idea for Boxes?

Originally the director Peter Wilson used these puppets in another show then when the three of us decided to collaborate he wanted to use those puppets as a start point. We were mucking around with boxes as a temporary set then just as children reinvent a box to be a car or a house we began to include the boxes as the reason for the show.

How do you engage with the idea of diversity in the play?

Well the two puppets like different things and like to do things differently - this causes conflict that makes them unhappy. They discover being different is not better or worse it’s just .. different. Acceptance of difference is the resolution.

Do you have a particular idea or message in mind when you start to create a work, or does one emerge?

There is always a point of inspiration. It may be an image, a poem, or story, perhaps some music or even a philosophical concept. In the case of Boxes that "message" emerged after the improvisation.

Have you ever created puppet theatre for adults?

Yes often. Sometimes it can be cabaret style, or satirical vignettes. We have also done full length plays for adults. Generally we call it "visual" theatre as the word "puppet" is poison for getting adult audiences.

What’s different about making children’s theatre?

No difference in the production values or the time it takes to do. Obviously the themes will relate more to children's experience and there are differences in interest levels for younger audiences.

Do you have ‘test audiences’?

Yes both during the development stage as well as a preview audience before opening.

Further info:

Widely respected for her contribution to the puppetry arts in Australia and NZ for nearly 30 years, Annie has had a distinguished career primarily in NZ, where she was Founder and Artistic Director of the NZ Puppet Theatre (1984 – 1991), then Out of Hand Productions (1991 -2004). From May 2004 – Nov 2006, Annie was the Artistic Director of Terrapin Puppet Theatre and also the director of the 2nd National Puppet Summit in Hobart, Tasmania.

She has created over 40 puppetry productions ranging from solo work to large-scale extravaganzas that have toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. She devised and directed “The Legend of Ned Kelly” based on Sydney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series, in association with the National Gallery of Australia, which was presented at the Come Out Festival, Adelaide and The Arts Centre’s Arts Ed Program, Melbourne, 2007. In 2008 she co-designed and constructed the puppets for The Flying Fruit Fly Circus production “The Promise”, presented by the Sydney Festival, which won a 2009 Helpmann Award for Best Presentation for Children.

Annie has also made a significant contribution to puppetry education through mentoring emerging puppeteers. From 2007 -2009 she was a lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts Post-Graduate Puppetry Course in Melbourne. Annie is co-director of AboutFace Productions.

• Boxes

By Capital E National Theatre for Children

Boxes plays at The Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland, from Saturday 16 - Thursday 21 April at 11am (no show Sunday).

Tickets are $12.50* for Adults and Children and are available over the phone at 0800 BUY TICKETS, online at www.buytickets.co.nz or in person at The Aotea Centre Box Office (*Booking fees apply).