GCSE Drama Students Explore the Magic of Puppetry with PuppetBox
This week, the Charters School Drama department was delighted to welcome the award-winning puppetry company PuppetBox for an inspiring and highly interactive workshop with our Year 10 GCSE Drama students. Across an engaging three-hour session, students were immersed in the imaginative world of puppetry, exploring a range of styles with a particular focus on Stick and Rod puppets.
Led by Sophie from PuppetBox, the workshop offered a fascinating insight into how stories can be created, shaped and brought to life through puppetry. Students enthusiastically developed their practical skills, experimenting with movement, character and storytelling in a hands-on and supportive environment. Sophie’s session was both informative and creative, encouraging students to think differently about performance while building confidence in a new theatrical form.
The skills gained during the workshop will be invaluable as students prepare for their upcoming performances for local Year 6 students next week. The production - for St. Michael's and Holy Trinity students - will feature eight short plays inspired by theatre for children, pantomime and puppetry. These performances are cleverly linked through a fun fantasy storyline involving aliens and spaceships, combining humour, imagination and visual storytelling. Alongside the entertainment, the work also carries a gentle PSHE message about recycling and environmental awareness, thoughtfully designed to be engaging and accessible for a younger audience.
Students spoke very positively about the puppetry workshop, describing it as “an excellent look into how stories can develop through the art of puppetry” and “interesting to explore a really fun skill in greater depth.”
The Drama department is incredibly proud of the students’ enthusiasm and creativity, and we are grateful to PuppetBox for delivering such a memorable and enriching workshop. We look forward to seeing these newly developed puppetry skills brought to life in next week’s performances.
