The Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic and the College of Arts are hosting a conference looking at fantasy and puppetry.

Fantasy & Puppetry: Animating the Fantastic is free event to celebrate the art of puppets & puppeteers in bringing fantasy and the fantastic to life, on stage, screen and page, from Dark Crystal, Labyrinth to Star Wars, Narnia to His Dark Materials

The event will feature five of the most exciting and celebrated puppet-centred artists, writers, puppeteers and performers working in the world today: Brian and Wendy Froud, Howard Gayton, Mary Robinette Kowal and William Todd-Jones, all brought together by their friendship with World Fantasy Award-winning writer, editor and artist Terri Windling.

Between them, these artists have been closely involved in some of the finest fantasy films, movies, TV series and stage performances of the last forty years: The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, the Muppet movies, Sesame Street, The Empire Strikes Back, Dark Crystal – The Age of Resistance, His Dark Materials, John Carter of Mars, The Neverending Story, Who Framed Roger Rabbit – the list is seemingly endless.

From discussions about the creation and use of puppetry to build fantasy worlds on stage and screen, to a roundtabe panel about the use of puppets as fantasy characters and puppetry as part of the magical/supernatural elements of fantasy narratives, the event has something for everyone 

Here Dr Rob Maslen explains why the Centre for Fantasy and the Fantastic are putting on this day long event.

 

First published: 28 March 2022

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