'Tis the season to be jolly! It’s almost time for our Festive Puppet Zoom Party - coming up this Saturday! Members have been sent details in our latest newsletter.
When: Saturday 28 November @ 7pm (AEDT)
4pm WA
5.30pm NT
6pm QLD
6.30pm SA
7pm NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS
We’re taking a break from Zoom in December so this will be our last ‘Zoom social’ for the year. If you’re a member of UNIMA Australia you are welcome to join us! BYO food, drinks and puppets! Feel free to also dress up 😄🎅🏻🦌🎄
Want to join UNIMA Oz? Membership is open to anyone around the world 😊🌏
www.unima.org.au/membership/
#unimaoz #unima #zoom #festivefun #byopuppets ... See MoreSee Less
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A highlight from our recent UNIMA Australia 50th anniversary zoom celebration was a talk by Richard Bradshaw on the origins of UNIMA Australia and the people who began our wonderful puppetry organisation, including Edith Murray, Nancy Johnston and Norman Hetherington (first President of UNIMA Oz and famous for creating Mr Squiggle).
In 1969 Jan Bussell was elected President of UNIMA International and he spent the first half of 1972 based in Sydney, Australia (with his wife Ann Hogarth) as Adviser to the Marionette Theatre of Australia. He travelled to other cities including Perth to meet with puppeteers and in one of the M.T.A.’s publications he published a message to Australian puppeteers hoping that through the Australian branch of UNIMA and the M.T.A. “Australian puppeteers will work increasingly together in a spirit of friendly rivalry.”
Jim Henson was a great supporter of UNIMA and was the first President of UNIMA-U.S.A. Richard Bradshaw showed us a photo of Jim Henson talking with Henryk Jurkowski of Poland in Dresden in 1984. Henryk Jurkowski served as General Secretary of UNIMA International and also as President.
There was much more fascinating history and stories shared in Richard Bradshaw’s talk and we are putting together a video from the session - more details coming soon 😊
#unimaoz #unima #australianpuppetry #50thanniversary #richardbradshaw #normanhetherington #janbussell #marionettetheatreofaustralia #jimhenson @unima_internationale @unimausa ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you to everyone who came to our online zoom celebration for UNIMA Australia's 50th Anniversary! We had UNIMA members join us from around the country as well as USA! We had a toast 🥂, cake 🎂 and speeches from our President Philip Millar (VIC), Former President Richard Hart (VIC) and Karen Smith - Vice President of @unima_internationale. We congratulated Karen for being named Member of Honour of UNIMA for her stunning work as general editor of the World Encyclopaedia of Puppetry Arts (WEPA) which is available online in 3 languages (English, French and Spanish).
wepa.unima.org/en/
Thank you to everyone who has helped to keep UNIMA Australia going for the last 5 decades, and for contributing to our puppetry community both in Australia and worldwide!
#unimaoz #unima #50thanniversary #australianpuppetry
@flipmil @misskhannaford @oneorangesockproductions @sneakiestdeak @larrikinpuppets @tinyuniversedesigns @blackholeaus @davidfmorgan3082 @puppettribe @kay_yasugi ... See MoreSee Less
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Unima Australia posted a video to playlist UNIMA Australia Videos.
2 weeks ago
Check out our video to celebrate 50 Years of UNIMA Oz! Please share!
UNIMA Australia is an association that supports and connects puppeteers, puppet makers and all people interested in puppetry arts in Australia and world-wide. It was founded in 1970 and incorporated in 2004, and in 2020 we celebrate 50 years of the organisation. This video was premiered at the UNIMA Australia 50th Anniversary Zoom Celebration on 14th November, 2020. You can also watch it on youtube here: youtu.be/cr87bnkO7f8
The logo was designed by the renowned Australian puppeteer Norman Hetherington, creator of Mr Squiggle, who was also the first president of UNIMA Australia.
In 2008, UNIMA Australia hosted the 20th UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival in Perth, Western Australia with the support of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre. It was the first time the congress and festival was held in the southern hemisphere.
UNIMA Australia is the Australian branch of UNIMA Internationale, the Union Internationale de la Marionnette (International Puppetry Association). UNIMA was established in 1929 and is affiliated to UNESCO. It is also a member of the International Theatre Institute.
Thank you to everyone who has helped to keep UNIMA Australia going for the last 5 decades, and for contributing to our puppetry community both in Australia and worldwide!
Want to join UNIMA? Membership is open to anyone around the world.
For more information please go to www.unima.org.au/membership/
Credits:
Music: "Waltzing Matilda" by Ophelia of the Spirits ('Australia' film soundtrack)
UNIMA Oz Committee: Philip Millar - President (VIC), Kay Yasugi - General Secretary (NSW), Katherine Hannaford - Treasurer (NSW), Pete Xander (VIC), Larissa Deak (QLD), Adam Bennett (WA)
Featured Puppetry Companies/Theatres: Spare Parts Puppet Theatre (WA), Terrapin (TAS), Handspan Theatre (VIC), ImaginArta - the Australian Puppet Centre Inc (NSW), Black Hole Theatre Inc (VIC), Dream Puppets (VIC), Larrikin Puppets (QLD), Murphys Puppets (NSW), Curious Legends (NSW), Such As They Are (VIC), Lemony S Puppet Theatre (VIC), Sydney Puppet Theatre - Sue Wallace(NSW), A Blanck Canvas (VIC), Pupperoos (NSW), Top of the Stairs Puppets (WA), La Mama Theatre (VIC), Dead Puppet Society (QLD), Jeral Puppets (NSW), DNA Puppetry & Visual Theatre (WA), The Puppetsmithery (VIC), Little Wing Puppets (NSW), Wild Puppets (QLD), Elk Puppets (VIC), Di Filippo Marionette (Italy), Naranjarte (Spain),
Other puppetry folk in the video: Richard Bradshaw (NSW), Ronnie Burkett (Canada), Pere Bigas Formatjé (Catalonia), Phillip Huber (USA), Neville Tranter, Emma Fisher (Ireland), Nit Lorite & Sergio Aguilar Monteserin (Spain), Handspring Puppet Company (South Africa), Made Sidia (Bali), Noel MacNeal (USA), Simon Rann (France)
We tried to include as many people as possible who have been involved in Australian puppetry in the last half century (no small feat for a 2.5 minute video!) If we have accidentally left anyone out (including festivals, exhibitions, workshops and other special events), please tag or leave a comment as we are also creating a special 50th anniversary UNIMA Oz magazine :) ... See MoreSee Less
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Dear members. UNIMA Internationale is running a crowdfunding campaign for funds to provide emergency relief to puppeteers and their families impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.
We encourage you to access this service for emergency support if you are in need. We also encourage you to reach out to us at UNIMA Australia.
Finally, we believe that this course deserves to be shared with your networks and community. Below in the comments, you will find links to the crowdfunding video, an instagram post style image to use on your social media and files that show reports on how funds are used. These reports can also be found on the UNIMA International website.
Please support with whatever you can and share to help those in need. You can support via the GoFundMe, Chuffed and Give.Asia platforms accessible via the link below.
www.unima.org/en/useful-information/emergency-aid-for-puppeteers-2/ ... See MoreSee Less
Our online store on Redbubble has another sale - great for Christmas shopping for that puppet person in your life! Check it out for all our UNIMA Oz Merchandise including T-shirts, hoodies, badges, bags, socks, mugs and kids clothes (perfect for dressing puppets!)! There is a special 20-60% off site-wide sale which ends 12th November, 2020 at 11.59pm (Discount code: GIFTS60)!
Our current range includes a limited edition collection of beautiful Aussie emu graphics by the late Norman Hetherington (who also designed the UNIMA Australia logo and was the first President of UNIMA Oz when it began in 1970). The images were used in the 1974 publication 'Puppets of Australia' and we are thrilled to share his art with the wider puppetry community to celebrate 50 years of UNIMA Australia.
All proceeds from our store go to supporting UNIMA Australia. Please share and support Aussie puppetry!
Check out our store at www.redbubble.com/people/UnimaOz/explore
#unimaoz #unima #merch #tshirt #badges #puppetmerch #aussiepuppetry #normanhetherington ... See MoreSee Less
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It's almost time to celebrate UNIMA Oz's 50th Anniversary! This Saturday 14th November we’re having a special online celebration where we will hear from our UNIMA Oz President Philip Millar (@flipmil), share photos from the last 50 years, eat cake and enjoy a celebratory drink of choice - with puppets!
Richard Bradshaw will be speaking about the history of UNIMA Australia and former President Richard Hart will also share some words. There will be an interactive part where members are invited to share what UNIMA Australia means for them.
When: Saturday 14th November @ 7pm (AEDT)
Time:
4pm WA,
5.30pm NT
6pm QLD
6.30pm SA
7pm NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS
Please bring:
- Cake (or something yummy!)
- Drink of choice
- Puppet (if you have one handy)
Members have been sent details with the zoom link- if you’d like to come and you’re a UNIMA member, please RSVP to our General Secretary Kay by this Friday 13th Nov (secretary@unima.org.au)
Want to join UNIMA Australia? Membership is open to anyone around the world! Check out our website www.unima.org.au/membership/
#unimaoz #unima #50thanniversary #puppets #australianpuppetry #richardbradshaw #zoomparty #bringcake ... See MoreSee Less
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‘Little Amal’: A giant refugee puppet with a powerful message ... See MoreSee Less
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We are very excited to launch our new online store on Redbubble for UNIMA Oz Merchandise! This includes T-shirts, pins, bags, socks and kids clothes (perfect for dressing puppets!)! There is a special 20-60% off site-wide sale which ends TONIGHT at 11.59pm (Discount code: FALLDEALS)!
www.redbubble.com/people/UnimaOz/explore?asc=u&page=1&sortOrder=recent
The UNIMA Australia Logo was designed by the renowned Norman Hetherington, creator of Mr Squiggle and the first President of UNIMA Australia when it began in 1970.
We have also had special permission from his daughter, Rebecca Hetherington, to use his beautiful Aussie emu graphics for our limited edition 50th Anniversary merchandise.
The images were used in the 1974 publication 'Puppets of Australia' and we are thrilled to share his art with the wider puppetry community.
All proceeds from our store go to supporting UNIMA Australia. Please share and support Aussie puppetry! ... See MoreSee Less
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Check out some happy snaps from our latest Puppet Doctor session with Sue Wallace and Steve Coupe from Sydney Puppet Theatre (@sydneypuppettheatre)!
Sue and Steve gave us a virtual tour of their amazing puppet workshop in the Southern Highlands (NSW), which also has a rehearsal space, puppet storage and office (and a 4-legged canine ‘puppetry foreman’ named Ruby!)
They showed us different ways to make puppet joints, how to laminate wood (particularly ‘handy’ for making puppet hands!), and demonstrated various puppet mechanisms including a self-standing puppet (based on a design by Barbara Scheel) and a control for operating blinking eyes and a moving mouth. And on top of all that, we geeked out on glues and wood for marionettes!
Sue and Steve also run ImaginArta - the Australian Puppet Centre Inc in Sutton Forest (NSW). They have shows every Sunday at 11am and for the next 2 months you can see ‘In Search of the Giddy Gird Bird’ - a visual feast of delightful, colourful and lively marionettes! Book ahead on their website. Contact details at www.imaginarta.com.au
We have more fun zoom sessions planned soon for our members, including a 'Puppet Zoom and Sip: Halloween Edition' where members can present live puppetry pieces with a spooky theme! For more info on membership please go to www.unima.org.au/membership/ ... See MoreSee Less
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Presenting the winners of our Silver Linings Online Puppet Festival 2020!
First Place
“Hope’ is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson -A shadow poem”
Jenn Thurston (@jenn22allen) and Rosy Thurston (@rosy.travellinglight)
UK/VIC, Australia
Prizes: 12 months membership to UNIMA Australia and UNIMA badges
Second Place
“The Kotzebue Shuffle”
Ali DeRegt (@alideregt), Monica Ila (@monica.ila) & Emma Fisher (@emcfish11), Campfire Tales
Canada and Ireland
Prizes: 6 months membership to UNIMA Australia and UNIMA badges
Honourable Mention
“Silver Linings – Small Actions”
Georgie Rose (@georgierosepuppetry)
VIC, Australia
Prize: UNIMA Badge
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to this online festival, and to our UNIMA Australia Committee judges Philip Millar (President), Larissa Deak and Adam Bennett. We hope you all enjoyed watching these puppet films. You can still view our playlist at www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvY_CkuVhyYjaLDSlEcLrmvRS_BkJc4FN
Please share and spread the joy!
#unimaoz #silverliningsunima ... See MoreSee Less
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Presenting our Silver Linings Online Puppet Film Festival, 2020! Click on the link to view our playlist - please share!
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvY_CkuVhyYjaLDSlEcLrmvRS_BkJc4FN
2020 has been a tough year, but we wanted to find some silver linings and put some joy out into the world. We invited people from around the world to join the UNIMA Australia Silver Linings Project – a call to submit short, uplifting puppet films.
We received entries from around Australia as well as the UK, Ireland, Canada and Uruguay. Thank you to everyone who contributed! Awards will be announced soon. Here are the films:
1. Pivoting - Suzannah Griffith (VIC, Australia)
2. Stretchy Pants Song - Kay Yasugi (Pupperoos), Leon Hendroff, Jill Webster (Story Bubble), Katherine Hannaford, The Drama Studio, Pete Xander (One Orange Sock), Brett Hansen and Elissa Jenkins (Larrikin Puppets), Sue Wallace and Steve Coupe (Sydney Puppet Theatre), Kristen Clerke, Dominique Davillé, Angie Macmillan
(NSW, QLD, VIC, WA, Australia)
Song by Brian Buffington Music (USA)
3. Cuckoo! Cuckoo! - Clare Jefferson Jones and Paul Jones, Splodge Designs (UK)
4. 'Nothing Much to Do' 2020 - Angie Macmillan (VIC, Australia)
5. In the Garden - Clare Jefferson Jones and Paul Jones, Splodge Designs (UK)
6. The Kotzebue Shuffle - Ali DeRegt, Emma Fisher, Monica Ila, Campfire Tales (Canada and Ireland)
7. Silver Linings with Larrikin Puppets - Brett Hansen and Elissa Jenkins (QLD, Australia)
8. My Objects - Alena Skalova, Missing Pages Theatre (UK)
9. Teddy Interview - La Casa del Árbol
(Montevideo, Uruguay)
10. The Memories She Doesn't Need - Kristen Clerke (QLD, Australia). Song by Susie Hurley
11. "Hope" is the thing with feathers by Emily Dickinson. A shadow poem - Jenn & Rosy Thurston (UK & VIC, Australia)
12. Silver Linings - Small Actions - Gemma Rose (VIC, Australia)
UNIMA Australia is the official puppetry organisation of Australia. Membership is open to anyone around the world. For more information please go to www.unima.org.au/membership/
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Unima Australia's cover photo ... See MoreSee Less
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