the Toy Theatre Arrivals Lounge

One of the most exciting periods of the festival so far was definately the day that several empty tables in St Ann's Warehouse began to be filled with mysterious packages to be opened by willing volunteers. Yes, we had been assigned the task of unpacking toy theatres that had been posted and delivered from all over the world, to go into the festival's Toy Theatre Museum.









I was given responsibility for a large, flat box from the Ballard Institute of Puppetry. Within it, wrapped in delicate protective paper sheets which certainly looked as old as the objects they contained, were the components of an original Dutch toy theatre, including endless varieties of rods, stands and clips, and a choice of two theatrical settings complete with different layers of scenery and characters. Hmm, New York cityscape in pastel shades or dark, broody Netherlandic winter scene complete with enigmatic cloaked gentlemen? I opted for the latter.