Give a puppet strings

How did the visit happen?

NCCAL put a call out for proposals which we received through the British Council, with whom Blind Summit have collaborated on a number of projects. We have both worked with Blind Summit for a number of years, and we collaborated to put together a proposal which was accepted.

What did the project involve?

We did one week of workshops. The workshops were to teach the basics of puppetry and increase the awareness of puppetry in Kuwait.

What did you teach?

The underlying principles of puppetry, the basics of theatrical presentation, stage confidence and ensemble work. One of the main aspects was increasing the awareness of the skill required for puppetry as an artform.

What did you learn?

Tom: The importance of giving the group confidence to be able to give feedback to each other, and how quickly people learn and respond from observation and play.

Sean: Kuwaiti people are interested in widening their knowledge of how to express themselves artistically and culturally, and have a huge cultural curiosity which it has been difficult for them to access in the past.

What did you see and do outside the workshops?

We enjoyed the amazing hospitality of the people in Kuwait. The food was fantastic. We had a very interesting trip to the heritage museum which gave us an insight into old Kuwait. We really enjoyed talking to people and finding out about the country and culture, personal stories and memories, and understanding more about their customs.

What would you tell people in the UK about the Kuwait arts scene?

There is a burgeoning arts scene - immediately obvious in the range of modern architecture as you enter the city.

Do you think you’ll return?

Yes, we very much hope to return for a longer period to take things to the next level, collaborating to create a story-telling performance at a level suitable to share with an audience. 

What was your most memorable moment?

When the participants began to use the skills we were teaching to express their own stories and passions: one participant loved the beach and used this passion to create a scene of a puppet swimming that was really beautiful.

What was your most hair-raising moment?

The surprise press conference! Somehow this got lost in communication and we turned up to a room of television cameras... without any puppets!

What are your suitcase essentials?

Sun tan lotion – it was 50 degrees Celsius!

What is the one thing you miss from the UK whilst away?

Sean: London's constant entertainment circuit

What is the one thing you can’t live without during your visit?

Tom: Coffee!

Sean: Air.

Tell us about an image that sums up your trip…

Tom: Shisha, coffee pots and dates!

Sean: Final scenes of the workshops – nine participants so focused on their puppetry.

Blind Summit led a week of puppetry workshops for the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) in Kuwait to nurture and promote the art of puppetry and animation in Kuwait. The workshops were part of the Summer Culture Festival organized by NCCAL.

Tom Espiner and Sean Garratt are puppeteers with Blind Summit. They visited Kuwait in June 2013 to lead puppetry workshops at the Summer Culture Festival in collaboration with the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL).The festival includes different art forms such as music, visual arts, theatre performances for children and families, and poetry and literature seminars.