Puppet group feels the pinch

Press, 10 February 1981, Page 1

Puppet group feels the pinch

Fifty puppets of differ-ent'-shapes and sizes and their eight puppeteers have joined the - ranks’ of the unemployed in Christchurch. . Miss Briar Middleditch, director. of : the “Flying Hat” company, said that the; group had been set up after an approach to the Robert McDougall Art Gallery last year. They had hoped to work on the. gallery’s educational programme, “Impact,” which was planned to run along.' the lines of the “Outreach” programme that ran last year. However, the group was told last week that the project would not go ahead, because the .Depart-

ment of Labour would not approve it as part of the new Project Employment Programme. Miss Middleditch said that four people 'employed through the Department Of Labour had worked on the. puppet theatre for the last 12 weeks. Eight would have been employed during the year for at , least three months each. A huge amount of effort, much of it voluntary, had already gone into the scheme, Miss Middleditch said..- She started working oh the-50 puppets about ■ three years ago, with the aim of setting up a company through an employment programme. Members of the group had spent thousands of; dollars

buying materials for the puppets. Since hearing the bad news, the. group has searched for alternative means of support. It has approached the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council, ’ and has also applied for $6OOO from the Youth Initiative, Fund. • “We need .the; scheme in order to rehearse the ■ show ready for live performances. We. are not ready tb perform or draw an income from the puppets' yet,”; said, Miss Middleditch.- . She was sure that if the group had initial backing it would - be able to run the puppet troupe professionally. Already this year four .shows had been planned, culminating in a

tent show at Hagley Park in December, together, with visits to schools and classes in the group’s Lichfield Street studio. Plans were also; afoot for a television show next year and. for a tour of New Zealand centres, with the possibility of .an overseas tour. . The puppets, all of whom have their ' own names, include a, colourful array of witches, vampires, worms, snakes, and a princess,: and props such as a giant apple core. Miss Middleditch made the puppets herself, and has also written scripts for puppet shows. The company includes . stage hands, sound and lighting technicians, and; a wardrobe and make-up expert. The group also has an education programme planned, to teach children how to make puppets and stage a show.

One member of the group, Mr Jae Renaut, said that it was the first time any, puppet show had been organised bn such a scale In New Zealand. The new director of the Robert McDougall l Gallery (Mr John Coley) said yesterday that it was a “sad fact” that the gallery could not employ groups this year as it had done last-year. About 25 people wens employed last year on “Outreach” projects for about six months each. He said that there was no finance available through the Department of Labour for the scheme. Under the new P.E.P. scheme money : would be provided only for people working on special projects. It was more difficult to make projects qualify for the P.E.P. scheme than it was under the former Temporary Employment Programme.