Join us for this online workshop with artist Monster Chetwynd, where we will learn how to create shadow theatre boxes, puppets and performances using simple recyclable materials inspired by early 20th Century silhouette animations. We will use our puppets in a final performance of a scene from the classic 1955 American thriller The Night of the Hunter (Dir. Charles Laughton) or something from your imagination.

Materials

You will need the following materials to take part. You should be able to find most of these items around the home.

Essential

• A laptop / computer with stable wifi connection
• A table or working space
• A room where the light can be controlled (with shutters or curtains)
• Cardboard box approx 40cm x 50cm x 40xm (for the theatre)
• Scissors
• Strong tape or parcel tape (5cm wide)
• Cutting mat (if possible) or cardboard
• Cutting knife or Stanley knife
• Baking / tracing paper or thin coloured plastic eg. a bin bag or white bin bag
• Sticks (from a tree / park, chopsticks, or something similar)
• 2 sheets of spare cardboard about the thickness of cereal packets (for cutting out the characters from)
• Pen / pencil
• Torch / lamp (you can use the torch on your phone if you have one)

Nonessential

• Colourful wrappers / plastic bags / sweet wrappers to play with the light
• Staple gun

Resources

• The Night of the Hunter – trailer
• The Night of the Hunter – river scene
• The Night of the Hunter – Harry speaks to the Lord
• For a small fee, you can watch the full film on Amazon, Google Play or Youtube
• You can read the script of the film here and read a plot summary here
• For some inspiration you can watch this 1922 shadow puppet rendition of Cindarella by Lotte Reiniger

Schedule

10am-12pm: Artist talk and introduction to the workshop
12-1pm: Lunch
1-3pm: Workshop (making and performance)

Booking

This session will be taking place online via Zoom. This workshop has limited places and you must book your place via Eventbrite to receive the Zoom link and password. You should receive this information via email immediately after booking. If you do not receive this information then please email info@openschooleast.org well before the event starts so that we can assist you. When joining, please ensure that your mic is muted unless you are speaking. These sessions may be recorded for archival and promotional purposes, so please switch off your video feed if you do not wish to be included in this. Please join early to avoid delays (there may be a queue, the host will let you in to the session).

About the artist

Monster Chetwynd is known for her performance pieces featuring handmade costumes, props and sets. She describes her work as ‘impatiently made’, often re-using cheap materials that are easy to process and use by the many performers she invites to participate, emphasizing the notion of collective development that informs much of the artist’s work.