In September everything will stop for tea, when Spare Parts Puppet Theatre hosts Puppet-Tea, a series of absolutely free ‘tea parties with the puppets’ for the ‘young at heart,’ supported by Lotterywest as part of the community celebrations of the company’s 40th anniversary.
Especially designed for the mature-aged members of the community, Puppet-Tea is a fun, relaxed and unique opportunity to meet the legendary puppets, such as the Velveteen Rabbit, the Bugalugs Bum Thief, or the tango-loving crocodile Miss Lily—and the talented puppeteers who bring them to life—from the incredible 40-year history of Australia’s iconic and WA’s own puppetry company based in Fremantle.
Puppet-Tea guests will be entertained with highlights of the company’s colourful history, a backstage tour, puppet -making session, and sneak peak of its brand new show, The One Who Planted Trees, the company’s first ever musical. Light refreshments are on the menu, along with secrets of the puppet world, and a good old-fashioned chat about ‘puppets past, present and future’ over a stimulating cup of tea.
Philip Mitchell, Artistic Director of Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, said that he was excited by the community response to the company’s 40th anniversary and the opportunity to interact with members of all ages, many of whom have seen a Spare Parts show in its 40-year production history.
“I’m very much looking forward to sharing a stimulating cup of tea and puppet stories with older members of our community as part of Puppet Tea,” he said. “Forty years is such a significant anniversary for Spare Parts. It is amazing to think that we now have people in our audiences that first came to Spare Parts as a child or parent and who are now bringing their own children and grandchildren to see a show,” he said.
Presented on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 7 to 16 (at 11am and 1pm each day), Puppet-Tea is absolutely free, but booking is essential as tickets are extremely limited. Reserve yours now at sppt.asn.au or call 9335 5044.
Supported by long-time partner, Lotterywest the 40th anniversary community celebrations include Design a Puppet Challenge (entry deadline August 20), followed by Puppet-Tea beginning September 7, and culminate in 40th birthday community celebration, Puppets in the Park on November 6.
Lotterywest and Healthway CEO Susan Hunt PSM said that for 30 years Lotterywest and Healthway have supported Spare Parts Puppets Theatre.
“Spare Parts is a wonderful organisation that brings young Western Australians together with stories and performances,” Ms Hunt said. “We’re very proud to continue to support Spare Parts and celebrate its 40th anniversary, and look forward to working on future performance and collaborative events that make our community such a great place to live.”