CLIVE CHANDLER AND HIS PUPPETS

Company Profile

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Clive Chandler is one of a small number full-time professional puppeteers in England. Puppetry has been his full-time living for more than 30 years. He presents over 300 shows every year. He has a reputation for delivering high quality performances in a variety of settings. He is equally at home in a classroom or on a village green.  He is happy working with a small group or playing to the crowd. He is based in Birmingham. He is a regular in the parks of Bromsgrove and Redditch, and at Christmas light switch ons in Warwick and Kenilworth. Although he is best known for his work with children, he has directed major adult projects such as the ground breaking anglo-portuguese Tempestade, featuring 'glass puppetry' and 'glass music'. At the other end of the scale is a well known performer of traditional glove puppets shows, including Punch and Judy. His most recent theatre piece is inspired by The Dragon of Krakow - based on a Polish legend.   He has directed a number of international puppet theatre projects and has worked as the artistic director of many puppet festivals - most notably the Dynamics International Puppet Festival in 2005, 2007 and 2009 - England's biggest puppet festival. He was a founder member and director of PuppetLink Ltd, a registered charity promoting the art of puppetry, and a was chair of The Puppet Centre Trust for several years. For 15 years he was the chair of PuppeteersUK - the national networking organisation for the artform. He has served as a commitee member of The Punch and Judy Fellowship and is a fellow of the highly esteemed Punch and Judy College of Professors. He has always been a member of Equity. He has appeared at numerous festivals at home and abroad. In the UK he has performed several times at Skipton Puppet Festival and Beverley Puppet Festival. As well as his own personal work, he can call upon a talented team who help him deliver a range of work particularly in street settings where he offers Giant Dancing Puppets with live music and also a highly unusual performance - The Rickshaw. He is an experienced programmer of international puppetry - both for Children and Adults and through the many festivals he has organised he has developed contacts with a wide range of artists around the world. As well as inviting performers to the UK, he is often invited to other countries. He regularly tours to festival across Europe, and has performed in Austria, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Madiera, Slovakia, and Italy. Clive Chandler lives in Birmingham in the West Midlands region of England Taking Punch to Portugal - Alcobaca

Tempestade 2008 creating music from glass Cutting Edge Contemporary Theatre Glass Puppets Original Music from Crystal and Plate glass Shadow Theatre on a cinematic scale

Project 'Tempestade' is a new production directed by Clive Chandler based on The Tempest by Shakespeare.  It is Shadow Theatre on a cinematic scale and involves real time manipulation of a range of objects to cast gaint shadows across a large screen.  It is presented by ten performers including two musicians playing a specially commissioned score on glass instruments.  Many of the puppets are also made of glass.  The project has been funded to date by Arts Council England, Gulbenkian Foundation and PRS foundation.  The premier was at the International Festival of Glass in Stourbridge England and it was then performed at the invitation of Marinha Grande council in Portugal - where it received a standing ovation. In 2009 it formed part of the programme of Dynamics 09 - England's biggest international puppet festival.