About Mana Puppets
Ros and Hugh Childers, the founders of Mana Puppets, believe strongly in the power of puppets to provide an educational message, to entertain and to cross cultural, age and class boundaries. Ros, a teacher with over 20 years teaching experience and Hugh, a specialist in Australian Studies, have been offering their unique educational puppetry programs since 1999. Organisations as diverse as the Goethe Institute Sydney and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have recognized Mana Puppets' contribution to the education of young children through their highly entertaining and innovative puppet shows.
Ros and Hugh have toured extensively in Australia and performed in German schools and youth hostels in 2003 and 2004. In Ireland in May-June 2006, Ros and Hugh performed a very successful run of the "Three Little Pigs Go Bush", both in primary schools and in Ireland's newest theatre, The Mill, in Dundrum.
The Show
The story is about three little pigs, Fritz, Hilde and Peter, who arrive in Australia from Europe as young backpackers and modern world travellers. Their tour guide is Clarrie the crocodile, who has travelled a long way south from his home in far north Queensland and is very, very hungry. The pigs escape from his clutches only to be locked up by Russ, the developer. They have discovered his plan to cut down all the trees in the forest to build an "eco" resort for tourists from all over the world. The home of Blossom, the pygmy possum, and of all the other creatures in the forest will be endangered. Fortunately, the pigs meet Kate Kangaroo and Ranger Lowitja, who have other ideas!
During the show, which is performed live with original music and songs, students are encouraged to participate actively. A variety of puppet styles and an imaginative, multi-level set are featured. After the performance, Ros and Hugh conduct an interaction segment with the help of the puppets and encourage the audience to learn about Australia and our unique natural environment and discover how the puppets and puppet theatre work. During the interaction, some students will have an opportunity to work a puppet and play a traditional Aboriginal musical instrument.
Target Audience
Junior Infants to Third Class/Standard 3 students.
Numbers
The maximum number of students per performance would depend on the venue. Please discuss with us your requirements.
Venue
A hall or similar large indoor venue is preferred. An area of 6 metres wide by 4 metres deep is required for the set and to allow space for interaction with the audience. One large table and 2 small tables plus access to a power point required.
Sound System
In order to ensure optimum sound quality, we need access to a sound system that allows a connection for our portable CD player and wireless microphone. A portable PA system would be adequate for this purpose.
Length
Schedule one hour.
Time Required Before and After Show
An hour and a half to set up and 45 minutes to dismantle set.
Cost
The cost per student is €4. A minimum charge of €400 applies for fewer than 100 students per performance. Smaller schools are encouraged to combine with other schools to maximise numbers.
Learning Materials
Learning materials are provided at an additional cost of €20 (including postage) per school. They include: preparation worksheets, a CD of songs from the show and follow-up classroom activities (the latter are supplied on the day of the performance).
11 Hogan Court,
Camp Mountain, Qld.,
Australia 4520.
Phone/Fax: +61(0)7 3289 2047
Mobile: 0413 816 789
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Today is Jul 05, 2008. Page last updated: Mar 21, 2008. |
