Transforming experiences
The use of puppets in national park education and interpretation work
Key points from the presentation of Meg Amsden, Nutmeg Puppets
A cast including glittering water fleas - and a glamorous eel - helped puppeteer Meg Amsden give a talk on her 21 years of touring the Broads with specially written and produced puppet shows, commissioned by the Broads Authority.
Nutmeg Puppets’ ground breaking shows, created to explore and bring to life key issues from flooding to water restoration, aimed to ‘encourage people to believe that they don’t have to accept things as they are.’
Inspiration came easily, she said: ‘You don’t have to invent characters – they are already there. Children have a strong connection with, and understanding of, animals. Most of our shows focussed around an issue, with a young person as the lead character, who at a certain point becomes able to magically speak with animals and so become part of that world.’
The stories worked for children and adults, performances were free and low tech, leaving no trace on the ground but an enjoyable, transforming experience for audiences. The Broads Authority produced a programme with more information and background material.
The Broads shows were based on months of careful research, but leading ‘Eco Puppets in the Delta’ in Romania showed Meg how ‘it is possible to do something very quickly if you are brave enough’.
