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Pickled Image Theatre

Puppetry has enjoyed a resurgence lately due to the popularity of shows such as War Horse, but in Bristol the Pickled Image Theatre Company has been using puppets to educate and entertain for the past decade.

Artistic directors Vicky Andrews and Dik Downey are now taking their creations on the road in the "Travels with Granddad" project, funded by a grant from The National Lottery. "Travels with Granddad" is an interactive storytelling adventure aimed at children aged five and six. It aims to promote creative thinking and writing, using a puppet (the eponymous Granddad) as a bouncing board for the children's ideas.

"Granddad travels around with lots of amazing objects, but we don't say what they are," explains Vicky. "The children make up their own stories. It's quite amazing what a class of five-year-olds can come up with.."

The workshop promotes traditional storytelling, something Vicky says many of the children don't have much experience of. "They respond to Granddad, because they're normally just plonked in front of the TV," she says. "It's magical - he can be whoever they want and he says 'yes' to all their ideas. It's an opportunity for them to be listened to."

Aside from Granddad, Pickled Image is involved with several theatrical productions for adults and families. Recently, Vicky and Dik designed, directed and made the puppets for Hunger, a co-production shown to great acclaim in Norway and Russia. "Puppetry is the art form that unites theatre, dance and animation," says Vicky, "it's no surprise the interest in it has snowballed."

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