More from     Robert Poulter This charming gentleman brings excitement to the Toy Theatre stage. . . many have seen him do it and "exciting" is how it is described!!! Basically, he moves everything on his stage - scenery, props, figures; EVERYTHING around his stage (& sometimes off stage as well) with the speed of light.  It is incredible! He prefers to perform with an all black stage to showcase the "play" and not the theatre. . . which is different from most Toy Theatre presentations.  He is generous in sharing his designs and techniques both in written

With his Concertina Theatre at Preetz Festival 1997

Alternatively, please contact him at:

7, St. Augustine's Road
Ramsgate
Kent
CT11 9PQ
England
Telephone: +44 (0)1843 850002

He was at the Puppeteers of America  National Festival, in Tampa, Florida, 8 - 15 July 2001.  See his Prospectus .

Excerpts from the 1997 Wishtower Festival in Eastbourne of New Model Theatre and Traditional Toy Theatre:

In his Welcoming Words he said:

"We have chosen as a theme for this years festival: SPECTACLE: something not only to be found in the elaborate prosceniums of the Traditional Toy Theatres, but also in the productions to be seen on their stages. The printed Toy Theatre sheets of the 19^th century began to be produced at a time when the Regency and Victorian Theatres were going in for ever more sensational effects.  But for the 'penny plain, tuppence coloured' sheets, many of these productions would be lost to us. The New Model Theatre shows also continue this theme with the help of technology undreamt of by our Victorian forbears -- yet still retaining the basic simplicity of a medium which can create a real theatrical experience, albeit on a small scale."

"In the weeks leading up to the festival, educational establishments in and around Eastbourne were approached with an invitation to take part in a series of workshops, free of charge, to make model theatre productions, the best of which to be performed at the festival.

The workshop team went into the schools and colleges involved, gave a demonstration and talk, supplied the students with ready-made theatres and lighting systems and made follow-up visits over the next few weeks. The final results were judged by the festival committee -- a very difficult task -- and the winning shows came forward to the festival

Model theatre over recent years has been successfully used in the national curriculum from primary level up to GCSE & A level course work where it has achieved A grades. The multi-disipline nature of model theatre, and the co-ordinating of disparate elements into a complete entity, makes it an ideal educational tool."