Little Angel Theatre will mark its 65th anniversary with a major new exhibition, Marionettes: An Exhibition Celebrating String Puppets, opening its historic marionette collection to the public for the first time in a generation.
Running from 22 August to 6 September at the Little Angel Workshop in Islington, the free exhibition forms part of the theatre’s wider 600 Years on Strings anniversary programme, celebrating and safeguarding the art of marionette-making.
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the exhibition will bring together historic and newly created marionettes spanning more than six decades. Visitors will be able to explore work by Little Angel Theatre founders John and Lyndie Wright, acclaimed puppeteer Stephen Mottram and a new generation of artists trained through the organisation’s carving courses.
The exhibition takes place at the Little Angel Workshop on Cross Street, where emerging makers are currently learning the increasingly rare craft of marionette construction and performance.
Alongside the exhibition, Little Angel Theatre is presenting an ambitious programme of activity designed to preserve and promote the tradition of marionette puppetry.
The celebrations will culminate in the world premiere of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, written, directed and designed by Little Angel Associate Director Oliver Hymans. Inspired by Goethe’s classic poem, the new production will run during Little Angel’s Puppet Festival from 22 to 30 August 2026 and will make full use of the venue’s historic marionette bridge.
The anniversary programme also includes the restoration of Little Angel Theatre’s original marionette bridge, built in 1961 and one of only a small number in the world still capable of authentic long-string performance.
A new publication, Marionette: A DIY Guide to Make Your Own 9-String Puppet, will also launch this summer. Designed for beginners, hobbyists and aspiring puppeteers, the book introduces readers to the fundamentals of marionette-making while celebrating the practitioners keeping the craft alive today.
Marionette-making is currently listed on the Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts, with no formal college courses or apprenticeship schemes available in the UK. Little Angel Theatre has been working to address that challenge through specialist training programmes and workshops.
Oliver Hymans said: “Endangered crafts survive because people choose to practise them, teach them and pass them on. If this exhibition helps even a handful of people discover the same fascination I felt standing backstage at the Little Angel Theatre all those years ago, looking up at those silent figures hanging patiently above me, then perhaps we have helped ensure that marionettes will continue to dance for generations yet to come.”
Founded in 1961, Little Angel Theatre has become one of the UK’s leading homes for puppetry, producing work for children and families while supporting artists and preserving traditional puppetry techniques for future generations.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
