Yesterday I spent some of the day planning my trip to UNIMA 2008 (UPDATE 30 July 2009: the site is no longer available). What is it? It’s the big international festival and conference in Perth for members and non-members of UNIMA, the international puppetry union. At the event, which takes place in April, there are opportunities to listen to keynote speakers, take part in forums, meet and greet other puppeteers, attend workshops and masterclasses, see performances… etc.

I began by booking my registration for the event, which was a lot of money, but worth it. Because I’m a member of UNIMA, I’m able to access a lot more than the average person. I not only get tickets to three shows, but also get the festival ’showbag’ - but as an UNIMA member, I get a list of delegates to help me schmooze, and access to the UNIMA lounge which is open only to UNIMA members.

Next step is accommodation and flights. Thanks to Murphys Puppets, I got a travel grant which went towards my accommodation. I’m lucky to be staying right in the middle of most of the venues for the festival, and about 10 minutes from a train station. I’m also right on the free bus line. Flights are taken care of thanks to my bday present from my parents: frequent flyer points to pay for my return flight.

So that leaves what to do at the actual festival. There’s no set plan as to how you’re supposed to attend: you just cherry pick what you want to do, and then pay the entrance fee. Which is a pity in a way, because just to attend you pay a registration fee; if you want to actually DO anything, you have to pay again… and no discounts either.

Anyway, I’ve booked myself in for about 6 or 7 shows, a couple of keynote speeches, some workshops/masterclasses, plus there’s plenty of spare time for visiting the free exhibitions and carnival day that’s on during the two weeks. The highlights: a weeklong workshop on how to build a bunraku head (something that I’ll be able to apply when I get back to a new post on how to build bunraku puppets); a shadow puppetry workshop with Richard Bradshaw, one of the most well-known Australian puppeteers; a paper puppetry workshop with Gary Friedman; and an object workshop with Sue Giles from Polyglot Puppet Theatre. I’ve managed to organise a very full two weeks, but there’s still spare time to relax, go sightseeing, do some shopping, or just sleep.

The plan is also: if I’m lucky enough to get some internet access, I’m going to do some ‘liveblogging’ - that is to say, I’ll post a diary every day of my activities, thoughts, and experiences. It will not only be a good opportunity to share, but also a good way to keep track of everything, since it will be a busy couple of weeks.

I’m actually a little nerve-wracked about the trip. I’m not a good traveller, and tend to have panic attacks while away from home. Every few years I try to take a trip somewhere, and always seem to have a need to come home early. However, my last trip wasn’t bad at all, so there’s some possibility that I’ll be ok. My hope is that I’ve booked in enough stuff to do that I’ll be more than enough occupied to stave off any panicking, and that the opportunity of doing workshops not available in Melbourne, will keep me going. Fingers crossed