Where to find puppetry work in Australia?
Please note: this post only applies to finding puppetry work in Australia. If you are from another country, I would suggest visiting The Puppetry Homepage, UNIMA USA, or UNIMA UK.
AKA employment puppetry australia
Most people don’t realise that there is a very vibrant and active puppetry industry in Australia.It’s just hidden very well - and there is paid work available across the country, for both puppetry performers and for designers/makers. While most of the work will be for children’s theatre (the vast majority of performances using puppets are easier to sell and to fund if it is for children), there is also a lot of puppetry aimed at adult audiences. And there is also a wide variety of work available in both the film/TV industries, as well as theatre.
No matter whether you are a puppet maker or a performer, there are very limited options for searching for work (please note: I am only referring to professional or paid work. I do not discuss amateur work here) and my suggestions are few only because for the most part, paid work is not advertised.
Join UNIMA Aus
Your first step at finding work should be to join UNIMA Australia, the Australian branch of the international puppetry organisation. They regularly send out newsletters and update their blog, and if any work is available they will advertise it. The advertisements come from a range of people, from other puppeteers and members, to interested directors and producers. They are the best contact for any puppetry-related events and news, as well as funding and grants, and for the small cost of joining, are an invaluable resource - especially for finding other puppeteers.
Make contacts
This will be your best way of gaining work. I have found that most puppetry jobs are not advertised, which suggests that the majority of them will be given to people who know the right people. Go find puppetry companies local to you; volunteer for them. You will have a good opportunity to then meet the right people, show that you’re enthusiastic, and then make sure they have your CV in hand when it comes time for auditions or design work. - Get to know other puppeteers and makers, and be sure to keep in contact with them on a regular basis. If a local puppetry company has their own venue or workshop, drop in every now and then to say hi. Be sure to get put on their mailing lists, and check their websites frequently for news of upcoming shows and advertised work.
Join one of these sites
There are a lot of great online sites these days for Australian performers and artists to find work. The following are recommended sites which usually post work related to puppetry, or are in general, a good source for performing arts information and jobs.
| QuietOnSet | Mainly for performers, this site is also a good resource for puppetry performance jobs, both theatre and TV. Probably not so good for designers and makers |
| Arts Connect | An arts resource that often advertises a range of jobs, usually calls for artists |
UPDATE 16/04/10: Puppetry Australia no longer exists as it once was. The original owner, Sean Manners, has since moved away from puppetry. The site is still running, but the format may change. | |
| My list of links | I used the attached list of links to search for performing arts work regularly for my publication. It includes a stack of useful job hunting sites, both locally and for international work; peak bodies and funding groups; puppetry companies, blogs and resources; and a range of other local performing arts companies and groups. Feel free to download it for your own use; be warned, some links may be outdated |
Think outside the box
If you are already involved in the local performing arts industry as a professional, then you will already know that the best way to gain work is to make your own. Don’t wait around for other people - if you’ve got a script, find some willing puppeteers to perform it. If you’re a performer, find a puppetry playwright (or someone interested in writing for puppets) and get them to write something. If you’re a designer and maker, keep on building puppets and sell them online or take them as a show-and-tell to a local company. Street theatre is also a great way to get your stuff out there, and there are many professional puppeteers who do this all the time.
More than that, find ways to advertise yourself. Having a website is an excellent starting point, as well as having a gallery of your work posted on a photo hosting site or on Youtube. Additionally, you should be reading puppetry news from a range of blogs, where you can find out about the latest puppet shows and hear of when they will be touring to your location. These tours often allow for new cast and crew to be found, and usually when they come to Australia from overseas, they will advertise on the above sites.
Most puppetry work can be found by approaching it in a different way - don’t just check local puppetry companies. There are a lot of non-puppetry theatre companies who wish to use puppets or puppeteers in their work, and don’t know where to start or who to approach about it. By keeping your eyes peeled for any and all opportunities in a range of places, you can have a better chance at being employed. This includes both performers and designers/makers, because there are often a lot of jobs available in the most unusual places. Keep in touch with local schools and councils, who may have work on offer for teachers or for community events. Additionally, if you are a puppet performer, you should contact agents; there are a number that specialise in circus or puppet performers too. If you are a builder/maker, you may wish to create a set of stock puppets, for which you can offer to hire out to companies (lots of amateur groups perform Little Shop of Horrors and are in constant search for Audrey puppets), TV shows, or film makers.
Unfortunately, that’s the best information I can give you. As I said above, most of the work goes unadvertised, so it is really quite difficult to say how much is out there and where to find it. And now you know where to look and what to do - please, don’t take all the jobs. I’d like to keep working professionally in puppetry too! ;)
If you’re really unfamiliar with the local theatre industry, do check out my useful posts in the FAQ on Theatre Australia.
See also my post on puppetry courses and classes in Australia.
Want more? Help build a puppet!