Puppetry: How to Do It, Paperback

Written by an experienced theatre and puppetry director, Mervyn Millar's Puppetry: How to Do It focuses on the performer and the craft of bringing any puppet to life. No puppet-making is required to use this book: starting just with simple objects, it lays out the skills required to unlock a puppet's limitless potential for expression and connection with an audience.

Inside you'll discover fifty practical, easy-to-follow exercises - for use in a group or on your own - to develop elements of the craft, build confidence and help you improve your puppetry through play and improvisation. Also included are sections on different types of puppet, thinking about how the puppeteer is presented on stage and how to direct and devise puppet performances.

Ideal for actors and performers, for directors and designers, and for teachers and students of all ages and levels of experience, this book will demystify the art of puppetry, and help you become more confident and creative with all kinds of puppets and objects on stage.

Mervyn Millar is a theatre and puppetry director, and director of Significant Object.

He was involved in the creative team of the National Theatre's War Horse from its first workshop, also appearing in the show at the National Theatre and directing casts in London, New York, Toronto and Berlin. Other puppet design and direction includes Circus 1903 (international tour) and work for Sir Paul McCartney, Residenztheater Munich, the National Theatre of Scotland and National Theatre of Great Britain, Handspring UK, Opéra National du Rhin, Birmingham Rep, Schauspielhaus Zürich, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Opera House, the Royal Court, Lyric Hammersmith, Bristol Old Vic, West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Young Vic. He is Chair of the Puppet Centre Trust.

He was Director at the Finborough Theatre between 1998 and 2000, and has directed productions at theatres including the National Theatre, BAC, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Bloomsbury Festival.

His teaching includes sessions and workshops with organisations including the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference, the Arvon Foundation, the Curious School of Puppetry, RADA, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, the University of East Anglia, the National Theatre, the Royal Court, London International Mime Festival, Puppet Animation Scotland and The Actor's Guild.

His books include Puppetry: How to Do It, The Horse's Mouth and Journey of the Tall Horse. He was awarded an Arts Foundation Fellowship for his work in puppetry.