Aim: To provide students with an entertaining overview of some of the types of puppets used in puppetry today. To show students how easy it is to make and perform with simple puppets using everyday objects.
Key Learning Areas:
Themes:
Duration: 55 mins
Year level: Kindergarten to year 6
"An action packed puppet cabaret"
Download Free Colour Brochure - PDF (250Kb)
Curriculum Links - PDF (51Kb)
Puppetease performed by Ross Browning is an action packed puppet cabaret combined with funky, live music. Ross's hilarious puppetry and infectious jazz will have your whole school jumping! Puppetease... already an inspiration to over a half-a-million children... is guaranteed to excite your students into a frenzy of puppet making activities!!
Puppetease encourages students to think about the design process in puppet making, the tools, equipment and materials needed, and the practicalities of assembly. By the end of the show your students will have a broad understanding of the range and types of puppets . Many will go home and make their own puppets.
Ross performs 12 different puppet sketches which demonstrate the diversity of the puppet world - every episode is different - using.... Finger puppets ,Moving mouth puppets, Glove puppets , Rod puppets, Hand puppets, Marottes, Junk puppets, Hand puppets, Muppet style puppets
Expect the unexpected, with constant movement, jazz & blues, jokes, sight gags, puppet-making demonstrations and lots of audience participation.Sketches are linked with demonstrations of how to make and perform with puppets, using old folk stories, nursery rhymes, live music and singing.
Comments:
"One of the Best shows I have seen in 30 yrs of Teaching" - Cardiff P/S NSW
"One of the best shows for this level K-6 I have ever seen! Ross Browning is totally professional pre & post performance, and simply dynamic" - David Musgrove, Tudor House Mossvale
"Outstanding lively learning exercise. A wonderful mix of practical instruction, storey telling, music and entertainment" - Mt Eliza Nth P.S. Victoria
"The kids couldn't stop talking about it. They were all totally engaged throughout the show. And thank you also for the EXCELLENT teacher's notes you provided. They are the most thorough and professionally presented - the best I've ever seen!" - Margaret Haug, Pallamallawa Primary
"I am writing to express our thanks and appreciation for the wonderful show you put on for the Stroud & Stroud Road children last Monday week. The children are still talking about their time with you!" - Kim Halloway, Principal, Stroud P/ School
"The total student and staff body were enthralled throughout the performance" - Macfarlane P/S NT
"Ross has presented three different shows at four successive Australian Science Festivals It is highly unusual that an event holder be asked back three or even four times. Why did we do this? Ross is a very talented professional and an exceptional team player. His shows are invariably booked out and extremely well received. Ross's shows are well-researched, scientifically accurate, and as educational as they are entertaining." - Mary-Anne Waldren, Executive Director, The Australian Science Festival - 1999,2000,2001,2002
"On behalf of the 76 schools and their 11,293 students.. the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The blend of music, puppetry, humour and Ross's professionalism makes Puppetease a must for any School's Touring Program." - Victorian Arts Council
NSW Department of Education & Training:
" Ross skilfully escorts the audience through a series of fast paced amusing acts involving a large variety of easily constructed puppets and live music. A thoroughly delightful, entertaining and professional performance. The procedures for construction of each puppet are outlined and demonstrated enthusing the audience to make their own puppets. Excellent Teachers notes are also provided."
Seasons and Tours: More than 2,000 performances so far!
"A song filled puppet extravaganza"
Download Free Colour Brochure - PDF (272Kb)
Curriculum Links - PDF (61Kb)
SHARKS, Mysterious, Majestic and Misunderstood:- Much of what we know about Sharks is fuelled by sensational media reports and Hollywood movies.
By dispelling shark myths and introducing mysterious unfamiliar sharks , this fast moving production aims to to show the importance of our fragile marine environment
Funky Fins is a vibrant puppet cabaret that takes you through the adventures of Funky, the Great White Shark, and his marine friends MC Hammerhead, Scott the Amazing Grey Sock, The Clam Sisters, the flirtatious Angel Shark and the Whale Shark as they try to outsmart 'Roc', the shark hunter.
Aim: To Give students a broad understanding of the diversity of sharks that inhabit the marine environment. To Reinforce the fact that not all sharks are menacing killers, in fact they are majestic, mysterious creatures often misunderstood
Duration: 45 mins + Question time
Full of colour, movement, laughs and original songs, Funky Fins brings out the importance of our fragile marine environment in a fun way for children.
Commissioned by the Australian Museum for their exhibition SHARK ...The Coolest show in or out of the water!
"Highly Satisfied. Brilliant! The Performance was perfectly timed, at the right level for the children throughout. The Educational value was very good, covering many of our KLA areas - particularly the Arts, Science and SOSE. Gave the students an invaluable insight into how Drama and Music can enhance educational knowledge. An extremely clever way to teach educational values and concepts." - Montpellier Primary, Victoria
" Very pleasing that the children were not only entertained and introduced to puppetry so cleverly, but they LEARNT & had attitudes challenged...GREAT!" - St Austine's Primary QLD.
"Wonderful to see information given in such an entertaining way! Kept the students enthralled with music, animation and information!" - Longreach State School QLD.
" Performance grabbed children's attention from the beginning. Performance moved quickly. Music was great as were the puppets. Participation great! Ross did a wonderful job to hold the interest of all the children. Teachers are using it as part of a theme - both water and puppets." - St Killians Bendigo Victoria
"Fantastic! - Children responded enthusiastically to puppets & music! A wonderful approach to transmitting information about sharks" - Longreach State School QLD
NSW Department Of Education & Training:
" A quality show presented by a very talented puppeteer. 'Funky Fins" has an environmental / science theme and is as informative as well as thoroughly entertaining. Variation in presenting the acts sustained interest and elicited a very enthusiastic response from both infants and primary children. A terrific presentation!"
Seasons and Tours: over 500 performances so far!
Aim: To Provide students with an entertaining look at mineral and energy resources obtained from the earth and how we can all learn to conserve them.
DIG..."A live wire rock show!"
Download Free Colour Brochure - PDF (270Kb)
Commissioned by the Earth Exchange Mining Museum in Sydney, DIG! is an energy- charged puppet cabaret that's as entertaining as it is educational.
Join Max the Meteorite, Digger D Dog, The Electricity Twins, and a rock solid cast, as they explore themes of energy, minerals and their impact on out daily lives - and how much fun it can all be!
DIG was the resident show at the Earth Exchange Mining Museum in 1995 and has been enjoyed by thousands of students, children and their families.
"Ross has presented three different shows at four successive Australian Science Festivals It is highly unusual that an event holder be asked back a three or even four times. Why did we do this? Ross is a very talented professional and an exceptional team player. His shows are invariably booked out and extremely well received. Ross's shows are well-researched, scientifically accurate, and as educational as they are entertaining." - Mary-Anne Waldren, Executive Director, The Australian Science Festival. 1999 - 2002
"Ross's performances were of an extremely high and professional standard, his rapport with our family audiences was fantastic! the feed back we received, both from the public and the science community has been excellent and I do hope you can be involved with the International Science Festival again in the future" - Dunedin International Science Festival - New Zealand.
" Ross Browning use puppetry, his original jazz keyboard music and song to present a fast - moving introduction to energy, minerals and their impact on our daily lives. The show looks at the Earth's own energy forces: volcanoes and earthquakes as well as mining and processing of minerals. It also demonstrates how electricity is made and how it reaches our homes. A dynamic and professional production with crazy characters and plenty of audience participation. An exceptional show!"
Seasons and Tours:
