String Theatre

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String Theatre

Based in London, String Theatre presents live performances using long-string wood-carved marionettes The tour in Indonesia was supported by the Puppet Centre.

String Theatre is a London-based touring company that presents long string marionette productions in a custom-built stage with bridge. This form of puppetry consists of the creation of a world where the marionettes become the main characters on stage and the puppeteers are out of view, operating from a standing position on the bridge. The lack of human presence on stage allows the artists to transform a small space into a new world with its own sense of scale and depth. The company was founded in 2011 by Stan Middleton – third generation marionettist from the Puppet Theatre Barge – and Soledad Zarate, who trained in Stan’s family theatre in 2007.
We have toured extensively in Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and UK.
An award for manipulation was received from "Zlatna Iskra" festival (Serbia). Awards for manipulation, aesthetics and technical solutions were received from "Lut Fest" festival (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
The tours in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia were supported by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF).

20/07/2026

Durante el proceso de creación de The Bear That Wasn't tuve la suerte de trabajar junto a , quien se acercó a nuestro espacio, Algarabía, Obrador de Títeres, con un profundo interés por el arte de la marioneta. Allí construyó un duplicado del osito, el personaje principal de la obra.

Comparto algunas fotos tomadas por mi amiga , que nos acompañó en gran parte del proceso de creación, los ensayos y la puesta en escena.

Al finalizar la construcción, con Lucrecia hilamos el osito y ella se subió al puente para manipularlo. Como pueden ver en el video, lo hace con una sensibilidad muy bonita.

Qué suerte haber compartido esto juntas. ¡Vivan los ositos! 🐻🐻

18/07/2026

A first glimpse of our new puppet production "The Bear That Wasn't" 🐻

We're excited to bring the show to audiences across the UK!

📅 Tour Dates
30 Aug Open Southall
5 Sept Horse + Bamboo
12 Sept Norwich Puppet Theatre
13 Sept The Corn Hall
18 Sept Longfield Hall

🎭 Creative Team
Production designer & scenic artist: Alejandro Sánchez Rodríguez (Ale)
Scenic, prop & puppet painter: Anaïs Máximo Murcia
Lighting designer: Alfonso Lázaro de la Fuente
Puppet makers: Amy Rowe, Luke Lee, Lucrecia Sánchez Ruiz
Puppet costumers: Amy Rowe
Costume designer and maker: Isabel Vázquez Deza
Music composer: Jimmy Sheals
Dramaturg & director: Mikel Fernandino
Puppeteers: Bori Mező, Simona Ferrara, Soledad Zarate
Photographer: Maria Kokkini
Videographer: Gabriel Molinero
Special thanks to: Jose Lazo, Javier Navarro Ballesteros, Javier Puerto

Supported by Arts Council England

06/06/2026

"The Bear that Wasn't"

A curious young cub is accidentally swept into a bustling robot-run factory after being mistaken for a new worker. Struggling to keep up with the mechanical routines, the cub's playful instincts begin to disrupt the system.

This highly visual story is brought to life through hand carved wooden marionettes, hand-painted sets and original music.

Full of humour and striking imagery, the piece explores identity, the resilience of nature, and what happens when imagination meets a world of rules.

Inspired by the children's book of the same name by Frank Tashlin.

The production is designed to be inclusive, welcoming d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences, and is available with audio description for blind and partially-blind audience.

Duration: 45 minutes (no interval)

Audience: 4+

Production designer & scenic artist: .jpg
Scenic, prop & puppet painter: .maximo
Lighting designer: Alfonso Lázaro de la Fuente
Puppet makers: Amy Rowe, , & String Theatre
Puppet costumers: Amy Rowe & String Theatre
Costume designer and maker:
Music composer: Jimmy Sheals
Dramaturg & director:
Puppeteers: Bori Mező, &

Touring dates in 2026:
22 August Open Southall
5 Sept Horse + Bamboo
12 Sept Norwich Puppet Theatre
13 Sept The Corn Hall
18 Sept Longfield Hall

Supported by Arts Council England

Images by

22/03/2026

Happy World Puppetry Day! 🎭

19 years puppeteering… to many more to come!

Pictures Puppet Theatre Barge PESTA Boneka - Puppet Festival 高雄春天藝術節 (Kaohsiung Spring Arts Festival) Casa Taller de Marionetas de Pepe Otal Little Angel Theatre Longfield Hall Artenbitrir

Puppeteers Amy Rowe Bori Mező Jess Shead Títeres Desde Abajo Fitzy Sarah Mikel Fernandino Hernandez Stan Middleton

11/02/2026

The Insect Circus is in London! 🐛 🦋 🐝
At Puppet Theatre Barge

The Insect Circus invites the audience to forget reality and become immersed in the strange and beautiful world of the Insect Circus. Beetles and grasshoppers, wasps and dragonflies, demonstrate their dexterity with great skill and humour. Presented using marionettes, the show breathes new life into the traditional techniques used in Victorian trick marionettes.

This show has no words and is accessible to d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing people.

Illustrations by

01/01/2026

Happy new year from yet another bear! 🐻

By puppeteer Elizabeth Barron

24/12/2025

Happy Christmas to you from our bears 🐻 ✨!

Address

London

Telephone

+447963842363

Website

http://www.stringtheatre.org/

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