Who are Sparkle and Dark?
| United by our love of storytelling we are passionate about working with new original writing that invokes the raw spirit of the oral traditions we connected with as children.
Using inspired visual design and puppetry, we want to bring these stories to modern audiences, endeavouring to create new fables from the perspective of a new generation. Inspired by a sense of community, the company has gradually become a larger collective of writers, poets, actors, artists and musicians. We support upcoming artists in all disciplines, seeking to promote their own work as well as introducing them to the world of theatre if they have not previously worked in it. |
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What we Do!
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The Travelling Players
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Shelly Knowles-Dixon – Producer and Director of Art: Shelley is the lead designer for all marketing, set, props and puppets. With a background in fine art and design she has the perfectly intense and creative imagination for our unique stories. Shelley has designed and built puppets for stage and screen and will soon become a published illustrator with Lawrence Illsley’s upcoming book Astra and Sebastian. Shelly is now currently working at The Little Angel Theatre, the home of British puppetry.
shelley@sparkleanddark.com |
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Louisa Ashton – Producer and writer: Louisa originally trained in musical theatre and dance, and has since worked chiefly in puppetry, mask work and physical theatre. Louisa has extensive experience in highly physical devised theatre, and is increasingly becoming recognised for her children’s writing, winning the Buxton Fringe script award for best new writing, and with children’s radio scripts being produced by The Wireless Theatre Company.
louisa@sparkleanddark.com |
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Lawrence Ilsley – Music Director and Finance: Lawrence is a musician and composer from the west cliffs of Cornwall, now living in London. He creates all the original music for Sparkle and Dark’s shows and interactive storytelling sessions. Also an accomplished poet, his most recent epic poem Astra and Sebastianwill be published in 2011. To view his music and writing visit his blogspot:http://astraandsebastian.blogspot.com/
lawrence@sparkleanddark.com |
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Anna Shuttleworth – Set and Pupppet designer: Anna is the fourth core member of the company and is our Set Designer. She joined in 2010 and made the sets with Shelley for The Clock Master 2011 tour, for which she received critical acclaim. Anna studied Sculpture at Camberwell College of Arts and has since travelled the world, working with artists and sculptors, from large scale wood sculptor, Ben May at Lower Upcott Farm, which pioneers environmentally sound farming and creative methods to working with a metal work collective in New Zealand.
anna@sparkleanddark.com |