OUR
STORY
Merging art and science...
Using a mixture of puppetry, performance, art and music, our goal is to increase knowledge and appreciation of South Africa's natural heritage through the joy of storytelling.
Puppet Planet is a new children’s program that uses science storytelling with puppetry to celebrate South Africa’s natural heritage. Created through an exciting collaboration between palaeontologists and local artists/performers in Cape Town, South Africa this program merges art and science in a unique way.
We have created a children’s TV show that is based on live performances using rod puppets with puppeteers shown as part of the storytelling.
There is a wealth of evidence indicating that puppets can have a valuable impact in engaging children, and their use is already well established in many primary schools in areas such as drama and social education. The Jungle Theatre Company (Cape Town) specializes in original theatre that motivates and educates young people to care for nature, community and culture via the use of theatre and physical drama workshops. Puppet Planet will continue to produce a series of theatrical performances in 2022 that introduce young learners to often complex topics such as deep time, evolution and the history of life.
We use puppet characters as a vehicle to take learners on exciting adventures! Through the eyes of puppets and puppeteers, learners explore South African palaeontology and archaeology, as well as other topics that connect with issues such as climate change, sustainability, and conservation.
By incorporating the arts, which play a key role in the development of language skills, imagination, and creativity, our project will reach learners who are not innately interested in science.
OUR TEAM
Iziko South African Museum
The South African museum founded in 1825 and situated in the historic Company’s Gardens has seen millions of visitors all attracted by the vast historical collection the museum has to offer, which ranges from fossils to ancient insects and historical tools.
Jungle Theatre Co.
JTC’s professional artistic team from diverse communities draw on South Africa’s cultural heritage and indigenous languages to find connections to the environment and human nature, creating and performing original accessible African children’s theatre shows that bring together music, dance, masks, puppets, clowning and storytelling.
Adam Carnegie Illustration
Adam Carnegie, is an award-winning Cape Town illustrator and cartoonist specializing in huge crowd illustrations and vibrant acrylic artworks with whimsical themes.
Major funding from:
