The unmissable new production from acclaimed puppet theatre makers, Strangeface.
A Jewish refugee anxiously awaits his child's arrival on a Kindertransport at Liverpool St station in early 1939. As he waits, he tells of his own journey from a happy childhood in Prague to becoming a refugee fleeing for his life from Nazi occupation.
A very human tale of love, betrayal and vital decisions, told with unexpected humour and exquisite puppetry, Eli and the Golem is an evocative and tenderly told 20th century refugee story that speaks to our world today. It was first created as a response to the journey of Little Amal, a puppet of a young Syrian refugee child who travelled 8,000km in support of migration and diversity. Eli and Amal met face-to-face in Dover in October 2021.
This unique, inventive production is set to capture the hearts of adults and children alike.
Written by Mia Gordon and Strangeface Theatre Company.
About Strangeface
Award-winning Strangeface is a leading theatre company in the UK for puppetry and mask. Since 2001, they have toured visual arts and theatre productions to venues, arts centres, and educational institutes across the country and Europe.
The company has also produced masks and puppets for Steven Daldry’s “Billy Elliot” (the large Margaret Thatcher puppet), the RSC, Scottish Opera, ITV, Channel 4 and Vamos theatre company amongst others. Most recently it has focused on puppetry producing family shows “Beached” and “Spaced” alongside a powerful adult show, “The Hit”, a Welcome Trust funded show exploring cognitive dissonance through the eyes of a hitman. The latter was brought to life with members of the “Warhorse” creative team including Mervyn Millar, the show’s puppet director.
The company’s artistic director, Russell Dean, has produced a highly popular TEDx talk on the subject of puppets and perception which to date has received over 56,000 views. The company’s current focus on puppetry has enabled us to look at the art form’s powerful ability to reveal aspects and anomalies of human perception with humour, tenderness and imagination.
