Imagineer Productions welcomes Autin Dance Theatre back to Coventry for a one-day professional training in multi-operator giant puppetry. This PRO workshop is tailored for professional performers, actors, physical theatre practitioners, dancers and movers who want to deepen their practice and delve into the craft, athleticism and artistry of bringing large-scale, multi-person-operated puppets to life.
This is a hands-on day rooted in physical intelligence, ensemble listening and performance detail. You will work as a team of 4 or 5 operators to animate a giant creature with breath, weight, rhythm, character and presence.
What you will do on the day
- A fun, physical warm-up to prepare the body for stamina, strength and responsiveness
- Puppetry 101: core principles, tasks, exercises, games and ensemble tuning
- Team practice in groups of 4 or 5, developing coordination, role clarity and shared timing
- Working with breath, focus, weight, impulse, rhythm and gaze to make the puppet feel alive
- Exploring repertoire elements, because these giants do not just walk: they move with dynamism and expressive physicality
Meet the giant puppets joining us (from Mr Cleaver’s Monsters)
You will train with spectacular puppets connected to Autin Dance Theatre’s outdoor work, created in collaboration with Mr Cleaver’s Monsters.
EKO the Sea Giant: Atlantic and Pacific
Eko is a towering sea spirit and a true audience magnet: gentle, curious and breathtaking at scale. You will work with 2 versions of Eko, Atlantic and Pacific, giving you a rare chance to feel how build, weight and balance shift breath, rhythm, gaze and travelling pathways, while maintaining the same character truth. Standing over 12 feet tall (around 13ft) and operated by 5 puppeteers, Eko is brought to life through precise ensemble listening, shared timing and detailed physical expression. Eko features in Autin Dance Theatre’s outdoor spectacle Out of the Deep Blue, a magical movement-led story of a sea giant who rises from the ocean and encounters a courageous young girl, Violet.
Brimstone the Dragon
Brimstone is a roaming dragon: bold, playful and powerful. 6 metres long and operated by 4 puppeteers, Brimstone invites audiences into an interactive promenade encounter as this misunderstood beast searches through public spaces for a long-lost friend. In training, you will explore precision and dynamism: how the head leads, how the spine travels, how the team drives pace changes, and how to land expressive beats that read clearly to an audience.
About Autin Dance Theatre
Autin Dance Theatre CIO is an award-winning Birmingham-based charity creating innovative, socially inclusive, multidisciplinary performance for theatres and outdoor spaces. ADT’s work blends contemporary dance, physical theatre, puppetry and storytelling, often with striking large-scale design. Alongside touring, ADT delivers high-quality professional development that is practical, generous and rooted in real creative process, building artists’ skills, confidence and versatility across disciplines and performance contexts.
About the artists leading the day: Johnny Autin, supported by Sarah Butler and Jamie Higgins
The CPD is led by Johnny Autin, Creative Director of Autin Dance Theatre: an award-winning choreographer and dance leader specialising in multidisciplinary choreography, street theatre and contemporary dance, with over 20 years’ experience across professional, community and educational settings. Johnny’s facilitation brings together clear technique, ensemble practice and playful exploration, supporting experienced artists to deepen precision, stamina and performance detail in large-scale, multi-operator work.
Johnny is supported by Sarah Butler and Jamie Higgins, bringing touring-level knowledge of ADT’s large-scale puppetry and physical performance practice. Sarah is a freelance dance and theatre artist with extensive experience across dance, theatre and puppetry. She has toured with ADT as a dancer-puppeteer and rehearsal director on Out of the Deep Blue, and brings a strong eye for ensemble roles, clarity and expressive physical storytelling at scale. Jamie is a professional movement artist with over a decade in the dance and circus sector and a key contributor to ADT’s training delivery, including leadership roles on ADT and Imagineer intensives. Jamie brings a practical focus on efficient physical working, performer readiness and repeatable skill-building for professional practice.
Key info
- Cost: £50 for the day.
- Time: 10:00am–5:00pm (Studio open from 9:30am for individual warm-up)
- Location: Our home, The Daimler Powerhouse, Sandy Lane Business Park, Sandy Lane, Coventry, CV1 4DQ – Watch this short video on how to find us.
- There’s a small amount of parking available on site and we’re not too far from Coventry Train Station – around a 20 minute walk.
- We’re located along the Coventry Canal, and there are limited options for buying food, so it is advisable to bring your lunch, there is a kitchen with microwaves for preparing lunch and filling your water bottles.
- Please wear comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely. Layers are your friend – it can sometimes get cold in The Powerhouse.
- There are large toilet cubicles for changing, but no showers.
