Dig deep to help Dead Puppet Society attain Olympic gold
Dead Puppet Society’s unique shows enchant and inspire patrons, and you can help the theatre company continue to do that on October 23 – its Giving Day – also a national giving day focussing on the arts.
Dead Puppet Society is hosting its very first Giving Day on October 23, in partnership with Creative Australia’s AusArt Day.
Since the theatre company began 16 years ago, this unique Queensland outfit has been dedicated to creating works that shake up genres, incorporate contemporary forms of puppetry and push the boundaries of live performance. Dead Puppet Society has a special place in the hearts of theatre lovers of all ages.
At the heart of the company is a simple mission: to tell extraordinary stories in ways that connect people to the wonder of the world around them. Its vision is to combine timeless theatrical storytelling with cutting-edge design to create experiences that inspire awe, curiosity and conversation. Its ethos is that theatre, design and spectacle can remind us of what it is to be human, while showing us new ways to see ourselves, each other, and the world we share.
Begun in 2009, the brainchild of David Morton and Nicholas Paine, Dead Puppet Society is now an internationally admired design-led theatre company. Among Australia’s most ground-breaking production houses, Dead Puppet Society is known for combining timeless craftsmanship with cutting-edge technologies and collaborating with world-class arts companies and creatives to produce large-scale theatre works that shake up genres, incorporate contemporary forms of puppetry and push the boundaries of live performance.
‘Help us continue to make new works that are timely and compelling’
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Recent box-office hits include Peter and the Starcatcher, The Wider Earth, Ishmael, Laser Beak Man and Storm Boy.
Dead Puppet Society’s story began in Brisbane, at QUT’s Creative Industries program, where a group of young artists and designers came together around a shared passion for storytelling. Since those early days, Dead Puppet Society has presented work in performing arts centres, festivals and cultural institutions all around the country.
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Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo: Daniel Boud
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Flamingos. Photo: Dean Hanson
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Storm Boy.
But now they need our help. Dead Puppet Society is inviting the community to make a donation to their Giving Day campaign – no matter how small.
With generous donor support, the company aims to: Develop new stories that integrate emerging technologies, including new works such as The Riddle of Washpool Gully, touring nationally in 2026, and ECHO (world premiere details to be announced); make theatre education accessible by enabling the company to travel across Australia to inspire the next generation of storytellers; share its process by opening its workshop and running programs such as Sculptures & Sips year-round; and create sustained employment and development opportunities for creatives and technicians.
Dead Puppet Society is excited about what lies ahead, particularly as Brisbane works towards hosting the 2032 Olympic Games. Over the next seven years, with the help and support of its community of admirers, the company will continue producing theatre works while expanding into large-scale public experiences and outdoor activities.
The company aims to play a leading role in creating the spectacles that will shape the city’s cultural identity during this global moment – reaching more people, contributing to the community and playing a part in cementing Brisbane’s reputation as the most exciting place in Australia to be a creative.
Says Dead Puppet Society executive producer Nicholas Paine: “Help us continue to make new works that are timely and compelling, invest in artists, reach audiences across Australia and the globe, and contribute positively to the national and international arts ecology.”
The giving link is open if you can help them keep on doing what they do so well. And you don’t have to wait until Giving Day to give!