Mummies dearest: Dead Puppet Society triumphant in Egypt
Forget the mummy’s curse. Brisbane’s Dead Puppet Society is back home after creating a new work for the glittering opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo – the largest archaeological museum in the world.
You’ve heard of Death on the Nile? Well how about Dead Puppet Society on the Nile? Nothing to do with Agatha Christie but everything to do with how talented and in demand this Brisbane theatre company is.
In fact, they are just back from Cairo after being officially inaugurated as puppet designers for the massive and glittering recent opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in the Egyptian capital.
The new museum is big global news and will be a huge boost to tourism in Egypt. The museum’s opening ceremony was a highly anticipated event attended by world leaders, dignitaries, government officials and cultural representatives who celebrated the unveiling of the largest archaeological museum in the world.
More than two decades in the making and representing an investment of more than US$1 billion (more than AUD$1.5 billion), the GEM showcases more than 50,000 artefacts, including the complete treasure collection from King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
You might like
Dead Puppet Society, renowned for their innovative blend of visual theatre, design, and engineering, were appointed as a key designer of puppets for the opening ceremony, creating a breathtaking suite of large-scale creatures including horses, birds, jellyfish and boats that animated the story of Egypt’s past and future in front of a global audience.
This achievement marks another milestone in the company’s growing international trajectory, following their acclaimed production, The Wider Earth, which ran for five months at London’s Natural History Museum in 2018-19, attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
State Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek congratulated Dead Puppet Society on the commission to create work for the opening ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum.
Subscribe for updates
“The engagement of Dead Puppet Society for an international event of this scale is a powerful recognition of the exceptional skill and creative talent that thrives within Queensland’s arts, cultural and creative sector,” says Langbroek. “The (State) Government proudly invests in Dead Puppet Society to create and present extraordinary work for Queensland audiences and national and international markets, contributing to our state’s reputation as a creative powerhouse in the lead up to the global spotlight of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Dead Puppet Society executive producer Nicholas Paine has just arrived home to Brisbane and says he and creative director David Morton are still pinching themselves after the experience of a lifetime.
Paine says the opportunity to contribute to such a historic cultural moment reaffirmed the power of art and design to transcend borders.
“Being part of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening was an immense honour for our team,” he says. “We were inspired by Egypt’s rich cultural legacy and wanted to create work that felt both monumental and deeply human. It is incredibly rewarding to see Queensland artistry recognised on such a global scale.”
Paine joined Morton and technical director Scott Barton in Cairo to oversee the installation and performance, collaborating with international teams to deliver a spectacle that reflected the grandeur and cultural significance of the occasion.
The GEM’s opening establishes it as a new global hub for heritage, archaeology and immersive visitor experiences, while also showcasing how Queensland’s creative industries are contributing to major international events.
Now that the Dead Puppet Society team is back home after another international triumph, maybe it’s time they set their sights on the opening ceremony of another global event – the Olympic Games, specifically Brisbane 2032. That makes perfect sense to all of us.