1. Rachel Riggs – Puppeteer, Early years Professional & Visual theatre artist
I originallytrainedinpuppetryandtheatre artsat Royal Central School of Speech&Drama, London,
at the Little Angel Theatre and withMovingstagemarionettes. Ihave extensively workedin British
theatre andtelevision,andhave abroadpuppetryskillset.Ihave studiedwithmanymastertheatre
practionersincluding Henryk Jurkowski,ChristopherLeith,RobertLaPage,MuppetsCreature Shop,
FrancesWright & RichardCoombs – TV puppetry,PetrMatasek – Theatre Drak,AlbrechtRoser,
GavinGlover- FaultyOptic,Mirilani Sarabai - Indiandance movementandshadow puppetry,
Marissa Carnesky – Burlesque,StephenMottram – marionettes,PhelimMcDermott&JulianCrouch
– Improbable Theatre,RomanPaska-New York,LindsayKemp –mime,andPennyFrancisMBE.
My companyDNA PuppetryandVisual Theatre Cohascreatedover16 performancesof puppetry
and visual theatre thattourextensivelyaroundthe UKas well asEurope in over20 years.Now based
inboth Australiaandthe UK, DNA create and tour workaround the world.Many International
festivalshave includedthe skilful theatre,imaginativestagingandvisual performance of DNA
includingChalondanlaRue,France,Glastonbury(forover20 years!),PerthInternational Arts
Festival 2012, UNIMA WorldCongress2008.
FollowingmyMastersinFine Art and EarlyYears Professional statusaward,IrelocatedtoPerth,WA
fromthe UK withmyfamilyin2010. I am an internationallyexperienced,specialistearlyyearsvisual
theatre artist/directorwhodevisesandcreatestheatre projectsforindoors&outdoorswithyoung
childrenandtheirfamilies,collaboratingtogethertovisuallytell stories.Iinitiate excitingand
innovative practical artsprojectsfromchildledinvestigationsintomaterialsandobjects,creating
fromplaybasedexploration.
‘ImaginaryLeaps’,isthe earlyyearscreative engagementprogramme,developedoriginallyinthe Uk
and nowinternationally,where Iresearchanddocument'the language of play'withchildrenaround
the world.I believe there are manydevelopmental aspectsinachildsgrowthandunderstandingof
the worldwhichconnectprofoundlywiththeatre,nature andthe ritual life of objects.Myplay
researchconnectsandfeedsintocreatingparticipatory,immersive experienceswhichinvolve
installations,puppetry,animationandtheatre.Previousplaytheatre installationsinclude the Art
Galleryof WesternAustralia2010/2012, the State Library of WA 2011, andwithAwesome Children’s
Festival andCreative Challenge 2011.
Whilstcontinuingtobe artisticdirectorwithmycompanyDNA puppetry&visual theatre inthe UK
for over20 years,I have more recentlydirectednew theatre workinthe Uk & Australia, includingfor
Sensorium-SensoryTheatre forSpec.NeedschildrenandPerformingLines.Ihave alsobeenartistin
residence,developingearlyyearstheatre &playbasedprogrammeswithKulungaAboriginal
Kindergarten,MeerilingaChildrensCentre,andComo Childrenscentre.AlsoforSongroom’snational
programme of engagingchildrenthroughcreativityinschools,workinginremote schoolsinthe
WesternDesertareas
Careerhighlightsinclude aHelpmantheatre awardnomination2016 for stage directionwith
SensoriumTheatre,WesternAustralia, residentartistwiththe Tate Britain,Modern& Liverpool art
gallerieseducationteamsinthe UK, andteachingearlyyearsprofessional creativedevelopment

2. practice withToihausTheatre inSalzburg,Austria.WithDNA puppetryI directed the awardwinning
‘Atishoo!’, premieringatPerthInternational ArtsFestival 2012 and mycompany’swork performed
at the UNIMA World Congress,Perth,aswell asAct3 International Festival,Singapore andMalaysia,
the World puppet carnival inKazakhstan2012, Indonesia2013, and at the 22nd
International theatre
festival forchildrenandyoungpeople inIran2015.
My experiencesinearlyyearsplaybasedlearningthrucreativityhasinspiredme todevelopcross
artformimmersive theatre experiencesledbythe veryyoungtoopenour adulteyestothe
possibilitiesof play,communicatingvisuallyandinspiringcreativity. Ihave alsowrittenand
publishedarticlesonearlyyearsandpuppetryforthe PuppetCentre’sAnimations,EarlyArts UK,
AppliedTheatre Crossings,ASSITEJ,the State Libraryof WesternAustraliaandBritishUNIMA.
I am nowlookingfornewopportunitiestocontinue learningandgrowingwithmyspecialistpractice,
havingbeenworkinginternationallyanddevelopingmyprofessional skillset,I am now opento
returningtothe UK to share and collaborate onnew ventures,projectsandprogrammes.