1. PUPPETRY & PROP MAKING
AMBER DONOVAN
3B PROSPERO ROAD
LONDON N19 3QX
07749131713
PROFILE
Puppet and props maker; designer; performer; illustrator
Arts workshop facilitator; participatory/ collaborative/ community based artist
Warner Bros. Creative Talent Scholar - Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden Ltd
Key Skills include:
• Puppetry - Large scale carnival puppets; circus; theatre; film
• Sculpture - clay, polystyrene carving, plasterzote forming, thermoplastics, papier mache
• Painting - Scenic effects, muraling, textiles treatment, sign writing, illustration
• Soft props - sewing, fabric dyeing, leather shaping, upholstery for the stage
• Woodworking - stage carpentry, wood turning, traditional puppet carving, furniture making
• Moulding and casting - silicone, resins, latex, polyester / polyurethane foams, vac-forming
• Design - Technical and perspective drawing, photoshop
• Metal work - cutting/ shaping, welding
• Workshop facilitation - Design and delivery of creative craft workshops; variety of materials and processes to
suit participants needs and abilities; focus on self expression and development
PROPS AND PUPPET MAKING
2016 - Warner Bros. Leaveseden - Props and costume archivist at Warner Bros. Corporate Archive
2016 - Significant Object - Large scale elephant puppet maker for ‘Circus 1903’, Magic Space Entertainment
2016 - Kenny Wax Entertainment - Prop and set work on ‘Mr. Poppet’s Penguins’
2016 - English National Opera - Prop maker on various productions
2016 - Pinewood Studios - Art department/ props for Esselunga Christmas commercial ‘Spot Natale’
2016 - Michael Whiteley Sculpture Studios - Poly sculptor for ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’ film premiere
2015 - Mandinga Arts / Horniman Museum - Carnival puppet maker for ‘Africarnival’ event
2015 - Chichester Festival Theatre - Puppet fabrication assistant on ‘Running Wild’ for Gyre & Gimble
2015 - Warner Bros. Leaveseden - Trainee sculptor on ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’
2014 - Folded Feather - Puppet maker for ‘Tim Tiger’
2014 - Folded Feather/ Out of Chaos - Puppet making assistant/ props for ‘The Flying Roast Goose’
2014 - Reeds School - Puppetry design/ fabrication and direction for ‘Feathers in the Snow’
2014 - Cosmic Egg Collective - Design and construction of large puppet for Bestival’s Carnival Parade
2013 - Little Angel Theatre - Prop and puppets for ‘The Night Before Christmas’
2013 - Flabbergast Theatre - Large wearable backpack prop for ‘Boris & Sergey II Perilous Escapade’
2013 - Scarabeus Aerial Theatre / Little Angel Theatre - Design assistant for ‘La Tempesta’
2013 - Little Angel Theatre - Props and puppets for ‘We’re Going On A Bear Hunt’
2012 - Circus Kathmandu, Nepal - Puppetry design and fabrication
2012 - Young Vic Theatre - Puppet fabrication assistant for ‘Wild Swans’
2012 - Little Angel Theatre - Workshop assistant (props and puppets) for ‘Handa’s Surprise’
2011 - Little Angel Theatre - Props and puppets for ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’
2011 - Kneehigh Theatre / Puppetcraft - Workshop assistant for ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’
2011 - Giddy Kipper Anomaly / Puppetcraft - Giant Puppet, rod puppet and props for ‘Gargantua’

2. ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Performance: Puppeteer and physical performer; deviser. Theatre and film credits available on request
Illustration: List of clients, publications and exhibitions available on request
WORKSHOP FACILITATION
2014-16 - The Cosmic Egg Collective
Carnival based arts and crafts workshops for children at various UK festivals including Glastonbury, Secret
Garden Party, Boomtown Fair, Harlequin Fayre
2013-14 - Little Angel Youth Theatre (1 year, with sessions weekly)
Working with a group of 11- 17 year olds, devising, performing and making puppet theatre;
Specialised in the teaching of puppet design and making skills
2013-15 - Little Angel Theatre - Education Outreach Worker
Puppetry performance and making: Introductory workshops in a variety of schools (Primary and Secondary)
and outreach educational settings, including young offender units and youth centres
2011-14- Little Angel Theatre - Adult Maker/ Performer Classes (10 week courses, sessions weekly)
Assisted the workshop leader on a variety of puppetry courses including Puppetry Foundation Course,
Making Puppets from Found Objects, Giant Puppet Making, Object Manipulation and Shadow Puppetry
2014 - Reeds School
Design and delivery of 3 hour puppetry workshop with drama students; puppetry direction in school
play, ‘Feathers in the Snow’ as well as the design and make of the puppets
2012 - Circus Kathmandu, Nepal
Design and make of large scale puppet; movement workshops with members of the circus who are
survivors of child trafficking
2011 - Coram Fields Pop Up Festival of Stories
Illustration and image making workshops with children, families and school classes
2010 - U1 Artist Collective
Design and facilitation of arts workshops with adults
2009 - Norwich Puppet Theatre (1 month full time)
Children’s workshops including puppet and mask making, stop motion animation, and weekly ‘Kidzone’
drop-in events in parks around Norwich
- The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) - Post graduate diploma in Property Making
Pass with distinction
2014 - 2015
Awarded the Warner Bros. Creative Talent Scholarship
- University of Plymouth - BA honours degree in Design Illustration - Award 2.1
2007 - 2010
- Camberwell College of Arts (UAL) - Foundation diploma in Art & Design - Award Merit
2006 - 2007
• Mandinga Arts - Day of the Dead workshop in traditional techniques with Mexican Artist Pedro Mendoza, 2016
- Africarnival at the Horniman Museum - 1 week artist residency and community event, 2015
- Giant puppet making for carnival at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts, 4 day workshop, 2013
• Horse and Bamboo Theatre - 2 week artist residency and training programme, Boo Puppet Festival, 2014
• Peter O’Rourke - Technical puppet construction - 5 day making course, 2013
• Puppetcraft - Traditional Marionette carving, advanced course - 6 day course led by John Roberts- 2012/ 13
EDUCATION / TRAINING / DEVELOPMENT