The repertoire of the Lambert Puppet Theatre

Theatre is comprehensive, ranging from shows for the very young, such as The Billy Goats Gruff and Nursery Rhymes, through the classic fairy-tales for all ages, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, The Three Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice in Wonderland, with voices by Micheal Mac Liammoir and Hilton Edwards, to sophisticated productions for adults and older children, The Only Jealousy of Emer by Yeats and The Fisherman and His Soul by Oscar Wilde.

As well as performing in the theatre in Monkstown and touring, the Lamberts run workshops for teachers and students, now that puppetry is a recognised part of the Art curriculum for senior schools in Ireland.

The Puppet Theatre has also been the base for the International Puppet Festival, started in 1991 during Irelands tenure as European City of Culture, and has played host to companies from as far afield as Poland, Russia, Britain, Australia, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium and Mali, bringing to Irish audiences a great diversity of puppetry styles, affording Irish practitioners of the art an opportunity to meet and talk with like-minded people from overseas.

We have also toured extensively all around Ireland, both North and South, and continue to do so.

Throughout the year there is a performance in the Puppet Theatre in Monkstown every Saturday and Sunday, with extended runs during Christmas and Easter. School Tours run through May and June, when upwards of 600 children visit the theatre every day.

In 1991, the Lamberts were invited to Russia to play in Moscows prestigious State Puppet Theatre, becoming the very first foreign company to do so.

"How we do it"

The Lambert Puppet Theatre & Museum,with its purpose-built auditorium and stage area, has an extensive production facility, housed in workrooms above the theatre.

We start with the overall concept of a production , then the design of the puppets and sets. The puppets are then made, painted and dressed, and the sets constructed, all in their own workshops.

Scripts are drafted, discussed and refined, although they frequently change once the production goes into rehearsal! Music is composed or selected, and sound tracks are laid down on tape in-house. Lighting design is generally completed as the show is in rehearsal.

Overall, a production can take from three to six weeks from initial concept to completion. The theatre prides itself on completing at least one new major show every year, and old ones are updated, so that the storylines are always of-the-moment. To date, the repertoire consists of over 30 productions.