Lanchester Marionette Theatre, Stafford

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Date:11th of January 1952

Description:Waldo Lanchester and his wife Muriel preparing for a show at King Edward VI School, Stafford in January 1952. Stafford and District Arts Council had organised a previous visit by the Lanchester Marionette Theatre at Oddfellows Hall, Greengate Street on 5 January 1951. A children's matinee performance was followed by an evening performance for adults. The bill included a variety show, a seaport scene, an underwater ballet to music by Tchaikovsky, and 'Shakes versus Shav', the puppet play written by George Bernard Shaw.

The following year the Lanchester Marionette Theatre returned to Stafford to perform at King Edward VI School on 10, 11, 12 January

Waldo Lanchester (1897-1978) was at the forefront of the British revival in popularity of the string puppet and was a leading player in the formative years of the British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild, which remains Britain's leading Puppetry Organisation.

With colleague Harry Whanslaw, Waldo established the London Marionette Theatre in Hammersmith in 1927 - the first puppets anywhere in the world to appear on television.

Assisted by his wife, Muriel, he went on to run the Lanchester Marionette Theatre, based in Malvern, from 1936 to 1949 including a prestigious appearance at Buckingham Palace in 1938. For the 1949 Malvern Festival, George Bernard Shaw wrote the play "Shakes v Shav" specially for the Lanchester Marionettes and the Company's repertoire also included Opera, Ballet, Plays and a Grand Puppet Circus.

Reproduced by Kind Permission of the Staffordshire Newsletter who retain copyright.

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Creators: Staffordshire Newsletter - Creator

Donor ref:B4-NN-527 (201/35985)

Source: Staffordshire County Record Office

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