Your British UNIMA Festive Newsletter

Exciting plans for 2026, community highlights, opportunities and more…

Dear friends,

As we head toward the end of 2025, I wanted to take a moment to reach out personally. British UNIMA has been growing, shifting and strengthening in ways that feel truly exciting — and it’s because of all of you. This is your organisation, shaped by your energy, your projects, your questions, and the things you care about.

This autumn has been full of wonderful moments across our community — including British UNIMA proudly sponsoring Puppet 48, where the BrUNIMA Award went to Knot In Line (Ahmed Sherrif, Debosmitan Dam and Sivabalan). Their film is a beautiful example of inventive young puppetry, and you can watch it below. We also hosted the online talk Reimagining Judy: A Feminist Lens on Puppet Theatre with Alissa Mello — if you missed it live, you’ll find the full recording further down this newsletter.

At the same time, our international work has continued with urgency. UNIMA’s Artists of Hope campaign is providing crucial support to puppeteers in Gaza, and there is now an open call for contributions to the Strings of Support initiative, gathering teaching resources and creative tools for those working in crisis conditions. You can learn more and get involved by clicking here.

Looking ahead to 2026, we’re planning more ways to bring our community together: more workshops, more online sessions, more chances for you to share your work or offer a glimpse behind the scenes. If there’s something you’d love to see — or something you’d love to share — please tell us. British UNIMA only works when you’re part of it.

We’ve also been blown away by the growing support online. Our social media is now approaching 4,000 followers, increasing by roughly 1,000 each month. That’s extraordinary — and it gives our volunteer team a real sense of momentum and encouragement. Thank you for engaging, sharing, and cheering on the wider puppetry world.

This festive issue is full of opportunities, calls for submissions, exciting events, and a few important updates about how to get involved. Updates on the Penny Francis Campaign, which will help secure our activity into 2027 — and we’ve made supporting it easier than ever, even at no extra cost to you. Every little bit goes a long way for a volunteer-led organisation like ours.

And finally — a special moment of celebration. The latest Puppet Notebook is here! Beautifully edited and designed by Tim Butler-Garrett (with huge thanks to all contributors), it’s now available for members to read. Legacy members who requested print copies will receive theirs in the post shortly. New members now receive the digital version by default, with the option to purchase a printed copy if they prefer — helping us stay sustainable while still offering something beautiful to hold.

Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for showing up, sharing your work, reading these newsletters, and keeping puppetry alive, inventive and connected across the UK.

Below you’ll find the latest calls, opportunities, news and events with all the links you need.

Warmest wishes,
Your British UNIMA Chair

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Did You See? Now You Can Watch the Recording

Reimagining Judy: A Feminist Lens on Puppet Theatre
with Alissa Mello — hosted by BrUNIMA
Originally aired: Wednesday 12 November, 19:30 GMT (Online)

If you missed this rich and insightful session exploring Judy through a feminist and contemporary lens, the full recording is now available here.

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💛 The Penny Francis Campaign — Help Us Secure British UNIMA’s Future

Many of you will already know that we launched the Penny Francis Campaign earlier this year — a fund created both to honour Penny’s extraordinary contribution to puppetry and to secure British UNIMA’s long-term future.

We are a small, volunteer-run organisation, and even the smallest contributions make an enormous difference. Truly — as little as the price of a cup of coffee from every person on our mailing list would secure our core programme for 2027. It really is that achievable.

And because we know times are tight for many, we’ve also made it incredibly easy to support at no extra cost to you:

• 💳 Give As You Live: If you shop online anyway, you can activate Give As You Live through over 6,000 retailers. Every time you make a purchase, British UNIMA receives a small donation — and it doesn’t cost you anything.

• 🎁 Gift a Membership: Not sure what to get someone this year? A British UNIMA membership is a lovely and meaningful present, supporting the future of puppetry at the same time.

• 🎟️ Gift Vouchers: Purchase a voucher via our Support Us page — again generating a small contribution to the campaign at no extra cost to you.

• ❤️ One-off donations of any size, small or large, make a huge impact.

Together, these small acts of generosity add up fast. Supporting the Penny Francis Campaign helps us continue the work she believed in so passionately: connecting puppeteers, supporting artists, and nurturing the next generation.

Thank you — truly — to everyone who has already contributed.

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🌟 Spotlight Your Work: Member Features Now Open

We want to highlight more of our members’ work! Visit the Members section to share:

• Your latest projects

• Workshops, research or celebrations

Let us share and uplift your work, Visit the MEMBERS area of the website.

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📘 Puppet Notebook Issue 33 — Now Live for Members

The latest Puppet Notebook, edited and designed by Tim Butler-Garrett with support from the committee, is now available.

Legacy members who requested a printed version will receive theirs shortly by post.

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Call for Contributors: Monthly Online Events 2026

We’re planning a new series of monthly talks, workshops, skill-shares, and Q&As — and we want you to be part of them.

If you’d like to share a project, demonstrate a skill, or speak about your practice:
📧 Email chair@unima.org.uk with subject line “Future Projects”

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Events

A Celebration of Marionettes 2025
3 December 2025 | 5.30–9.15pm
Hosted by Rachel Warr & the Art Workers’ Guild Outreach Committee
👉 More info | Apply

Puppet Place — Writing & Devising for Puppetry Panel
8 December 2025 | 7–9pm
👉 More info | Apply

Les Marchés Noirs des Petites Utopies, in collaboration with THÉMAA and Théâtre le Sémaphore, invites participants to a professional roundtable exploring the role of puppet-making workshops within local territories. 9 December
👉 More info | Apply

British Puppet Guild Christmas Extravaganza (Online)
14 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply

Puppet Place — Directing Puppetry with Emma Williams
17–18 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply

Theatre-Rites Workshop with Sue Buckmaster
31 Jan – 1 Feb 2026 | Shoreditch Town Hall
👉 More info | Apply

The Canalside Puppet Making Course, London 2026
April–June 2026 | Apply by 31 March | Early Bird £550 before 25 Dec
👉 More info | Apply

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Festival Highlights & Open Calls

A quick roundup of opportunities across the puppetry world…

39th International Theatrical Festival “VALISE”
Deadline: 15 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply

Open Call for BrUNIMA Creatives — Fragments of Becoming
Deadline: 31 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply

Pflasterspektakel 2026 — Call for Artists
Deadline: 15 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply

AVIAMA 2026 “Puppets and Mobility” Grants
Deadline: 16 January 2026
👉 More info | Apply

OPEN CALL for the 38th Chuncheon Puppet Festival, one of Asia’s leading puppet festivals since 1989, 11 - 16 September 2026.
Deadline: 15 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply

Smethwick Puppetry Festival
14–22 February 2026
👉 More info | Apply

Newcastle Festival of Puppetry – Moving Parts Arts
4–12 April 2026
👉More info | Apply

PUNCH! Puppets in Top Form — January 2027
👉 More info | Apply

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Opportunities & Jobs

CALL OUT: Giant Crankie Show Designer & Illustrator
Fee: £4,000 + materials
Deadline: 14 December 2025
👉 More info | Apply

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News & Bursaries

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🎬 Puppet 48 — BrUNIMA Winners Announced!

British UNIMA was proud to sponsor Puppet 48 this year — a brilliant showcase of short-form, rapid-turnaround puppet films made in just 48 hours.

The BrUNIMA Award went to:
Knot In Line — Ahmed Sherrif, Debosmitan Dam & Sivabalan

Their film is inventive, playful and beautifully made.
You can watch it here (their segment begins at 21:46):

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Thank you for reading, sharing and supporting this community.
Follow us, tag us, write to us — and keep checking the Members area for what’s next!

Best,
Your British UNIMA Chair