Dear God...
“The ocean is like God and raindrops are the religion. When they fall into the ocean they become one.”
Zoya Ahmed and Nurun Uddin
Lichfield Christian Schools Work Trust Shepherd’s Crook Puppet Theatre The Shepherd’s Crook Puppet Theatre, under the umbrella organisation of Lichfield Christian Schools’ Work Trust, operates in the nine main primary schools of the city of Lichfield, serving a mixture of state and faith schools. The plays we take into the schools are all based on Bible Stories and are usually delivered in the context of School Assemblies. We use large ‘muppet-style’ puppets and have a good selection of ethnically diverse and character puppets. Our performances depend on the use of commercially produced C.D.s, featuring material we have written ourselves, to which the puppets lip-sync. Currently, we have four puppeteers and our project benefits approximately 2000 children on a regular basis.
For a while our project has struggled to function, partly because of problems with poor sound quality, but also particularly because the increasingly ‘hi-tech’ sound systems in the schools are failing to read our C.D.s. The provision of a new portable sound system from our Westhill grant will enable us to resume our work. Our future hope is that the new equipment will enable us to continue improving the quality of our performances and overall practice, and enhance the storytelling experience that the children receive |
We aim to introduce the children to individual Bible Stories, from both the Old and New Testaments, but also to give them a greater understanding of the overarching narrative of the Bible. Our hope is that this knowledge will help to equip this generation of children with new insights into their own life experience, their place in the community and the importance of the Biblical record to the cultural context and heritage of our wider society.
In all of our interactions with the schools our intention is to support and supplement the religious educational provision already occurring, and to foster and develop good relationships with the schools and with the wider community of the city. Finally we aim to endorse the good standing of the Schools’ Work Trust and so support the other activities of the Trust. For more information email: sally.hayter@hotmail.com |