Crafting the physical tools of living stories
At Puppets with Guts, design and making isn’t just about building objects — it’s about creating systems, environments and tools that help bring stories to life in big spaces. Whether for theatre, street events, festivals or collaborative programmes, we blend creative thinking with technical rigour to design things that are expressive, reliable and fit for purpose.
We make work that is durable, scalable and responsive, engineered to support participation, movement and shared experience.
What we do:
We offer expert design, prototyping, fabrication and consultation across multiple areas:
Large-Scale Puppets
We design and build puppets of all scales — from striking visual icons to articulated figures with nuanced movement. These puppets are:
engineered for durability and touring
safe and intuitive to operate
expressive in performance contexts
designed with performer and audience interaction in mind
Performance Systems & Mechanisms
Strong storytelling requires dependable systems. We design:
rigging and support structures
mechanical and soft fabrication systems
modular elements for repeatable use
adaptable frameworks for different sites and conditions
World & Experience Prototyping
Good stories aren’t just objects — they’re situations. We help partners:
test spatial concepts and narrative flows
prototype interactions, transitions and user pathways
explore how people move, discover and participate
refine ideas into performable reality
Creative Consultancy
We partner with teams from early design through to delivery. Our consultancy includes:
participatory design and project shaping
material exploration and feasibility
performance integration and co-creation methodology
long-term touring and lifecycle design
Our approach
We work collaboratively with artists, directors, engineers and communities to develop ideas that are grounded, generous and future-capable.
How we think about design:
People first. How will performers, participants and audiences relate to this work?
Place matters. Scale, environment and movement shape every decision.
Systems over objects. We build structures and frameworks, not brittle props.
Detail counts. Small decisions produce big emotional impact.
Adaptability. Designs that can grow, evolve and travel.
We do not design pieces in isolation — we design conditions for experience.
Crafting for participation
Living stories invite people to touch, move, choose, explore and respond. That means our design work often includes:
human and performance centred interfaces
pathways that invite exploration
structures that reward discovery
safe conditions for agency and play
We think as much about the performers and audience, as we do about the puppet.
Collaboration and hand-over
We support partners at any point in the creative process — from early concepting to on-site installation. We can also co-design documentation and training to enable communities or organisations to use and adapt the work themselves.
Whether it’s a long-term touring design or a one-off event installation, we aim to leave behind work that others can animate, adapt and extend — not static props that decay.
Case examples
Some areas where our design & making work has played a central role:
giant puppets and procession systems for major festivals
participatory build workshops linked to touring work
bespoke mechanisms for kinetic theatre
consultation and delivery support for cultural events
practical puppet builds for media and performance collaborations
