A crowd of children in a park surround a large orange-yellow puppet made to look like a squid - a huge body, one big eye, many tentacles. It is controlled by multiple puppeteers. Behind the park is a skyscraper.

Ivan Thorley

Artistic Director / Producer

Ivan Thorley has over 20 years of experience of working creatively both locally, nationally & internationally. After training as a classical and contemporary dancer at the Victorian College of the Arts / The University of Melbourne, Ivan has worked with movement, objects and stories ever since. Ivan completed further postgraduate education in Animateuring at VCA / Uni of Melbourne and an MA in Performance Technology at Brunel University in London. Ivan has worked with globally recognised puppetry theatre and outdoor performance companies including Snuff Puppets, Strange Fruit, Blind Summit Theatre and Warhorse. He founded Puppets with Guts in 2011 and has since grown a track record for both excellence in outdoor arts, CFX film work and delivery of high-quality outdoor performance and community engagement.

Ivan has first-hand experience of the transformative power culture can bring, therefore his rich experience and his commitment to culture make him one of the most exciting and talented creators working today.