All Aboard the World's First Puppet Train!

On Saturday the 18th of September train passengers on the Cambrian Coast Line were surprised and delighted by some strange sights on their journey as they travelled on the World’s first ever Puppet Train!

On the trains between Machynlleth and Pwllheli characters such as Chaz the charming and rather shy metallic mute, Lejo a puppet show from Germany and Wales’s own popular Cwmni Cortyn entertained passengers. On station platforms meeting and greeting were the knight Sir Lupin and his downtrodden serfs who also made a visit to Harlech Castle and rode the donkeys on Barmouth beach!

 

The first Puppet Train in the world was the brain child of Festival Director Clare Williams, formerly Director of Theatr Harlech and now Director of Cauldrons and Furnaces, who delights in surprising first time audiences in unusual settings.

“The idea was planted in my head last year whilst travelling in South America”, said Clare. “On the train from Acquacaliente to Cusco the travelers were entertained to a fashion show by the railway staff - the carriage aisles becoming makeshift catwalks.  It was a bizarre and hugely entertaining journey”.

It struck Clare that this could be a brilliant way of attracting a new audience to puppetry- the scale of the puppets being perfectly suited to confined spaces.  She had previously developed a very happy working relationship with Arriva Trains Wales on the popular Carnifal Cambria project which won a national award.

‘‘We really enjoy working with Theatr Harlech on these innovative projects. Puppets are ever popular with people of all ages and it's great that by being involved we are able to provide locals and visitors with an added attraction while travelling on the Cambrian Coast Line which is of course a major attraction in its own right’, said Gerwyn Jones, Rail Development Officer for the Cambrian Railways Partnership.

Besides the shenanigans on the trains and platforms the puppet train stopped at four theatres en route where audiences disembarked to see some of Europe’s greatest puppetry shows. Performances at the Tabernacle (Machynlleth) Dragon Theatre (Barmouth), Theatr Harlech and Neuadd Dwyfor (Pwllheli) by artists from the Netherlands and Scotland gave the event a truly international feel.

For more information on the Cambrian Railways visit www.thecambrianline.co.uk

Source: Gerwyn Jones, Cambrian Railways Partnership