Review: The Welcome Project, LAT

The Welcome Project is a series of short films released by Little Angel Theatre in association with Chicken Shop Hermits. The films are live animated or puppet shows which are free of charge. The fact that this resource is free, is of course an incentive for teachers to use in their classrooms.

However, it is more than just a free resource, it is an interesting addition to any teacher's toolkit due to the quality of productions and the variety of topics of conversation which would come from them; ‘Noise’ for example (released on 18 January) uses entirely recycled materials to tell the tale of Reuben who has his world is turned upside down when he and his mom suddenly move to a completely new country. The puppetry film shows the boy who does not know the language but must join a new school and a new class. The theme of identity is explored in a different way using hand puppetry in ‘Baggage’ where wordlessly we learn how even when we are alone there is always a hand somewhere to help us feel at home.

At times their films seem to be aimed at young children through the imagery and types of puppets used, but some films have mature or sad themes depicted. So, while there is a definite scope for teachers of various ages to use this resource, they will have to use their discretion in regard to which age group should watch which production.

Each film has a synopsis listed but, other short films that are separate to the Welcome Project provide an appropriate age range, but the new productions do not. ‘Rivers World’ for example is an interesting, moving performance but, it is about parental arguments, moving to the UK and puppet stress snakes- the film (particularly the snakes) could be quite scary for younger pupils. The lack information regarding the age a production is aimed at creates more research required for teachers. Instead of a synopsis, it would be more useful in the first instance to have an appropriate age range and themes listed to allow teachers to decide whether the puppet performance would be something suitable for their class. Other than more detailed information being listed, this resource is an interesting, eclectic, and quality mix of short films that teachers will be able to use with a variety of classes and age groups.

littleangeltheatre.com