KAY YASUGI
PUPPET DESIGNER, MAKER & PERFORMER
FOR THEATRE & EDUCATION
22A Somerset St.• EPPING, NSW 2121 • SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
WEB: www.pupperoos.com • EMAIL: info@pupperoos.com
PROFILE
- Skilled puppeteer and puppet maker with 18 years experience
- Trained at the London School of Puppetry (UK)
- Qualified primary school teacher
- Current General Secretary of puppetry organisation, UNIMA Australia
- Multicultural Artist (Australian, Japanese and Korean)
- Australian citizen based in Sydney
EXPERIENCE
Click here to view detailed CV in PDF format (Last updated 2020)
2020
| Event/Production | Company/Organisation | Role |
| Creative Leadership in Learning Program | Sydney Opera House | Artist |
| Shifting and Stirring online workshop | Sydney Opera House | Artist/Workshop facilitator |
| Randwick Puppet Festival | City of Randwick, Sydney | Puppeteer/Workshop Facilitator/Artistic Consultant |
| 2019 | ||
| World Premiere of puppet show ‘Haenyeo: Women of the Sea’ at International FOF. Also ran puppetry workshops for local children affected by the earthquakes in 2016. | International Figura Offida Festival (FOF) in Offida, Italy. | Puppet maker/Workshop facilitator |
| Monster Puppet Workshop | Joondalup Festival, Perth, Western Australia | Workshop facilitator |
| 2018 | ||
| Artist in Residency – ‘Frankenstein’ | Manual Cinema, Chicago USA | Artist in Residence |
| Research project: virtual technology and its application to shadow puppetry (collaborative project with artists and researchers from USA and Ireland) | University of Washington, Bothell, Seattle, USA. | Artist |
| ‘The Carnival of the Animals’, a collaboration with Spare Parts Puppet Theatre and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at the Perth Concert Hall. | Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, Perth, Western Australia. | Puppetry Assistant |
| 20th Anniversary Twilight Lantern Parade at Joondalup Festival | Joondalup Festival, Perth, Western Australia. | Puppeteer/Volunteer |
| Puppetry Artist in Residence (2013-2018) | Redlands Preparatory School, Sydney | Artist |
| Presented lectures and seminars on ‘Puppetry for Literacy and Creativity’ | University of Technology Sydney | Lecturer/Presenter for Teachers |
| 2017 | ||
| 2-day ‘Puppetry for Drama Teachers’ workshops with Katherine Hannaford (Macquarie Fields High School).
2017-2018 |
The Arts Unit – Courses were fully accredited by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority). | Workshop Facilitator |
| “Pupa” theatre show/installation – collaborated with puppeteer, Dr Emma Fisher (Beyond the Bark) to have the designs laser cut and assembled in Ireland. | Beyond the Bark (Ireland) | Puppet Maker |
| Presentation: “Connecting Global Puppeteers Through Technology: a collaboration with puppeteers in Ireland, Australia and the USA through digital fabrication and projection.” | The Puppetry and Multimedia International Conference, Bratislava, Slovakia (I presented via web conference from Sydney, Australia). | Presenter (Co-presented with Dr Emma Fisher, Ireland) |
| The 5th China Quanzhou International Puppet Festival, Fujian, China. | Dream Puppets (Melbourne, VIC) | Puppetry Assistant and UNIMA Australia representative |
| Schools Spectacular, Sydney. | Arts Unit NSW | Puppet designer and maker |
2016
| “Puppetry for Literacy and Creativity” professional development workshop for teachers | Hunter Creative Arts Conference, NSW | Workshop Facilitator |
| 2015 | ||
| Shadow Puppetry Summer School : The Art of Shadow Puppetry in Education and Therapy. | London School of Puppetry, UK | Tutor |
| Creative Development for “The 52 Storey Treehouse”, Sydney |
CDP, Sydney Australia |
Artist |
2014
| Creative Development for “The 26 Storey Treehouse”, Sydney | Mission Australia | Puppeteer |
| Cane/bamboo puppet workshop, puppet show for Family Cabaret. | Maldon Puppet Carnival, Maldon Victoria | Puppeteer/Workshop Facilitator |
| Featured in the “Through the Windows” segment for Play School’s ‘Making Puppets’ episodes. | ABC4Kids “Play School” television program | Puppeteer |
| Paper puppet workshop/”Coffee and Dessert” puppet show | Les Festivale de la Marionnettes, Estampes, France | Puppeteer/Workshop Facilitator |
| 2013 | ||
| ‘Creating Puppets for Plays” at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney, and Griffith University in Brisbane. | “War Horse Australia” Arts Learning Programme, NSW/QLD. | Workshop facilitator |
| “The 13-Storey Treehouse” | Sydney Opera House, Sydney | Puppeteer/Puppet Maker |
| Harmony Day Puppet Project | Concord West Public School, Sydney | Puppeteer/Workshop Facilitator |
| 2012 | ||
| Memorial Day Parade Puppet Project | Greenwood School, Mill Valley, California USA | Puppet maker/Workshop facilitator |
| Puppetry Workshop for Teachers |
‘ESL:The Way Forward!’ Conference, South Western Sydney; Blacktown Childcare Centre; University of Sydney |
Workshop facilitator |
| “The Amazing House” Children’s TV Show Series 2 | The Amazing House | Puppeteer/Production Assistant |
2011
| Junior Ensemble | Shopfront Theatre for Young People, Sydney | Puppet making/operating workshop leader |
| Giant Puppet Project | Globalteer, Siem Reap,Cambodia | Volunteer puppet maker/operator |
| Marionette Summer School | London School of Puppetry,UK | Visiting Tutor |
| “Enchanted” Children’s Puppet Show | Ripon Yarns Storytelling Festival of the Dales,UK | Puppeteer |
| Spirit of the Marsh Music/Arts Festival,UK | Pupperoos (in collaboration with Poppenkast) | Puppet making/operating workshop leader |
| “Coram Boy” High school production | Saint Ignatius’ College, Riverview, Sydney | Custom puppet maker/workshop leader |
2010
| TV Commercial “Hush for Homelessness”, Sydney | Mission Australia | Puppeteer |
| “The Whirlwind” (rod/glove/shadow puppet show), Sydney | Wentworth Galleries/Wesley Institute | Puppeteer/Puppet Maker |
| Life for Kids Puppet-making workshop | Life for Kids Charity, Sydney | Puppeteer/Workshop leader |
| Jeans for Genes Denim Charity Dinner/Art Exhibition Launch, Sydney | Jeans for Genes Charity (supporting the Children’s Medical Research Institute) | Puppet maker/Puppeteer |
2009
| Avenue Q Cast Interview, Sydney | Corporate Creatures (Gary Friedman) | Assistant Puppeteer |
| Future Directions in Literacy Conference, Sydney | Sydney University | Workshop leader for “Creating a dynamic literacy classroom with puppetry” |
| Australian Business Events Expo, Sydney | Corporate Creatures | Puppeteer |
| “Dark Island” Film/Animation Project | Jöns Mellgren (Director) at the Royal College of Art, London UK | Puppeteer |
| TV interview to promote Copenhagen Puppet Festival | “Brunch” (Danish TV2/Lorry) Breakfast Show | Puppeteer |
| “Memento Mori” (Glove/Body Puppet show) | Copenhagen Puppet Festival (Denmark), Rosemary Branch Theatre (London,UK) | Puppet Maker/Puppeteer |
| “Scooter Grandpa” (Marionette show) | Bradford Playhouse (UK) | Puppet Maker/Puppeteer |
| “Wooltzing Matilda” (Glove show) | Puppet Maker/Puppeteer |
2008
| Indian Rajasthani Marionette show/workshop for children (7-12 yrs) | Accenture, London UK | Puppeteer/Workshop leader |
| Documentary “Looking for a Monster”, Sydney | Gary Friedman Productions/Change Focus Media | Puppeteer |
2007
| Glebe Community Development Project (for Grade 5/6 students) | University of Sydney | Puppetry workshop leader |
2005
| “The Thing Under the Bed” (Lip sync puppet show) | University of Sydney Verge Arts Festival | Director/Puppet maker/Puppeteer |
2004-2007 School shows: Performed values-based puppet shows and ran puppet workshops for several schools. Festivals and /Holiday/Church Programs: Performed street puppetry for a number of festivals including Katoomba Winter Solstice Festival. Performed at holiday/church programs including the ENTER Fundraiser at Fox Studios (Sydney) and Bathurst Kids Club.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
| Training in Czech-Style Marionette Carving (15 day course)Puppets in Prague School, Prague, Czech Republic 2011 |
| Master’s Level Diploma in Professional Puppetry London School of Puppetry, London, UK 2009 |
| Training in Puppetry for Television (8 week course on making/performing with Muppet-style puppets)Gary Friedman Productions, Sydney, Australia 2008 |
| Bachelor of Primary Education (1stClass Honours and University Medal)University of Sydney, Camperdown, Sydney, Australia 2007 |
AWARDS
| 2018 | Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation Grant for Individual Performing Artists |
| 2008 | Outstanding Graduate Award (Australian College of Educators NSW) |
| 2008 | Primary Pre-Service Teacher Award Scheme for Maths & Science (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations) |
| 2007
|
Handspan Visual Theatre International Study and Travel Grant (Awarded through UNIMA Australia) |
| 2007 | Thomas T Roberts Education Fellowship (University of Sydney) |
| 2007 | G.S. Caird Bachelor of Education Year 3 Award (University of Sydney) |
| 2006 | Tertiary Student Judge for National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) |
| 2005 | Sydney University Cash4Art Grant |
SKILLS Puppet design, making and performance; Carving, Polyfoam puppet construction, Painting, Illustration, Photography, Needle Felting, Computer Graphics, Wiki (set-up and administration), DVD production, Basic Film and Sound Editing. Conversationally fluent in Japanese. REFERENCES
Available upon request.
