Norwich Puppet Theatre bridge brought back into use after 30 years

A unique bridge in a puppet theatre that gives audiences a "magical" experience has been brought back into use after more than 30 years.

The metal structure at the Norwich Puppet Theatre was restored after a £41,000 Arts Council England grant.

Built in the 1980s, its use declined as long-string marionettes fell out of fashion in favour of glove and rod puppets like The Muppets.

Puppeteer Rachel Leonard said bringing the bridge back was "very special".

It is being used in the production Cinderella, with the grant funding also contributing to puppeteer training and making the show accessible.

Created by Boulton and Paul, who made their name from creating prefabricated buildings during war time, the bridge is unique in its ability to move across the stage and be rigged on split levels.

It hides the puppeteers from the audience and offers them a birds-eye view of the "miniature actors" on long strings to the stage below.

"The marionette is like the Stradivari of the puppet world," said Mark Mander, producer and director of Cinderella.

"In the 1940s marionettes were the predominant style of puppetry, then television came along with The Muppets and that become the predominant image of puppetry," Mr Mander said.

"But for many people marionettes are proper puppets, it takes real skill to operate them on very long strings, about 3m (10ft) in this case, and as you don't see the puppeteer at all it creates a very magical, immersive world."

Ms Leonard added: "It's such a lovely chance to do a puppet show where you're unaware of the puppeteers.

"We use a wooden control with wire pieces so what you're doing with your hands is not the same as what the puppets are doing. It's like playing an instrument."

The puppeteers on Cinderella have worked on some of the world's most loved shows including Star Wars, The Muppets, Rainbow, The Dark Crystal from Netflix and Disney's new live-action version of Pinocchio staring Tom Hanks, shot at Cardington Studios in Bedfordshire.

"I was very thrilled Disney said that they were going to use a proper marionette at the beginning of the film," said Ronnie Le Drew, who has also operated Zippy from the children's TV show Rainbow since the 1970s.

He added: "Of course after the Blue Fairy comes in Pinocchio becomes a CGI character but the first few moments there was real puppet manipulating walking across the workshop floor. It was just a joy."

"It's one of the most exciting things I've done for film."

Theatre director Peter Beck said the venue was aware families were struggling with cost of living, and had held its ticket prices.

"Post-pandemic it's been a challenging time for theatres, especially small theatres in terms of funding, but if we can't provide some entertainment, some light relief when people are working endless hours - what's the point?"