LEADING ON 2025

LEADING ON: AN EXPLORATION OF PUPPETRY AND PUPPETERING 
Facilitated by Josephine (Jo) Dennehy
Presented by Youth Theatre Ireland

Step into the playful world of puppetry with Josephine (Jo) Dennehy for a weekend of hands-on exploration, imagination, and creativity. Designed for youth theatre facilitators, teachers, and anyone interested in puppetry, these immersive workshops invite you to discover how puppets can unlock new ways of storytelling and performance creation with young people.

Across the weekend, you’ll explore a variety of puppetry styles, learn techniques for bringing objects to life, and experiment with storytelling through puppets. Jo will share practical tools and ideas for introducing puppets into your youth theatre practice – whether you're brand new to puppetry or looking to deepen your skills.

Expect a weekend that’s playful, exploratory, and chilled – all you need is a willingness to play.

TIMETABLE

A more detailed timetable will be available closer to the event but here is a brief overview:

FRIDAY: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
SATURDAY: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
SUNDAY: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

TICKET PRICING

• Non Youth Theatre Ireland Member ticket
  Residential (Workshops, lunches, accommodation provided) = €180
  Non-Residential (Workshop and lunches provided) = €150
  
  
• Youth Theatre Ireland Member ticket
  Residential (Workshops, lunches, accommodation provided) = €150
  Non-Residential (Workshop and lunches provided) = €100

N.B. If you are a Youth Theatre Ireland Member, please email info@youththeatre.ie for a discount link

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Josephine (Jo) Dennehy is a puppeteer and theatre practitioner based in Cork. She joined Activate Youth Theatre in 2008 and has worked in theatre ever since in production, performance and youth theatre in Ireland and internationally. She mainly works in theatre for and with young people and has worked with Activate Youth Theatre and Graffiti Theatre since 2020. She holds a BA and MA in Drama & Theatre Studies and wrote her MA thesis on Puppetry, Politics and Scale. As a puppeteer she trained with the Curious School of Puppetry (UK), in marionette making in Prague, apprenticed with Bread and Puppet Theatre (Vermont, USA) and developed work at Puppet Showplace Theatre (Boston, USA). She loves visual art and making things out of recycled materials. She has puppeteered for film and stage and recently her puppet Rowan has become a local celebrity among the primary schools of Cork. She has facilitated puppetry workshops at the Nation Festival of Youth Theatre and worked as puppetry mentor with Activate Youth Theatre and MAD Youth Theatre. She really really likes puppetry.

You can learn more about Jo's work here - https://jdennehypuppetry.squarespace.com/