Revisit the work of a popular family of puppeteers - Ron and Joan Field's Puppets (1946-2001). The Field Puppets were the first company to perform before the royal children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne. We entertained many stars of stage and screen such as Lauren Bacall, Peter Sellers and Kenneth More. Thousands of children in Blackpool, Scarborough, Bognor, Clacton and Southsea enjoyed our shows and we toured in Scotland with the Pye Radio television train.
London school children had fun and received instruction in Road Safety with marionettes over several years. Special marionettes were also made and performed by the company for the film "Oh What a Lovely War" on Brighton's West Pier.
Daughters Judy and myself Ann followed in the family tradition performing on stage, television and in cabaret - including Cliff Richard's "Saturday Spectacular".
Judy married and had a successful career in teaching as well as being involved in art projects.
I went into Variety as a solo act, sharing the same bill as many stars such as Morecambe and Wise, Hylda Baker, Alma Cogan and Max Miller, that cheeky chappy who on seeing my marionettes at the side of the stage said "What's this all about gal?"
An acting career followed, two films then marriage and two sons. New careers have been teaching, lecturing and writing. I was commissioned to write 'Travelling Nowhere' performed at the Young Vic in 1986. Currently I am a Master NLP Practitioner, make films and am exploring Singing and Stand Up.
The whole family was involved in the making and development of the pilot for the "Telegoons" and I continued as a puppeteer for many of the series episodes.
Ron never retired, he went on to teach sculpture in Adult Education and then used his considerable entrepreneurial skills in various innovative art projects in London.
Joan took up a new career too, but life has moved full circle and we are currently busy with research and reconstructing some of our early productions on video such as 'Cinderella' and 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'The Puppet Circus'.
The art of puppetry is timeless. Puppethouse aims to give an unusual insight into our social history from 1946 to the present through the living art of my own family before it is lost forever.
2002