FIFE BUSINESS TAKES LEAD ROLE IN PROMOTIONAL FILM

  • Company:
  • Clydebuilt Theatre Ltd
  • Contact:
  • Leigh McCalister
  • Steven Smart

Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre Ltd is Scotland’s leading puppet company who tour extensively across the UK and overseas.

Their puppet animation performances are enjoyed by schools, theatres, festivals, and village halls with each show adapted to suit the different audience and venue.

Now, with help from Business Gateway Fife, Clydebuilt have produced a promotional film thanks to an £800 grant to help finance it. Clydebuilt-Theatre-Ltd---Pe

Leigh McCalister and her husband, Steven Smart, are the owners and directors of Clydebuilt: “We are an established company, having started up in 1987, but we’re always looking for new ways to improve and expand and the film is a visual marketing tool which we’ll use to reach and attract new audiences. It’s the perfect medium to showcase what we do.

“Create in Fife pointed us towards Business Gateway Fife who helped us secure 50% of the funding for the promotional film. Our business adviser, Celia, has been a great source of advice and support. We are very excited to get our work on film as this format is becoming an essential marketing tool. It is now on our website and Facebook page and goes out with all our emails and marketing products.

The film company were able to work closely with us to produce not only one promotional film, but also several short one minute pieces of four current touring productions,” said Leigh.

Celia Sinclair of Business Gateway Fife added: “It’s been fascinating to work with such a creative enterprise. The shows Clydebuilt take into schools open an avenue of performance which some children might otherwise not see. The shows have an educational as well as entertainment benefit and it’s good to know they will be increasing their tours locally across Fife schools. Leigh and Steve are aiming to expand their overseas audience having already enjoyed successful trips to Germany, Dubai and China, and Business Gateway Fife looks forward to supporting their future ambitions.”

Leigh became interested in puppet theatre when she was studying textile design at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. Steve was working as a puppeteer having grown up steeped in the craft as his parents had their own puppet theatre company. The pair met during Scotland’s annual Puppet Animation Festival which resulted in a business and personal partnership. After marrying they settled in Glasgow where they set up Clydebuilt but, a top storey tenement wasn’t ideal for storing large props, so they moved to Strathmiglo in Fife which provided more space and, being close to the M90 motorway, was perfect for touring.

“We love all the shows we do but one of our most successful touring shows is Peter and the Wolf.
This is large scale production which shows off Steve’s excellent manipulation skills as he manoeuvres the life sized wolf around the stage. We do a lot of work with schools and children really enjoy the performances and they learn a lot from our portrayal of classical myths and historical stories,” said Leigh.

“We tour to schools all over the country because that is the best way to reach children. A lot of young people have no opportunities to see this kind of theatre so we want to bring it to them. We also hold workshops directly after each performance so the children can get involved by creating their own puppets to take home. It’s about letting children use their imagination.

An excellent introduction to puppetry is the Puppet Animation Festival which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary. It runs from 29 March to 19 April and is the UK's largest annual performing arts event for children. With over 150 events planned at venues across Scotland we’re looking forward to being part of an incredible programme of puppet theatre and animation. Next up is a tour of Ireland in May and June is always a busy month as schools prepare to close for summer. July sees us at the Viking Festival in Wick and, with many other activities planned, Clydebuilt continues to go from strength to strength,” said Leigh.

For more information on Clydebuilt Theatre Ltd please visit www.clydebuiltpuppet.co.uk.

Find out how Business Gateway Fife can help your business by visiting http://www.bgateway.com/local-offices/fife or calling 01592 858 333.

Alternatively, please visit www.bgateway.com or call 0845 609 6611.