Sticks Stones Broken Bones

Forget everything you thought you knew about shadow puppetry and step into an imaginative workshop with Sticks Stones Broken Bones. In a flurry of junk, household items and masking tape, unlikely objects are transformed into expressive, cartoon-like characters and landscapes.

“People immediately get these images in their head of what shadow puppetry must look like… what we do, it’s as different as a guitarist in a folk music band and a guitarist in a heavy metal band,” explained Jeff Achtem, Artistic Director of Bunk Puppets and original creator of ‘Sticks Stones’.

“The clown [and puppeteer] in Sticks Stones is very much seen and is very much part of the show and is very much laughing alongside the audience,” explained Achtem.

After having performed Sticks Stones “several thousand times” over many years and across different countries, Jeff has handed over the reigns to performer Tim Sneddon who will be delighting Sydney audiences with the help of Monkey Baa Theatre.

“It is phenomenal to see how such a simple show has had such legs and travelled so much around the world… I’ve never even been to China, but the show has been there,” explained Jeff. “It’s tremendously rewarding.”

“[The show is] a greeting card and a love letter to a simpler way to play and be entertained,” elaborated Jeff. “It’s lovely when you can completely come out of left field and hit somebody with something they just didn’t know, like that they could use a bag pipe to scuba dive…”

Sticks Stones Broken Bones is internationally acclaimed for entertaining audiences from 5 years to 99 years old. (Parents of younger children need only be aware some moments may startle.)

There is a wonderfully tactile and crafty feel to Bunk Puppets shows, with simple story lines letting the art form itself be the star. (AM)

Jan 20–22, 10:30am + 12:30pm. Lendlease Darling Quarter Theatre, Terrace 3, 1-25 Harbour Street, Sydney. $25 (family and group passes available). Tickets & info: monkeybaa.com.au or 02 8624 9340