INFUSE 2026 ARTIST DEVELOPMENT SUMMER RESIDENCY

DANCE, PUPPETRY

AND OBJECT THEATRE

WITH THEATRE RITES

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

6TH - 10TH JULY - CHISENHALE DANCE SPACE
5 days, 10am - 5pm
£280 (subsidised from £600)

INFUSE Artist Development Programme returns this summer with one of the UK's most pioneering theatre companies, Theatre-Rites, led by world-renowned puppetry expert Dr Sue Buckmaster.

Combining movement, puppetry, object manipulation and dramaturgy, exploring the territory where the dancer's body meets the animated object.

Theatre-Rites has built an international reputation as a field leader in object-led performance for over 30 years, creating beautiful and thought-provoking theatre that tackles complex subjects from the refugee crisis and the climate emergency to neuroscience and cultural heritage.

Their work has been commissioned by Sadler's Wells, The Barbican, Manchester International Festival, Schauspielhaus Bochum, Salzburg Festival and the Ruhrtriennale Festival as well as developing many cross-artform collaborations, working with dancers, puppeteers, sculptors, animators, composers and choreographers including Akram Khan and, most recently, South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma on Return to the Forest (Factory International / Sadler's Wells East, 2026).

"If you were to make a list of the great British theatre companies… Theatre-Rites would be up there."‍ ‍
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

DANCE, PUPPETRY AND OBJECT THEATRE

INFUSE your practice with Dance with Puppetry and Object Theatre, joining Sue Buckmaster and the Theatre-Rites team for a week-long deep dive into movement, puppetry and the relationship between the visible performer and the animated object.

Drawing on Theatre-Rites' decades of object-led practice, participants will embark on a generous and rigorous week exploring what a dancer needs to focus on when performing alongside a puppet or object, working with presence, focus, manipulation technique, and the use of poetic metaphor to build movement that resonates beyond language.

The week will introduce a wide range of puppetry styles, including three-person operated figures, and will invite dancers to consider how the object can become a true co-performer rather than a prop.

INFUSE will add new resources to your toolbox, enhancing your practice and so you will be encouraged to interrogate, share, adapt as well as absorb and transform the work.

Across the residency you can expect to be nurtured, uplifted and challenged in your own making, creative practice and ultimately energised in your artistic decision making.

INFUSE ARTIST

DR SUE BUCKMASTER

Sue Buckmaster is the Artistic Director of Theatre-Rites and a world-renowned puppetry expert who has spent three decades pioneering object-led theatre for young audiences and adults alike.

Her company life has always run alongside delivering training, mentoring and dramaturgy, working with companies and artists across the UK and internationally to develop their relationship with the animated object.

Sue is the fifth generation of theatre practitioners in her family, inheriting her love of puppetry from her father, a professional puppeteer. She holds an MA in Contemporary Theatre Practice from the University of Essex, including a thesis on the Psychoanalytical Study of the Power of the Puppet, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University in 2018 in recognition of her inspiring leadership in theatre direction and puppetry.

Since co-founding the company's artistic vision in 1996, Sue has directed over 30 theatre and site-specific productions for Theatre-Rites. She has worked extensively as a Puppetry Director outside of the company, including on The Caucasian Chalk Circle with Simon McBurney at the National Theatre, and on productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Young Vic, Lyric Hammersmith and Complicité.

Sue's collaboration with Akram Khan Company produced Chotto Desh and Chotto Xenos, versions of his award-winning solos reimagined for young audiences, and she is currently directing Return to the Forest, a co-production with Factory International and co-commissioned by Sadler's Wells East, created with South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma. She is an advisor to Sadler's Wells, Polka Theatre and Schauspielhaus Bochum, and works closely with a pool of Associate Artists including Puppetry Director and Dramaturg Rachel Warr.

ASSISTANT FACILITATOR

RACHEL WARR

Rachel Warr is an award-winning theatre director and dramaturg specialising in puppetry, and a long-standing Theatre-Rites Associate Artist.

Trained in dance, mime and mask before turning to puppetry, Rachel works across rod, shadow, light, string, glove, object and Bunraku-inspired forms, creating performances that draw together a wide range of materials, music and text.

Her productions have been presented at venues across the UK including the Barbican Centre, the New Wolsey Theatre and Little Angel Theatre, and have represented the UK at international festivals in Singapore, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Norway, Romania and the Netherlands. She is currently collaborating with theatre companies in Romania and with Canadian object theatre company La Pire Espèce.

Rachel is the Artistic Director of Dotted Line Theatre, the company she founded in 2012, and a former Artistic Associate of Little Angel Theatre. Alongside her productions she leads regular workshops on writing for visual theatre and puppetry, and is a guest tutor at several London drama schools.

Her practice extends well beyond the rehearsal room. Rachel is engaged in a number of cross-disciplinary collaborations and research projects, including work with surgical teams, clinicians and GPs exploring parallels between the skillsets required in medicine and puppetry; with a bio-scientist and a magician investigating ways of communicating embodied knowledge; and with product designers exploring kinaesthetic empathy. She is a member of the Art Workers' Guild and is currently a Research Fellow at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

"Theatre-Rites are pioneers in the field of object-led and site-specific performance.
Anything can be animated."

★★★★

"This is, no two ways about it, an astonishing piece of theatre… handled with such nuance and sophistication that it teaches adults a thing or two as well."

WhatsOnStage (on The Welcoming Party)

★★★★★

"An absolute triumph."

The Scotsman (on Chotto Desh)

★★★★

"Beautiful, clever, creative, chilling and thought-provoking theatre."

British Theatre Guide (on The Welcoming Party)

Get a taste of Theatre Rites in this brilliant video from Factory International

★★★★

"A playful, uplifting, deceptively simple dance confection…with an appealing, infectious energy and a clear message about the power of play."

The Reviews Hub (on The Global Playground)

Dates

6TH - 10TH JULY
10am - 5pm
Chisenhale Dance
Space
London
E3 5QZ

Price

Standard Price for a week residency £600+

INFUSE Residency - £280

APPLICATIONS OPEN

Applications take around 10 minutes

Places are offered on a rolling basis

The residency will be a unique opportunity to receive nurturing and development at an accessible price. Led by Sue Buckmaster and Theatre-Rites the workshop will focus on the relationship between performer and object, building presence, manipulation technique and poetic metaphor across an uplifting, rigorous and exciting week.

  • INFUSE is specifically targeted at established and working artists who wish to develop their practice and is heavily subsidised to make it an accessible and affordable training opportunity.

    Anyone working within the creative industries with a passion for movement and performance practices is welcome to apply, priority will be given to those who demonstrate why this is would be useful for them.

  • Applications will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and we expect the workshop to sell out quickly.

    Key dates

    • 5 May – Applications open

    • 15 May – Round 1 places offered (we expect to be full at this point)

    • 29 May – Round 2 places offered

    • 26 June – Returns and waiting list places offered

    • 6–10 July – INFUSE residency week

    INFUSE is heavily subsidised to make it an accessible opportunity for those working in the arts.

    Applications are via a simple online form, with the option to upload a short video or voice recording as part of your submission.

  • Successful applicants will be informed within 14 days of their application and can confirm their place by paying the full amount.

    Confirmation of your place will be acknowledged upon receipt of the full amount. You can reserve your place by paying a deposit of £120 and set up a payment plan for the remainder which must be paid 14 days prior to the residency.

    If this is still a barrier please get in touch.

  • Babel means ‘the sound of many things’ through collaborative, radically inclusive spaces, we amplify underrepresented voices, providing creatives a platform to share their stories with the world.

    We strongly encourage applications from Black, global majority, working-class, neurodivergent and LGBTQI+ participants and we will be responsive to any information on what you need to be present in the space.

    We have reserved 50% places for Black and Brown participants

    Unfortunately Chisenhale Dance Space is not accessible via a lift, so if this is a necessity for you please get in touch with us.

If you have any questions or would like a chat about your application you can reach out to Joseph on hello@babeltheatre.co.uk