Newcastle Puppetry Festival Cancelled Amid Arts Funding Woes

Newcastle Puppetry Festival Axed Amid Broader Arts Funding Challenges

The seventh edition of the Newcastle Puppetry Festival, scheduled for April, has been axed after Moving Parts Arts failed to secure an Arts Council England grant (BBC, Yahoo). "We've seen puppetry organisations and festivals up and down the country closing in the last five years, so from that perspective we're very driven to keep pushing ahead. Even though it's a rocky road and we just hope that next year we'll have a better result," said Kerrin Tatman (BBC, Yahoo). The arts organization had been running the Newcastle Puppetry Festival since 2017, establishing it as a cultural fixture in the region (BBC). The festival's cancellation comes despite extensive preparation, with Moving Parts Arts having worked on this year's funding application for approximately a year and receiving applications from more than 250 artists across the world eager to participate (BBC, Yahoo). The festival's biggest event - a puppet parade through Newcastle's center - will not take place this year (BBC, Yahoo). Last year's parade featured the theme "Toon Underground," showcasing the festival's creative direction and community engagement (BBC, Yahoo). An Arts Council England spokesperson acknowledged the difficult funding landscape, stating: "There is strong competition for our funds and our budgets are limited. Unfortunately, this means that we have to make difficult decisions and we receive more good applications than we are able to support" (BBC, Yahoo). This competitive environment has forced arts organizations like Moving Parts Arts to adapt their programming and seek alternative funding sources. Despite this setback, Moving Parts Arts confirmed it would not be deterred from applying for funding again next year (BBC, Yahoo). "I think this is a reflection of the general funding landscape for arts organisations, right from individual artists up to much larger organisations than ours," noted Kerrin Tatman, Artistic Director (BBC, Yahoo). This perspective highlights the systemic nature of funding challenges facing the arts sector. While the main festival has been cancelled, funding from other supporters will enable Moving Parts Arts to deliver its Easter Holiday program of activities, which will include the first puppet film festival at Tyneside Cinema and a week of puppet-making workshops (BBC, Yahoo). This demonstrates the organization's commitment to maintaining some programming despite the funding shortfall. The organization is also moving forward with plans to open a permanent home for the festival in an abandoned AA call center in Elswick (BBC). This new space will allow for more community workshops as well as additional performances (BBC), potentially providing a more sustainable foundation for the festival's future iterations. The importance of the festival to the local community is evident in how many of the puppets had been created in workshops held in schools, care homes, and with community groups (BBC). These puppets "represent the love and creativity of so many children and members of our community" (BBC), underscoring the festival's role in fostering community engagement and creative expression. The challenges facing Moving Parts Arts extend beyond funding issues. Recently, their new puppet theatre space was vandalized just days after reaching its fundraising target (BBC). This incident highlights the additional obstacles arts organizations must overcome beyond securing financial support. "And whilst we're biased and would like arts council to fund us, they are making very difficult decisions with the resources they have at the moment. So we do appreciate that it was a difficult decision," Tatman acknowledged (BBC, Yahoo). This statement reflects an understanding of the broader context in which funding decisions are made, even as the organization deals with the consequences of those decisions. The situation facing the Newcastle Puppetry Festival exemplifies the precarious position of many arts organizations in the current funding landscape. As puppetry organizations and festivals close across the country, as noted by Tatman (BBC, Yahoo), the resilience demonstrated by Moving Parts Arts in continuing some programming and planning for future applications represents a common adaptation strategy in the sector. The organization's commitment to establishing a permanent space and continuing to apply for funding suggests a long-term vision despite short-term setbacks. This approach may provide a model for other arts organizations facing similar funding challenges in an increasingly competitive environment.