Handbendi Brúðuleikhús - Puppetry theatre
Private company
Topics
Sub Topics
Description
Situated in the small village of Hvammstangi in Hunathing vestra, Northwest Iceland, is an award winning professional puppetry and visual theatre company specialising in unique puppet commissions, puppetry direction, and the development of original theatrical productions for national and international touring.
We believe in the rural artist. Our stories are centred around the small, quiet, worlds that tend to go unnoticed. We use sustainable materials in our work and enjoy found objects that have their own stories to tell. We actively promote rural arts and the rural artistic lifestyle and try to approach the world with awe and wonder in everything we do.
Puppet making and consultation
Handbendi specialises in creating unique creatures for theatrical productions. We are also available for puppetry consultation and direction.
We create and produce original work for small-mid scale touring both nationally and internationally. Take a look at our recent and upcoming productions here.
Studio Handbendi
Our studio space in Hvammstangi is open for visitors on select days throughout the year. Check out our open day calendar and stop by the studio for a coffee and to see what we are making. The studio is also home to our youth theatre and artist residency programmes.
Film, TV, and animated shorts
Handbendi occasionally works with film and television professionals to support their productions through puppetry direction, consultancy, and performance. Some recent projects include puppetry work for the Icelandic feature film Lamb, and an episode of season three of Trapped in which our puppets are featured. We have also recently begun creating our own digital content and animated short films to critical acclaim, and even a few new awards!
Projects
Workshops and Youth Programmes
Handbendi regularly leads education workshops in puppet making and performance. These workshops are available year round across the globe. We also lead three local youth programmes - Summer Youth Theatre, Youth Radio Theatre, and our brand new Youth Arts Hub which will launch in the autumn of 2021.
Artist Residency Programme
Each year we offer up to three companies the opportunity to focus on their work in the thunderous silence of Northwest Iceland. The residency programme is best suited for early development work and is tailored to your companies needs and goals. Residencies typically last 2 weeks - 3 months.