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Toby Olié

@tobyolie

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Director • Designer • Puppeteer
Author of 'Puppetry: A Backstage Guide'
Co-Founder @puppetryinmtn

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'A Robot in the Garden' trailer

We have one week left of rehearsals for Shiki Theatre Company's musical adaptation of Deborah Install's beloved book.

In a world of sophisticated androids, Tang is a battered little robot who's found by Ben, a man stuck in a rut. Together they set off on a mission to find Tang's owner, and along the way unwittingly change each other for the better.

This is my first time working on the project in person, as due to COVID travel restrictions I designed and directed the project's puppetry over Zoom in 2020 and 2021.

The three teams of puppeteers who share the role of Tang are doing extraordinary work, alongside the incredible cast, crew, creatives and production team at Shiki.

#robotinthegarden #ロボット #ロボットインザガーデン #robotdesign #cuterobot by @tobyolie

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2 days ago

🫧 Ursula in Action 🫧

Here's a glimpse at our two sea witches in Disney's The Little Mermaid at the Maihama Amphitheatre in Tokyo.

I was a huge fan of the original animated movie growing up, and I made my first puppet of Ursula out of cardboard when I was 10 years old.
So getting to design and direct her as a hybrid of actor and puppet for this stage adaptation was a childhood dream come true.

The hard work, attention to detail, and sense of imagination from both teams was so inspiring. We managed to explore and evolve so much of Ursula's original 2013 staging for this new revival.

📷 1:
🐙 Aya Shiozaki as Ursula
with Kodai Takahashi, Shuhei Mineyama, Soma Terao, Yu Kobayashi, Satoshi Nakamura, Hikaru Taguchi.
🧜‍♀️Shion Tanihara as Ariel
Photo by Akihito Abe

📷 2:
🐙 Ai Tsunekawa as Ursula
with Katsushi Miyamoto, Ryo Sukesada, Asuki Nakanishi, Kazuya Akiyama, Tomone Hasebe, Yusaku Matsumoto
🦠 Tomoyuki Suzuki & Haruki Oda as Flotsam & Jetsam
Photo by Takeshi Arai

#thelittlemermaid #littlemermaid #リトルマーメイド #ursulatheseawitch #disneyonbroadway by @tobyolie

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a month ago

📣 Happy publication day 📣

My paperback, pocket-sized baby is released worldwide today. Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered it, and those who bought it early from the NT Bookshop.

Having grown up passionate about puppetry and being inspired by the handful of books I could find on the subject, I always wondered if one day I might write a book of my own to encourage others.

Thanks to Sarah Corke at the National Theatre and Anna Brewer at Bloomsbury Publishing that day has come, in the form of the puppetry volume of their Backstage Guide series.

Available via the link in my bio or (hopefully) wherever you usually buy your books from!

📚

About the Book:

From the creator of some of the world's most iconic puppetry shows comes this National Theatre Backstage Guide to the craft.

With a focus on the processes within each stage of creation and the key roles involved, the book offers insights into:

- the benefits of using puppetry in your performance;
- how to research and design your puppets;
- how to perform with a puppet, from the technical considerations to the character acting;
- how to maintain your puppet and even repair it during a production;
- how to pursue a career in puppetry

Drawing on both his experience working at the National Theatre on productions such as Pinocchio and War Horse, the author supplements his own experience with contributions from other notable figures in puppetry, such as Fred Davis, Daisy Beattie, Audrey Brisson and Sarah Wright.

Photos of puppets, from prototypes to final designs, are included.

This is a unique opportunity to learn the principles of puppetry from someone who has worked extensively in the field across theatre, musicals, opera and dance.

📚

#puppetry #puppetmaking #puppetrytraining #dramateachers #bloomsbury by @tobyolie

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2 months ago

🎶It won't cost much, just your voice!🎶

To commemorate The Little Mermaid in Tokyo I gave Ursula the Sea Witch a makeover for my opening night cards.

Swapping out the original animation's black and purple palette for our puppet's purple and acid yellow colour scheme.

This was collaged entirely by hand from a range of printed textures and images, swipe through ➡️ to see the original artwork before scanning.

#thelittlemermaid #littlemermaid #リトルマーメイド #ursulatheseawitch #collageart by @tobyolie

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2 months ago

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2 months ago

Feeling extremely honoured and excited to have joined the ranks of the Prescribed Practitioners used by AQA in their curriculum, which is home to most of my theatre-making heroes.

From September 2026, my work will be an option to those studying Drama for A-level who wish to work in puppetry for their devised and theatre making components. Exploring practice, methods, style and collaboration while creating theatre.

I always strive to share as much about process as possible on Instagram, but this is a very wonderful nudge to share more and encourage emerging artists to choose puppetry in their studies.

#dramateachers #aleveldrama #puppetrytraining #puppetry #dramateachersofinstagram by @tobyolie

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3 months ago

Take a look at the new puppets being made for Disney's The Little Mermaid when the show opens at the Maihama Amphitheatre in Tokyo next month.
🐠
Because of the venue's distinctive semi-circular stage, many of the puppets I designed for the original 2013 production are being given new staging.
🪼
Working with the astonishing Shiki Theatre Company props team is always a thrill as they are so talented and meticulous with their craft.
🦀
#thelittlemermaid #littlemermaid #リトルマーメイド #puppet #puppetmaking by @tobyolie

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3 months ago

11 Dec - 10 Jan
Royal Shakespeare Company

The Bear and the Piano
by David Litchfield
adapted by Toby Olié & Tom Brady

More information and ticket booking via the link in my bio

🎶

Director & Puppetry Co-Designer: Toby Olié
Music: Tom Brady
Set & Costume Designer: Jean Chan
Puppetry Co-Designer: Daisy Beattie
Lighting Designer: Jessica Hung Han Yun
Sound Designer: Johnny Edwards
Associate Director: Katie Haygarth

Cast: Ailsa Dalling, Elisa de Grey, Ashton Owen, Ben Thompson, Shaofan Wilson

A Royal Shakespeare Company and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre co-production

🎶

In a clearing, deep in the forest, sits a mysterious object. Fresh out of hibernation, a young bear cub encounters this strange thing. Bear prods, pushes and presses at the mysterious object. It replies with beautiful sounds: he is making music!

Soon Bear's melodies draw creatures from every corner of the forest to listen. When some passing humans witness this extraordinary spectacle, they persuade Bear to join them on an incredible journey to the city to share his gift with the world.

David Litchfield's beloved book has been translated into 37 languages and sold over 800,000 copies worldwide. Now it comes to life on stage for the first time, in this wordless adaptation that combines captivating puppetry and breathtaking music.

For anyone aged three and over who dreams big

#thebearandthepiano #davidlitchfield #illustrationanimation #puppetry #royalshakespearecompany by @tobyolie

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4 months ago

In a clearing, deep in the forest, sits a mysterious object. Fresh out of hibernation, a young bear cub finds the strange thing… 🐻🎹

He prods, pushes, taps and presses and suddenly he is making music! Soon Bear’s melodies draw creatures and humans alike to witness this extraordinary spectacle and persuade him to share his incredible gift with the world.

David Litchfield’s beloved illustrated story of curiosity, creativity and courage now, for the first time, comes to life on stage in a co-production between the RSC and @regentsparkoat

This uplifting and wordless adaptation by Toby Olié and Tom Brady fills the intimate setting of The Other Place with captivating puppetry and breathtaking music.

For anyone aged 3 and over who dreams big 🎶

Cast includes:
Ben Thompson, Ailsa Dalling, Elisa de Grey, Shaofan Wilson, Ashton Owen

Creative team includes:
Writer @david_c_litchfield, adapted by @tobyolie and @tombrady_music, Director and Puppetry Co-Designer Toby Olié, Music Tom Brady, Set and Costume Designer Jean Chan, Puppetry Co-Designer Daisy Beattie, Lighting Designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, Sound Designer @johnnycharlesedwards, Casting Director Christopher Worrall CDG, Associate Director @katiehaygarth_puppeteer

Illustration by David Litchfield

#RoyalShakespeareCompany An illustration showing a brown bear, wearing a black suit, sitting at a wooden piano in a forest setting with blue and green tones. Text above the bear reads “A Co-Production with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, The Bear and the Piano, by David Litchfield, Adapted by Toby Olié and Tom Brady. by @tobyolie

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4 months ago

🚨 Spirited Away world tour announced 🚨

After sell out residencies in Tokyo, London, Shanghai and Seoul, our award winning stage adaptation of Spirited Away is embarking on a world tour.

Taiwan 🇹🇼
National Theatre, Taipei
16 Dec 2026 - 31 Jan 2027

Japan 🇯🇵
Meijixa Theatre, Tokyo
Touring to Aichi, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo
Mar - Aug 2027

Canada 🇨🇦
Princess of Wales Theatre, Toronto
06 May - 15 Aug 2027

North America 🇺🇸
Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles
02 Sep - 24 Oct 2027

United Kingdom 🇬🇧
The Coliseum, London
From Mar 2028

For more information, visit the Spirited Away on Stage website via the link in my bio

#spiritedaway #千と千尋の神隠し #studioghibli #kaonashi #noface by @tobyolie

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4 months ago

For those who asked 'What puppetry books inspired you growing up?' in response to my own book being published.

You can now swipe through to see a rundown of some of the books I've accumulated since childhood that continue to inspire me.

➡️➡️➡️

#puppetbook #puppetbooks #puppetmaking #theatrebooks

The Knowhow Book of Puppets
by Usbourne Publishing

The book from which I learnt to make my first puppet, originally borrowed from my school's library in the early 90s. I was eventually given my own copy for Christmas, after borrowing the school copy for so long!

Julie Taymor: Playing with Fire
by Eileen Blumenthal & Julie Taymor

An amazing career retrospective of the director and puppet co-designer of The Lion King stage musical. It was such a formative show in my teenage years, so seeing the depth and breadth of her work and ideas was extremely inspiring.

The Muppets Make Puppets
by Cheryl Henson & The Muppet Workshop

A wonderfully creative and playful book, encouraging you to repurpose or recycle household items or packaging into very characterful puppets. The book itself originally came packaged with a host of feathers, fabrics, eyes and other materials to use in your making.

Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects
by John Bell

This was on my reading list when studying puppetry at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. An interesting assortment of academic essays and interviews, many of which I referenced in my final dissertation.

Handspring Puppet Company
by David Krut Publishing

An extremely generous and inspiring retrospective of the work of the South African puppet company, charting their productions from long before War Horse. So many beautiful photos, sketches and observations, as well as a deep dive into their ethos of how best to animate puppets.

Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal
by Karen Falk

I'm obsessed with books about other people's sketchbooks, and this incredible example showcases Jim Henson's personal journals from 1954 - 1988. See the humble, doodled beginnings of so many famous puppet characters, as well as his original pitch documents for The Muppet Show and many other works.

Rod Puppets and Table-Top Pupp by @tobyolie

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4 months ago

🚨 AVAILABLE NOW🚨

Ahead of its official release on 3rd September, I was so excited to learn that my book 'Puppetry: A Backstage Guide' is available to buy now, both online and in person via @ntbookshop

Having been inspired to make my first puppet at the age of six by a book from my school's library, it always felt like a fun pipedream to one day write a book of my own.
Now thanks to support and encouragement from the publishing team at the National Theatre and Bloomsbury/Methuen that fun pipedream has become a printed abx bound reality!

The Backstage Guide series of books are so informative, offering an immediate perspective on the craft, creative process and collaboration across so many disciplines of theatre-making.
It was a challenge and an honour to try and encompass as much as possible about working as an artist within puppetry. As well as including Q&As with some of my most treasured friends and colleagues.

I hope it proves an insightful, interesting read whether you're on a puppetry career path or otherwise.

#puppetdesign #puppetdirector #puppetmaking #puppeteer #puppetbook by @tobyolie

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4 months ago