Puppets are preparing to converge on one of Maitland's most historic homes.
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The characters from Little Red Riding Hood are among the puppets who have already put up their hands up to take part in a very special event - the 30 minute Puppetry Festival in the grounds of Brought House on April 27.
It's a free three hour program broken into 30 minute slots where children can watch, learn and explore all things puppets.
They'll be able to see the Little Red Riding Hood cast in action with Frank's Fantastic Fairy Tale Theatre, make a puppet of their own with community artist Nina Katzmarski and pick up some tips from Curious Legends' professional puppeteers who will be demonstrating how to operate puppets.
The event will run between 10am and 1pm and is focused on being fast and fun.
"The 30 Minute Puppetry Festival is a chance to try a new art form for free," Festival Director Helen Hopcroft said.
"Most families are pretty time-poor, so the 30 minute format is designed to give kids a taster of the various types of puppetry. I'd like to make the 30 Minute Festivals an annual event in Maitland."
Frank Oakes, creator of Frank's Fantastic Fairy Tale Theatre, said puppets were not expensive to make. He said household materials and appliances could easily create a puppet.
He used paper mache techniques to make each face and designed each one to reflect a certain character. He then used cloth to create their clothes.
Mr Oakes first encountered puppets as a child in preschool and has always wanted to work with them, so he is very eager to share his passion with the next generation.
He has even put a modern twist on the ending of the Little Red Riding Hood story.
"It's easy stuff to make, I just gave the paper a good soak and put it in a blender. Then I added the glue and used a bunch of newspaper as the core," Mr Oakes said.
"I was absolutely hooked as a child, but I never did the puppets. Helen and I were talking a year ago and I said I've always wanted to do puppets, let's do it instead of talking about it, and this is the end result.
"I've done about 20 performances so far, not of Red Riding Hood though, this is a new one."
The festival comes after Ms Hopcroft organised a range of art activities through The 30 Minute Arts Festival in the laneway next to the Bikesmith Café.