This December, Peter Morton (Drama and Theatre Studies, 2013) returns to our Canterbury campus to delight audiences with 12 further performances of the ethereal winter tale The Snowsmith at the Gulbenkian Theatre.
Peter is the Artistic Director and Executive Producer at Half a String, a theatre and storytelling company. He specialises in intricate, detailed puppet design and brings objects to life on stage to tell their stories. In previous projects he has told the extraordinary journey through a busy forest from the perspective of a tiny acorn (Breath), followed the quest of a young girl to confront a dragon who had hoarded all the fire and light in the world for himself (Under the Frozen Moon), and used haunting live music to tell the story of a young boy who bottles up his heart and throws it into the sea (A Heart at Sea).
The Snowsmith is no exception. Using puppetry, folk music, and captivating storytelling, the play introduces us to Eira, an inventor who is determined to unite the grumpy town of Thawmor by bringing back the soft white snow that now only blankets the ground in legends.
Although influenced by West End shows like War Horse and Avenue Q, Peter credits Kent – and workshop manager, Sam Westbury, in particular – for enabling him to hone his craft. His relationship with the university continues today, with fellow Kent graduates, Emma Willatts (Drama and Theatre Studies, 2008) and Dorthea Darby (Drama And Theatre, 2019) working alongside him to bring The Snowsmith to life. Dr Oliver Double, Head of Kent’s School of Arts, also sits on the Half a String Board.
Get lost in Half a String’s world of breathtaking puppetry by booking tickets to see The Snowsmith this December to answer the question: will it snow this winter?