Wattle & Daub is a Bristol-based puppetry and visual theatre company. We play with strange structures, striking visual imagery and the interconnections of puppet and puppeteer. Through exploring the ways in which humans bring life to puppets, masks and other performing objects, we are committed to creating theatre that audiences find magical, inspirational and transformative.
Laura Purcell Gates has designed and performed with puppets throughout the US and UK including with Michael Sommers of Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis, and with WDFT in the UK. She trained with Giovanni Fusetti and the Ecole Philippe Gaulier, and has taught theatre, voice, devising, and puppetry in workshops throughout the US and UK as well as for institutions including the University of Bristol, Bath Spa University, the University of Minnesota, and the University of St Thomas. She has directed and performed throughout the US with such companies as Shakespeare and Company, Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company and Jon Ferguson Theater, and was a founding member of Stilettos and Straps Cabaret.
Tobi Poster-Su is a theatre-maker, writer and performer who specialises in devised, cross-disciplinary work. He trained at École Philippe Gaulier and Bretton Hall and has studied puppetry with Sue Buckmaster and Neville Tranter. Tobi has directed puppetry for shows including Tom Morris’ adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Bristol Old Vic and Heidi: A Goat’s Tale at the egg. Other companies he has worked with include Fine Chisel and Lost Spectacles. Tobi lectures at Bath Spa and is currently undertaking an AHRC/LAHP-funded PhD at Queen Mary University of London. His research centres on race, puppetry and politically-engaged performance.
