One of the stars of the new adult cabaret show

ILLUSIONS

...where the past and the impossible mix with fantasy...

ILLUSIONS is the perfect entertainment at your party, function or event.

Welcome... to Daniel Jarrett's Grandan Puppets, based in Sydney Australia.

Puppet theatre is a triple craft- it is about the crafting of the puppets and the set. It is about the skill of operating the marionette suspended on the string in a convincing and lifelike way. Lastly, it is about theatre and communication with the audience. In short, it is the creation of magic.

At the Grandan Puppets, we put a different slant on puppetry by getting our marionettes to act out plays and stories for adults (and children) in a very theatrical and traditional way.

In other words, it's as much about "theatre" as it is about puppets.

Although puppets do comedy very well- it's not always funny, because puppets can also perform drama too and it can be achingly real.

Puppets are an integral part of many cultures and have been entertaining people since the earliest times. They are created in many forms – from the hand and rod puppets to shadow puppets and string puppets, even water puppets and combinations of those already mentioned. Each puppet is an individual with its own characteristics just as an actor or actress. Often, they do things an actor can't do, like shed limbs or explode!

In today's world the sophistication and capability of technology enables us to enjoy movies with special effects and in theme parks, animatronics continues to entertain and fascinate enormous numbers of people. When people are captivated by these entertainments, few might realise that they are in fact, being entertained by puppets or concepts that are nothing less than sheer puppetry.

Long before "Muppets" they were always, puppets.

When were you last captivated by a puppet?

It may have been more recently than you realise.

Just as there are many different types of puppets in the world, so too there are many different types of puppet shows. Often one show may be performed utilising a combination of different types of puppets to fulfil the demands of the story that is being told – or to achieve a specific effect.

Unlike many puppet troupes, The Grandan Puppets does not specifically create shows solely for children - instead, they are designed as general entertainments to be enjoyed by people of all ages. Certainly, many of the stories may be old and some of them even based on fairy tales e.g. "Little Red Riding Hood" but don't be fooled- there may be more to the story than you think!

Using a variety of "types" of puppets, it is also intended to integrate modern technics into some of the shows – to add a new dimension and enhance the experience, while always maintaining the traditions and magic of age-old puppetry, and not losing it to "over-sophistication".

For this reason, "the look & feel" of individual shows (and the style of puppets) may vary somewhat, because each one is designed to produce its own style and effect.