Flying with Strings
Marionette Theatre 

History of the Company

Flying with Strings MT was founded in 2020 when Sarah was awarded a DYCP grant by Arts Council England. This funded the development of her marionette making and culminated in the creation of three bird marionettes that now feature in her first show (of the same name). The puppets were exhibited later that year at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen’s annual members’ exhibition, where they were awarded the President’s Prize by sculptor Peter Randall Page RA.

A film of Flying with Strings was commissioned by MAKE Southwest (formerly the Devon Guild of Craftsmen) for their 2021 puppetry exhibition Art,Craft and Imagination: a Peep into the World of Puppets (curated by John Roberts). A second film was commissioned and produced by Villages in Action in 2023 as part of their Active Care Homes through the Arts project.

The live show of Flying with Strings has toured to a diverse range of settings including puppetry festivals in Beverley, Newcastle and Smethwick. In 2024 Flying with Strings partnered with Libraries Unlimited and began delivering their work to libraries in Devon, accompanied by a craft workshop for families.

Artist Biographies

Sarah Vigars - Puppet maker / Puppeteer
Sarah is a puppet maker and puppeteer with a specialism in marionette making. Her work combines traditional woodcarving practices with current innovations in design. She makes puppets for small-scale theatre, street theatre and participatory projects. In 2023 marionette making was added to the Heritage Crafts Association’s ‘Red List of Endangered Crafts'. Sarah is proud to be one of Britain’s few remaining marionette makers and operators.

Louis Bingham - Composer / Musician
Louis is a musician specialising in fretted string instruments such as cittern, tambura and bouzouki. His music takes in elements from the Celtic fringes of Europe, from Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Louis works as an instrumental teacher and workshop leader, and in a number of social care settings, primarily through the music outreach charity Live Music Now and the Memory Cafe network.