Flying with Strings
Marionette Theatre 

History of the Company

Flying with Strings MT was founded in 2020 when Sarah was awarded a Develop your Creative Practice 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 Flying with Strings. 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 renowned British sculptor Peter Randall Page RA.

In 2021 the company received two small grants from the Golsoncott Foundation (Exeter) and the Curious School of Puppetry (London) which further aided the development of Flying with Strings into both a live act and a digital film.

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.