Open Call: Micro Cinema Theatre Workshop
Workshop: 01 – 05 June 2026
Location: Hanoi
Deadline for registration: 11:59 PM (GMT+7), Sun 12 Apr 2026
Results Announcement: Tues 05 May 2026
Registration link
From the organizer:
Through the Frame: Puppetry in Motion is a project initiated by ToLo Puppet Theatre, focusing on creatives that combine puppetry / object theatre, camera work, and live performance. The project explores relationships between theatre and moving images, where the boundaries between live performance and the screen become fluid.
SKĐA:XKQMAN unfolds in three phases:
Phase I: Online Seminar (28/02–01/03)
Phase II: Micro Cinema Theatre Workshop (01–05/06)
Phase III: Mini Festival (24–30/08)
As Phase II of Through the Frame: Puppetry in Motion, the workshop creates a space for collective learning, dialogue, and experimentation. The participating artists will then be invited to submit proposals to further develop their ideas for presentation at the MiniFestival in late August.
Besides the group of stage artists, the workshop welcomes archivists and researchers to participate as observers, documenting the working process. This participation aims to broaden the dialogue between performance practice and archival practice, contributing to the development of resources and fostering connections within the interdisciplinary community of practitioners.
About the workshop:
Micro Cinema Theatre could be described as a sort of VISUAL FOLEY, using cameras to blend the technologies of video with the manual skills of object manipulation It’s often used in contemporary puppetry but more recently it’s been seen in concerts, gigs, contemporary dance theatre, it’s even been used by large established companies looking to explore more visual ideas for their shows. The techniques allow creators to devise effects and narratives through a combination of object theatre, live feed video and storytelling. The projected video images can be used simply as an atmospheric background or cleverly integrated into the visual narrative.
If we point little cameras at tiny objects we begin to see extraordinary details and hidden movements that are totally lost to the naked eye.
In this very practical workshop we will keep the technology simple and get straight into the Art by exploring what we find with a live camera and a projector.
By following some simple cinematic principles we will create a fascinating new type of miniature cinema.
Then by combining these discoveries with our more traditional forms of performance, we will find ourselves in the fascinating and beautiful world of Micro Cinema Theatre.
Working in small groups we will
– Play with colour, focus and light.
– Look at action, process and metaphor.
– Build 2 and 3 dimensional spaces and work with collage and diorama.
– Establish the many different ways to integrate the images that we have found with the performance on stage.
– Decide what movements and materials work best for the stories we want to tell.
– And finally add sound and foley and present our work to each other.
Who can apply:
– Individuals or collectives working in theatre, dance, puppetry, film, and other performing arts
– Archival and research practitioners interested in performance processes
About Gavin Glover
Gavin Glover is a British theatre artist and director with over 30 years of international practice. He is co-founder of Faulty Optic (1988–2011) and Potato Room Productions, pioneering companies in the integration of puppetry and video. Gavin’s works often unfold in dark, surreal landscapes for adult audiences, where puppetry merges with cinematic language to tell haunting and emotionally rich stories.
Gavin’s practice focuses on expanding the possibilities of contemporary puppetry and micro-cinema techniques in theatre. He develops bold approaches in which image, object, and movement are treated like living film frames. Notable micro-cinema theatre works include Ode to the Moon, making a shoe, Mister Whippy, Bleak House, The Shark Was Aware of Me.
Alongside his creative work, Gavin has served as coach and designer for major theatres including the National Theatre of Scotland, Citizens Theatre Glasgow, and Abbey Theatre Dublin.
About ToLo Puppet Theatre
ToLo Puppet Theatre is an independent theatre company based in Hanoi, Vietnam. Founded in 2023 by Linh Valerie Pham and Tran Kim Ngoc, TồLô’s artistic practice focuses on magical, unexpected and/or grotesque possibilities that puppetry arts and object theatre can offer.
Their works have been showcased at Treasure Hill Artist Village, Puppetry Art Center of Taipei, Lize Puppet Arts Colony (Taiwan), Pesta Boneka International Puppetry Festival (Indonesia), Goethe Institut Hanoi, Hanoi Children’s Palace, United Nations International School (Vietnam), Asian Youth Theatre Festival (Laos) and notably, Bangkok International Performing Arts Meeting (BIPAM, Thailand).
The Intensive Workshop is organized as part of the Through the Frame: Puppetry in Motion project, supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture 2026 program.
Follow updates on event’s page.
