Handspan Theatre emerged from humble origins in the late 1970s and hit the '80s running with a momentum that carried it through two decades of prolific output, until it ran out of breath early in the new century.
Committed to innovation and experiment, Handspan's roots were in puppetry, where it learnt to communicate ideas in ways more visual than verbal. Integrating a puppetry sensibility with other theatre forms, the company mapped new territory in stagecraft, mixing the animate and the inanimate to develop a hybrid style that tapped the strengths of both.
A touring company, Handspan Theatre devised work for a wide range of audiences and locations, from kindergarten to cabaret, mainstage to street and just once, a swimming pool.
From an original ensemble of six its members and associates came to number several hundred artists and theatre workers, who produced, performed and toured some 75 original works, seen by over 750,000 audience members on 5 continents.
This site documents Handspan Theatre's 25-year lifespan. Scholars, theatre enthusiasts and interested bystanders will find here an abundance of information about the company, its productions and the people who made them.
