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Exciting, funny, colourful, fast-paced, engaging and even
educational - those are some of the words that school teachers have used to
describe the KiSs Puppet Team and their 'Muppet-style' puppet shows!
Started in 2000, KiSs stands for 'Kensington in Schools'. All our puppeteers are
volunteers who regularly attend Kensington Baptist Church and who give their
time freely because they enjoy what they do and want to make the age-old stories
and message of the Bible accessible to new audiences.
The team write, record and edit their own scripts, using the GWR radio studios
for final production (one of our team is the programme manager for GWR). We also
make all our own props, including many of the puppets. KiSs has therefore very
quickly earned a reputation locally for both the quality and exuberance of their
shows.
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You really have to see one to believe it! They include
contemporary music (and our own puppet band!) as well as fast-paced
age-appropriate jokes and banter, usually between a standard set of
characters we use in each performance so that the children 'get to know
them'. |
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KiSs was started as a service for local schools, to bring a
new and positive approach to the 'compulsory worship' element of the
National Curriculum. It is a testimony to the sensitivity and clarity of our
scripts that every school KiSs has performed in has invited us back. |
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While our main 'target audience' are primary school children
in years 3-6 (our scripts are 'pitched' for this age group) we have also
performed in the children's ward in Frenchay Hospital and at various local
churches around Bristol. It's these local churches that largely subsidise
our expenses. We do not charge schools for performances, but we do ask for a
contribution from church groups. |
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The team needs no more than 30 minutes to set up the stage
and dismantle it after a performance and has a strict dress code including a
'uniform' of sorts. We don't want to be outdone by the puppets after all!
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If you would like to know more about the KiSs puppet team or arrange a booking,
we would love to hear from you! Because all our puppeteers are volunteers we
have limited slots during the week but can usually accommodate most times.
Please contact Rosemary through the
Church
Office.
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