At five-years-old, John Lewis visited his first puppet theatre. He learned how to make puppets and decided on his future career. His wife Jackie, who had never seen a puppet in her life, is a children’s writer. The couple merged their talents to become the masterminds of the Puppeteria Theatre, home to the Jeral Puppets company.
With two theatre locations (Randwick and Castle Cove), Jakie and John get bragging rights to the city’s only puppet chain, as well as the country’s oldest puppet company (they’ve been running for 44 years). The couple have devised unique children’s shows, design and make all the puppets, and have even roped their son Nicholas into the business with a preschool show.
Much of the Puppeteria’s clientele is parents who first attended a show in their own childhood. “On average two-thirds of the crowd are familiar faces,” says John. “The shows change monthly, so people are keen to see what comes next.”
The theatre sure has character – over 1,000 to be exact – and performances run mid-week, at the weekend and during the school holidays.