Toy Theatre Sources

TOY THEATRE COMPANY closed 31 December 2004. May re-open soon with a new owner.  For current info e-mail to: [Gigi Sandberg] Great Toy Theatres and plays are available from the following sources. In the United States Fritz Kannik has a quality selection. For special downloads and do-it-yourself projects go to Harry Oudekerk's Journal. [Stephen Langdale] has painstakingly restored many old English theatres and plays and has created many new ones as well.    Click here for his list of offerings and prices.  Orders may be placed on line at: <stephenlangdale@la-colmena.com>.  The phone number is 00 34 95 835 3988 and address is: Calle Callejon de Martinez 7, 18127 Jatar, Granada, España. [Trevor Griffin], in Belper, Derbyshire, UK, has a [New Web Page]  ! ! ! Look for an eight-page essay on The History of Toy Theatre, five pages of Directions for Building Stages, and a Catalog of published sheets of  Great theatres and Plays.  This is a super comprehensive site and features FREE DOWNLOADS!!!!!     Sells German and Danish Theatres and Plays....and Builds the Theatres to order With the greatest of pleasure we welcome Fritz & Kathleen Kannik whose Home Page is [http://www.kannikskorner.com].  They live in Springfield, Ohio and are specialists on the subject of historic costuming.  Fritz grew up in Copenhagen and his family had (& he now has) quite a collection of Alfred Jacobsen theatres & plays from Denmark for sale.  He also knows how to build the collapsible stages with the lights, trap doors etc.  He says he would like to assist anyone trying to build one of these stages  (I recently had him build one for me and it is JUST RIGHT). . . AND he can/will do script translations so we can do many more of the Danish plays. . . & use more of their glorious sets and figures!  Fritz is shown at left with a couple of my Toy Theatres on display at the Art Museum in Tampa. (I was thrilled to get this photo since I couldn't get to Tampa)

[Pollock's Toy Museum], 1 Scala Street, London W1P 1LT;  Not currently being operated as a store.  See their listing as a museum.  The old website that was the store for so many years by Barry Clarke and Gabrielle Warden is still available for visitors to view in the Memories Category.

Benjamin Pollock's Toy Shop, 44 The Market, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8RF. Tel/Fax: +44(0)2073797880.  Answering machine: +44(0)2073797866.  Owned and operated by Peter Baldwin, prominent British actor and author of Toy Theatres of the World.  * * * See new web site: [www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk] * * *       e-mail: [l.heard@virgin.net]

Pollidor's Papier Curiosa], Bahnhofstrasse 10, D 24211 Preetz, GERMANY. Dirk Reimers of [Preetzer Papiertheatertreffen] now has a web site at [www.pollidor.de]for his shop and another for [Papiertheater Pollidor] .  e-mail: [dirk.reimers@pollidor.de]  Fon/Fax :  ++49 4342  719932

[Scheuer & Strüver GMBH] ,  Jollassesteig 4-8, 22303 Hambuirg, GERMANY. Mainly card and scale models but in sub-page [SHOP] the table of contents includes [Theater] under Play&Entertainment.They show theaters, plays and scenes from Urania, Schreiber, and Pollock's. Telefon: 040 / 69 65 79 0  Fax: 040 / 69 65 79 79 e-mail:[vertrieb@scheuer-struever.de]

Priors Dukketheatre, Kobmagerade 52, 2'th, 1150 Kopenhagen K. DENMARK.  Offers a fine selection of Jacobsen Theatres and Plays    Priors is on line at [http://www.priors.dk]

Check [http://www.wheathampstead.net/tinsel/] for a listing of sheets by Mr. Joe Hope, including the Nelson theatre shown at left, and the Hippodrome Theatre, Norwich. Also scenes and characters for seven shows, some not complete.  e-mail inquiries to:  [ tinsel@wheathampstead.net ]

Sean Martin is a stage designer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada who uses computer models - virtual reality - in his work.  He is also a toy theatre enthusiast and he uses his 3-D graphics programs to design and print Toy Theatre Sheets on card, with complete assembly directions.  See his web site at:  [http://hometown.aol.com/atthisstage/toy.html]  for more info.

Sarah Webb has been interested in Toy Theatres since childhood and is now producing her own plays of classic and popular literature for other enthusiasts.  She now also has theatres available for construction.  Contact her for listings and price information at:  e-mail: [ Rachel@rmwebbfreeserve.co.uk]

Model Theatre Builder:

Tony Banfield is a professional model maker/ theatrical scenic artist.  Like so many people now working in theatre he got the bug as a child through toy theatre and went on to become stage designer and scenic artist.  About 15 years ago he was siezed by a desire to use adult skills to make the model theatre he had always wanted as a child.  It is based on a real theatre, London's 'Old Vic'where all the greats of British theatre had performed and which has one of the most perfect and exhuberant mid Victorian interiors.   He has subsequently made 16 versions, two of which live in the USA, two in Switzerland and Norway and the others in the UK.  SeeMore from Tony Banfield .

Swappers:
Are encouraged to access Harry Oudekerk'snew home page, http://members1.chello.nl/~h.oudekerk01/ ] .
He features Trading (not selling) of materials from his collection.   Also he has a toy theatre design to be printed, pasted, and cut out on his web site, for free .

Books:

Ray DaSilva, 58 Shreen Way GILLINGHAM Dorset, SP8 4HT UK.  Telephone/Fax +44 (0) 1747 835 558 Website:  [ www.puppetbooks.co.uk ]  e-mail:  <dasilva@puppetbooks.co.uk> (Takes most credit cards and checks)  He has books (new & used) on all aspects of puppetry including the following: Peter Baldwin's Toy Theatres of the World £19.95 and Robert Poulter's Model Theatre. And new - George Speaight - A Life in Toy Theatre by B. Clarke, D Powell £5.00 And new - Theatre on a tabletop by Kuand-Yu Fong and Stephen Kaplan. £9.60 Closeout of the few remaining Everett reproductions of historic plays and theatres at 40% off : The Miller & His Men (Skelt) £5.50, The corsican Brothers (Green) £3.95, Victorian Theatre with The Waterman (Skelt) £7.50, The Blind Boy (Parks) £3.95. And copies of a new magazine printed in French and English devoted to Toy Theatre. . .  Paper Theatre – Théâtre de Papier by Alain Lecucq £4.95 plus p&p. - Here's the [review] he wrote for Animations.

FOR U.S.  TOY THEATRE BOOK  BUYERS, try also: Puppeteers of America Puppetry Store, 302 W. Latham Street, Phoenix AZ 85003 Telephone  (602)262-2050,  Fax (602)262-2330,  e-mail  [ store@puppeteers.org ]