The Thief is a small puppet with a human head who directly responded to audience' suggestions for actions whilst attempting to steal their possessions. Realising quite quickly into the interactive performance that the classic ‘hold-up- empty your wallets’ scenario isn’t going to fly, he decides to go along with what the audience are there for - entertainment in order to procure some loot. The Thief asks the audience to suggest characters, scenarios, and challenges to create something original and fully improvised for the viewers. 

 

The piece ends when the Thief comes to terms with the fact he is going to get nothing this evening and determines that ‘Art is Theft After all.’ 

 

I first presented this piece at The Puppetry Scratch Night in June 2019 and received strong feedback. Since then The thief has been performed for LOOP Theatre’s Cabaret De Spook in October and for Spangled Cabaret.

 

Here is some feedback below:

“Haven't seen anything like it before! Quite a cool concept”

 

​

 

“how often I forgot the human. The optical illusion was brilliant and the way allows the puppet to do nearly limitless tasks.”