Cloud Man combines puppetry and storytelling for 4-7-year-olds

Source: The List (Issue 684)
Date: 29 July 2011
Written by: Kelly Apter

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This article is from 2011.

Cloud Man combines puppetry and storytelling for 4-7-year-olds

Edinburgh Festival children's theatre show based on clouds

Sometimes they’re white and fluffy, more often than not they’re full of rain - but there’s something about clouds that holds our interest. The latest in a long line of artists to be inspired by the natural phenomenon is puppeteer Ailie Cohen, with her new show, Cloud Man.

‘Even though we’re taught that clouds are made of condensation, they appear like solid structures, tantalizingly just out of reach,’ says Cohen. ‘They are also the last stop before the “unknown”, vastness of what lies beyond. I certainly spent many a school day staring out of the window - it’s where I began to really exercise my imagination.’

Cohen worked as an actor, musician and writer, before turning to puppetry because ‘it’s possible to create anything, to make anything come “alive”.’ Aimed at 4-7-year-olds, Cloud Man blends puppetry and storytelling to tell the tale of Cloudia, a woman who dedicates her life to the study of all things cloud-like - and her pursuit of the intriguing Cloud Man.

‘Cloud Men represent all that is intriguing about clouds,’ says Cohen. ‘They’re mysterious and magical. Cloudia is completely dedicated to her study and analysis, driven by her dream of discovering a creature of the skies and sharing her new found knowledge with the world … but at what cost?’

Hill Street Theatre, 226 6522, 9–24 Aug (not 8, 15), 11am, £7.50 (£5). Previews 5–7 Aug, £5.