Little Angel Theatre in Islington celebrates 65 years of puppetry

Few London theatres can claim to have enchanted quite so many first-time theatregoers as Little Angel Theatre. The Islington puppet theatre opened on Saturday 24 November 1961, and this autumn it is celebrating its 65th anniversary year with one of its busiest seasons yet.

The story began when a troupe of enthusiastic puppeteers, led by the South African master puppeteer John Wright, found a derelict temperance hall in Islington. They transformed it into a small theatre designed specially for children and for marionette shows, and over the next 30 years the company created more than 30 full-scale productions and toured across the UK and abroad.

After John Wright died in 1991, the work continued under Lyndie Wright and Christopher Leith, a renowned puppeteer who had learned his craft at Little Angel. At the close of 2014 the theatre opened Little Angel Studios, a creative and learning hub just a moment's walk from the original building on Dagmar Passage. In 2024 Little Angel was named Fringe Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards.

Leading the anniversary season is the world premiere of Pip and Posy Live on Stage, inspired by the BAFTA-nominated animated series and Axel Scheffler's picture books. It is written and directed by artistic director Samantha Lane, with music and lyrics by Barb Jungr, and is aimed at children aged two to five before it heads off on a UK tour.

Over at Little Angel Studios, The Pied Piper: A Rat's Tale runs until 7 November. Created by Indefinite Articles in association with Little Angel Theatre, it retells the old legend from the point of view of a brave little rat, with puppetry, storytelling and original music.

Christmas brings two returning favourites. The Snowflake, based on the festive story by Benji Davies, is at Little Angel Studios from 21 November 2026 to 23 January 2027. Scruff's Christmas Adventure, an interactive show about a puppy hunting for the perfect present, plays at Little Angel Theatre from 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 and will also tour schools and community spaces.

Introducing the season, Samantha Lane and executive director Peta Swindall said it was "a celebration of stories that bring people together", adding that they hoped it would inspire "curiosity, laughter and a lifelong love of theatre".

Little Angel Theatre is a registered charity at 14 Dagmar Passage, London N1. Tickets and listings for the anniversary season are on the theatre's website.