About

Join us this summer for Upstream, a magical puppetry adventure at our Dragonfly Festival from award-winning company Smoking Apples.

This summer holiday get ready for Upstream, a captivating family puppet show filled with adventure, wonder and stunning puppetry.

About the show

Lyra lives on the marsh; running, rushing and clambering through the silt, a water explorer extraordinaire. Recently, she has noticed things don’t seem quite right, the water’s getting cloudier and even the otters don’t seem to play here anymore. 

Not one to be frightened of the unknown, brave little Lyra camps out under the stars next to the river and her favourite willow tree, hoping to understand. As daylight turns to moonlight, Old Mother River comes to life, a spectacular 3 metre tall puppet, with willow hair and a beautiful creased and crinkled face. 

Together they dive into Old Mother River’s memory pool, discovering what has happened beneath the surface, and how everyone can do something, to help protect our waters. 

Created by award-winning puppetry and theatre company, Smoking Apples. Find out more details about Smoking Apples here.

• Suitable for: Ages 4-11
• Date: 29, 30 and 31 August
• Time: 11.30am and 2.30pm
• Location: H2O
• Tickets: Free with admission
• Seating: Unreserved - please arrive early to avoid disappointment