The Story of Seamus

Like many of life’s most incredible stories, the tale of No Strings
puppet charity has humble beginnings.

When aid worker Johnie McGlade first took beloved puppet Seamus on disaster relief trips to refugee camps in Sudan and Afghanistan he had never dreamed of the fluffy white animal’s life-saving potential.

Entertaining displaced peoples and co-workers with this scruffy rabbit toy, he began to see the impact puppetry could have on communities struggling to survive in the face of conflict or disaster. Engaging with children through the puppet helped them to learn – for the first time they were listening to him through Seamus, absorbing the survival messages he had to tell them.

Johnie said: “It all began in the early 1990s when I was working for an NGO and brought Seamus with me to the field.

“At that time it was just a bit of fun, maybe a source of entertainment for my co-workers.

“I was working in refugee camps in Sudan at that time – I was surrounded by people suffering from severe malnutrition.

“There were some pretty sick kids around, but when you brought Seamus everyone would crowd around him, laughing. He was like a beam of light in an unhappy place.”

Johnie’s simple antics entertaining children with a furry glove puppet led to a chance connection with some of the world’s most famous puppeteers.

He flew to New York to meet the artists who helped create the original Muppet Show characters, Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith, after a photograph of Seamus sparked interest with his flatmate.

“My background is in emergency aid, and Seamus the puppet was just a bit of fun until returned from Afghanistan post 9/11.

“I was working for an organisation distributing bread in the country, and I had found I was able to create links with the children because they would listen to the puppet.

“I was showing pictures to my flatmate back in London and she asked about Seamus.

“Her auntie and uncle were Kathy Mullen and Michael Frith - the people behind some of the world’s most famous puppets – like Animal, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear.

“They had wanted to use their skills to help with international aid for years but didn’t know how. Just a few weeks later, I flew to New York to meet them and we did much better than that – we set up our own NGO.

“I registered No Strings in the UK and took the first project back to Afghanistan to raise landmine awareness.”

Now Kathy and Michael regularly donate months of their time to conceptualise storylines and characters for the puppet films they later direct, hand-stitch unique world-class puppets, and work with other top professional puppeteers to turn these ideas into a vivid and compelling educational tool.

Now No Strings is in its fifth year, with five programmes currently running around the world from the Two Gardens peace-building film in the Philippines to Tsunami awareness in Indonesia and East Timor.

Johnie has just used their creations for a training programme for
puppeteers in East Africa – the resulting HIV project will see
puppet workshops raise awareness of prevention against the disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Jonnie said: “Sadly, Seamus is in tatters now. My mother put him in the washing machine and he is never been the same since – he is just a ball of wool. I asked Kathy and Michael if they could fix him, but they have given me much, much more.”

The No Strings charity relies on fundraising to bring world-class puppets and life-saving messages to children in disaster-stricken communities across the globe.  Click to donate or find out more.

Another candid interview with the stars

Playing the part of a bad guy or swapping gender is a challenge for any actor, as our stars explain.
This clip was filmed after the wrap of the new No Strings 24 Hour Challenge film, made for children in East Africa, and which follows two boys who are challenged to become their sisters for 24 hours. Life, they quickly realise, can be very different when you’re a girl. The film is now in post production, due for completion at the end of June when we’ll post it and the two accompanying films of the series on our website.

Please visit www.youtube.com/nostringscharity to view this and other videos from the set.

Watch out for the next candid puppet interview

It’s been a very busy day on the set here in New York, with the gender equality film now wrapped up. Only one more to go, Do You Know It All, which looks at the stigma that’s so often attached to HIV.
We’ll bring you more news on this, and a little video clip interview with some of the puppet stars in the next few hours. It’s been an exhausting day for them all, but they’re pleased with what they’ve been able to pull together and are looking forward to explaining progress in their own words.

Behind the Scenes in New York

Clifford and Daisy, characters from the new HIV film, Will This Be Your Life?, in a candid moment on set.

They are really different in real life, aren’t they?

Meet Kibii Kubooka Kibing, Abadab the monkey, and Crow

'Out of a cloud of dust and flash of light...'

No Strings three new HIV/AIDS films are born from the powerful imagination of No Strings co-founder Kathy Mullen, and a series of messages from experts working directly with people living with HIV/AIDS in East Africa. Finding a concept that worked took time, but out of a flash of light and a cloud of dust, Kathy suddenly stumbled on it. A series of magical games!

One ordinary day, a change in the wind occurs. The outline of a stranger appears in an ordinary African village, through a great flash of light and cloud of dust. Kibii Kubooka Kibing is attended by a speaking crow and a monkey, and has a look somewhere in between a used car salesman and an African Shaman of old.

 In each film, the hero character has a painful lesson to learn in relation to HIV/AIDS. They don’t know it, but Kibing does, and he invites each to play a magical game that instead of winning them fabulous cash prizes, brings the riches of wisdom, and through it, a better chance of good health and happiness.

In each film, the hero passes on their learning to others in the community. Will they listen? From the top of a hill, the mysterious Kibing points through the camera to us, the audience, watching. Will you?

No Strings is working in partnership with Irish NGO Trocaire on this programme, and will distribute the films alongside Trocaire’s local partners in East Africa once post production and dubbing is completed. For more information on Trocaire, visit www.trocaire.ie

 

Crow, Kibing, Abadab with puppeteers Tim Lagasse and Heather Asch

Scenes from today’s shoot!

African village set, daytime

African village set, moonlight

Clifford on his bike, with Daisy, Frances and Daniel

The Cyclone set

After the storm has hit

Day One of the HIV/AIDS Shoot!

A village in Africa, an ordinary village, but today, there’s been a change in the wind.

Young Daisy is growing up quickly, too quickly some may say. She has just turned her back on her good friend Frances and left her to look after her little brother Daniel. Why is this? Daisy has new friends, cool girls, and Daisy has a boyfriend. Clifford.

Puppeteering Daisy and Clifford are top professionals Heather Asch and Ron Binion, and there’s  a tantalising bit of chemistry on set. Between the characters, we mean. With the puppets held high above their heads, it’s like each has a human attached rather than the other way round. Daisy has just climbed on Clifford’s bike for the first time and there were sweet murmerings in her ears. She’s quite beside herself.

Poor Frances and Daniel were left in a cloud of exhaust fumes.

We’ll bring you more from the set as things progress… Let’s hope Daisy comes to her senses.