SHAUN LATI

Shaun is a puppet maker and puppeteer working in London. He has extensive experience both making and performing puppets in theatre, particularly for children. As well as puppetry, Shaun has experience in making specialty props and costumes.  Having a versatile set of skills, he has made puppets from all manner of materials.

Shaun has experience in sewing, sculpting, flat patterning, foam fabrication and woodworking, making him a great 'all-rounder' when it comes to puppet making. Shaun has worked with multiple types of puppetry, including hand and rod lip sync puppets, glove puppets, table top, rod puppets, shadow puppets, marionettes and  full body suits.

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Biography

Shaun began his professional career in 2017 when he was awarded a place on a traineeship at the world famous puppet theatre, Little Angel. Shaun spent a year as a full time trainee puppeteer. He received extensive training in multiple forms of puppetry performance including; rod, glove, shadow and table top. He was involved on three in house shows at the theatre, as a puppet maker and performer. In addition to his roles on productions, Shaun had an active role in teaching in their youth theatre and assisting with their community projects

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After finishing his traineeship in 2018, Shaun went on to work a freelance puppeteer and puppet maker. He also began working as a specialty costume fabricator. He made two costumes for Greg Davies' comedy tour, 'You Magnificent Beast', based on Davies' own childhood teddy bear. The performance was filmed for a special at the Hammersmith Apollo and is now on Netflix. As well as creature costumes, Shaun also has experience in traditional costume making. As a performer Shaun has been involved in a variety of different productions. In addition to this he has contributed to several photoshoots including the front cover of ‘Zippy and Me’ the autobiography of puppeteer Ronnie Le Drew.

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Alongside multiple freelance puppetry projects, Shaun has spent over a year working extensively with Rainbow Productions, Europe's leading manufacturer of mascots and character costumes. Shaun worked in the 'bodies' department, fabricating character costumes from the neck downwards. He built several full body suits, fatsuits and creature skins as well as various tails, feet and props. Shaun was lucky enough to work on several high profile costume characters including Shaun the Sheep and The Smurfs, as well as many sports mascots and theme park characters. Shaun was also, for a short while, the in-house wardrobe assistant at Rainbow. 

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Outside of professional work, Shaun has a vast experience in community theatre. Before working professionally, Shaun spent his teenage years making puppets and performing for local theatre groups and community events. He still continues to volunteer in his spare time and is currently the Head of the Wardrobe department at The Questors Theatre, Europe's largest community theatre. He has been involved in many of their productions, including their annual pantomime, and has organised wardrobe for their large scale youth theatre, with over 40 young people per production. 

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Shaun continues to work as a freelance puppeteer, performer, puppet maker and costume maker. He also has many puppets available to hire. He is always keen and enthusiastic about new projects. If you think he may be right for your next project don't hesitate to get in touch. 

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