Acknowledgement of Country

Overview

Presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival

All that stands between us and a new anthem is a player with a table tennis bat.

Terrapin’s new work for the cultural programme of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, UK, combines the ideas of young Tasmanians with the fast pace and competitive vigour of table tennis.

Anthem Anthem Revolution invites audience members to participants to battle an increasingly defensive table tennis robot, hell-bent on protecting the old hymn. Visitors to the Birmingham 2022 Festival will step up to the plate and reveal a fresh word from the updated anthem with each successful return, testing their skills and their commitment to the children of Tasmania.

About the Artist

Sam Routledge is a director, puppeteer and creator of contemporary puppetry with a strong record of innovation in the form. Born in England and raised in Goulburn, he has a B.A. in Communication (Major – Theatre and Media) from Charles Sturt University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Puppetry from the Victorian College of the Arts.

He has been the Artistic Director of Terrapin Puppet Theatre since November 2012. In this role he continues to work collaboratively and in partnership with other companies and has commissioned new works of puppetry from leading Australian playwrights including Nathan Maynard, Finegan Kruckemeyer and Finn O’Branagáin.

About the Organisation

Terrapin creates contemporary puppetry experiences for audiences of all ages, touring Tasmania, nationally and internationally. It creates work for theatres and interactive installations for public space. The companies work has been presented by The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Edinburgh International Children’s festival, The Vancouver International Children’s Festival, De Betovering Festival (The Netherlands), A.S.K Shanghai, Aichi Arts Centre (Japan), The Taipei Children’s Art Festival, The Lincoln Center (New York), The John F. Kennedy Center, The Sydney Opera House, Sydney Festival and Mona Foma among many others.