Young People's Puppet Theatre

What Young People's Puppet Theatre does

Young People's Puppet Theatre (YPPT) is a UK-registered charity (charity number 1165649) founded in 2014 by Jeremy and Caitlin Duschenes, third- and fourth-generation puppeteers respectively. The organization delivers arts education through puppetry to primary school children (primarily Year 5 and Year 6 classes) across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and London. Its core product is a 6-10 month school puppet project in which children build their own puppets, design sets, and stage full-scale productions guided by YPPT-approved project leaders. The charity complements this with week-long summer camps for ages 8-12 at Trestle Arts Base in St Albans, intergenerational volunteer programs pairing older adults with school projects, and corporate away days for team-building.

Name

Young People's Puppet Theatre

Legal name

The Young People's Puppet Theatre

Website

https://yppt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Young People's Puppet Theatre is a UK charity that delivers puppetry arts education programs to primary schools in Hertfordshire and surrounding counties. Through 6-10 month projects, children build puppets, design sets, and stage productions, supported by summer camps, intergenerational volunteer programs, and corporate away days.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

Keywords

• Puppetry education
• Arts education programs
• School puppet workshops
• Youth creative learning
• Community arts charity

Headquarters

HQ city

St Albans

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies heavily on donations from individuals, trusts, and foundations. Donation tiers include £6 for a script, £26 for puppet-making materials, £56 for a workshop project leader. The Big Give platform matches donations during campaigns. Legacy giving through wills is also encouraged.
2. Summer Camp Fees: Summer camp for ages 8-12 runs £175 per week, with early bird pricing at £135 until April 2026. Held at Trestle Arts Base, St Albans.
3. Corporate Away Days: Bespoke team-building away days for corporate clients at their workplace or at Trestle Arts Base. All proceeds support puppet projects for young people.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of merchandise including aprons made from backdrop offcuts, priced at £12 each. Free shipping within UK.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Young People's Puppet Theatre (YPPT) is a registered UK arts education charity that delivers multi-month school puppetry projects, summer camps for children, intergenerational volunteer workshops, and corporate team-building away days. Its flagship service is a 6–10 month in-school program in which children design and build their own puppets, construct sets, and stage a full-scale production, supported by YPPT-approved project leaders and professional-grade staging.

Product overview

Young People's Puppet Theatre offers an integrated portfolio of puppetry education programs centered on its core school puppet projects—a 6–10 month program where children make puppets, design sets, and stage productions. This is complemented by seasonal summer camps for ages 8–12, intergenerational projects pairing older volunteers with young people, and corporate away days for team building. The organization also provides free educational resources including shadow theatre templates and marionette guides. A merchandise line (YPPT Apron) generates additional fundraising support. All offerings are unified by the charity's mission to build confidence and social skills through puppetry arts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Puppet Projects 6–10 month educational programs delivered in primary schools (mainly Years 5 and 6) in which children build puppets, design and paint sets, rehearse and stage a full-scale puppet production, supported by YPPT-approved project leaders and professional-grade staging supplied by Brilliant Stages.
• Summer Camp Week-long puppetry summer camp for children aged 8–12 held at Trestle Arts Base, St Albans, where participants learn puppetry and performance skills and stage a comedy production. Standard fee £175/week with an early-bird price of £135 until April 2026.
• Intergenerational Projects Programs pairing older adult volunteers with young people; adult volunteers create puppets and sets in weekly workshops which are then used by schools in their performances.
• Corporate Away Days Bespoke team-building away days for corporate groups, delivered either at the client's workplace or at Trestle Arts Base, St Albans, focusing on creativity, teamwork, public speaking and confidence building, with all proceeds supporting YPPT's puppet projects.
• YPPT Apron Handmade merchandise apron priced at £12, sewn by YPPT volunteers from offcuts of YPPT backdrop materials, with free UK shipping. All proceeds support puppet projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Children develop social, practical and creative skills including design, performance, working independently, taking responsibility, teamwork, and communication
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brilliant StagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides professional-grade touring stages for YPPT productions. Brilliant Stages typically builds stages for international pop and rock stars, lending professional quality to children's performances.
• Big GivecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising platform that matches donations during specific campaign periods. YPPT uses Big Give for campaigns such as £10,000 puppet supplies fundraising with matched donations.
• University of HertfordshirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted 2018-19 research study tracking 180 children through YPPT projects, demonstrating lasting impact on social, practical and creative skills, particularly for disadvantaged children.
• CAMMAC Music Centre (Canada)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic centre in Canada where Jeremy and Caitlin Duschenes performed The Soldier's Tale in August 2025, returning to where Jeremy participated in the show as a child in 1974.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Polka Theatre: A larger, established children's theatre in south London producing work for young audiences with a substantial learning and participation program. Comparable as a UK children's arts charity, though broader in scope than YPPT's puppetry focus.
• Unicorn Theatre: One of the UK's leading children's theatres, producing a full season of work for under-18s with an extensive schools and outreach program. A larger, broader incumbent operating in the same children's arts charity space.

Direct peers

• Little Angel Theatre: London's only dedicated puppet theatre, producing shows for children and young audiences and running outreach into schools. Directly comparable to YPPT as a children's puppetry organization combining performance with educational programming.
• Theatre Centre: A touring theatre company creating work for and with young people, with long-term residencies in schools across the UK. Comparable to YPPT in the school-based, project-led delivery of participatory theatre.
• M6 Theatre Company: A small UK theatre-in-education charity that creates and tours original work for young people, delivering projects directly into schools. Closely comparable to YPPT in scale, mission, and school-based delivery model.
• Norwich Puppet Theatre: The UK's only purpose-built puppet theatre, delivering performances, workshops and education programs for children. Comparable to YPPT as a dedicated children's puppetry institution with a school engagement remit.

Others

• Trestle Arts Base: The St Albans venue that hosts YPPT's summer camps, away days, and offices; also a mask and physical theatre company running its own participatory programs. Comparable as a regional arts infrastructure partner hosting school-facing projects.

Emerging players

• Punchdrunk Enrichment: The educational arm of Punchdrunk, producing immersive theatre projects delivered directly in schools and communities. Comparable to YPPT's mission of using theatrical arts to build confidence and skills in young people, though at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaI5yOc82oMgech6spVZ2kQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/YouthPuppetsUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-people's-puppet-theatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthpuppetsuk

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young People's Puppet Theatre