The Puppetechnics Studio was created by David Thornton, a professionally trained actor and puppeteer with a 40 year career in promoting and delivering magical experiences at theme parks, heritage sites, festivals and events across the UK.

Growing up in Sheffield, David became fascinated by puppetry after a back-stage visit to the Harlequin Puppet Theatre (Rhos on Sea) in 1970, aged 7. He built his own puppet theatres and gave performances to his school friends and local church goers. He trained as an actor and performance artist at the school of expressive arts where he gained a BA (hons) degree in drama. His third year secondment was at the Little Angel Marionette Theatre in Islington where he studied the work of John Wright MBE.

He also spent time with puppet master John Blundall at Cannon Hill Puppet Theatre in Birmingham, before setting up Roadworks Puppet Company based in the West Midlands. Over the next four years he toured nine productions, made giant figures for the Stoke Garden Festival, and received regional Arts Council Funding for a number of projects including a show for adults and puppet making and performance workshops in the Midlands.

He created and performed with “Radio Pippin” for Alton Towers, a puppet character who drove a yellow radio station van around the grounds for three seasons, and went on to head up the Theme park’s creature shop which made puppets for the Ice skating winter productions at the Towers.

David moved into theme park marketing and product development in the early 1990’s, but still found time to create puppet characters and costume shows for a number of clients, including building a 50 seater puppet theatre for an attraction in Cornwall and creating a summer season show to feature within it.

He made puppet films for Heritage Great Britain, Lightwater Valley, Land’s End Visitor Centre, Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Sheffield International Venues and South Yorkshire Police between 2005 and 2009. “The Puppetcatcher” was a film made with a cast of 11 puppets and real police officers on set, created to inform children about internet saftey in 2008.

He returned to destination marketing in 2010 and concluded a successful tourism career at the Heights of Abraham in 2025 when he devised and launched a new exhibition and live performance feature in partnership with “The Wombles”. He is now developing the Puppetechnics group back in his home town of Sheffield.

David is a member of the British Puppetry Guild and BrUNIMA (the international Puppetry Organisation).

David is also a musician and writes poetry.

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