Growing the impact of touring to schools

Terrapin worked with Patternmakers and Blundstone to reach an additional 4,000 students with its 2021 tour of ‘Scaredy Cat’ to Tasmanian schools

After 40 years of delivering exceptional performing arts incursions to Tasmanian primary school students, Terrapin Puppet Theatre worked with Patternmakers to evaluate the impact of its touring program - and kick-start an experimental research project to reach more of Tasmania’s disadvantaged students, with support from partner Blundstone.

Phase 1: The Case for Investment

In 2019, a pilot phase of research showed that Terrapin performances were delivering outstanding impacts for students, but that some disadvantaged schools were missing out. The report helped make the case for investment and Terrapin subsequently formed a new partnership with Tasmanian brand Blundstone.

The research involved a literature review of puppetry programs for young people, a series of stakeholder interviews and a survey of teachers participating in the program. Patternmakers also conducted observations of performances at a Tasmanian primary school, and facilitated a short post-show student reflection exercise to gather data from students themselves.

The interim findings illuminated multiple areas of impact for further investigation, such as the ability of Terrapin productions to encourage students to reflect on important issues in a safe way - and the potential for it to inspire the next generation of Tasmanian creatives. As one teacher commented, it allows students to look ‘at a world outside of their usual experience’.

Phase 2: Evaluating the Impact

The fieldwork was extended in 2021 to explore the impact of the schools touring program at a broader range of Tasmanian schools. It also investigated the extent to which Terrapin’s new Access Program, supported by Blundstone, helped overcome financial barriers to engagement for some schools, and ultimately, whether it had benefits for students, teachers and the future of Tasmanian creativity.

Patternmakers and Terrapin secured Ethics Approval from the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee, and achieved Permission to Conduct Research in Tasmanian Government Educational Settings from the Department of Education.

Five primary schools agreed to take part in the research, facilitating a sample of students to complete reflection worksheets after the performance.

Results from 390 Tasmanian students and 61 teachers have been documented in a report below, and summarised in the infographic on the left.

The findings confirmed that puppetry has a special power to captivate students and tackle big issues in an accessible way.

The data also showed that Terrapin’s tours enabled students to feel inspired by Tasmanian artistry. It expands their thinking about creative possibilities and potential career paths they previously didn’t have insight into.

Read the full report