Bridlington ventriloquist Steph brings her puppet show to her childhood holiday destination – Scarborough

Ventriloquist Steph, from Bridlington, will be at Beeforth’s Hive, South Cliff Gardens, on Saturday June 21 and Sunday June 22 at 1pm.

A Puppet Zoo Adventure is a family friendly puppet show incorporating ventriloquism, magic, laughter, singing, dancing and more!

Steph, was born and raised in Bridlington and went to Hilderthorpe Primary school and Bridlington Secondary School.

“I fell in love with theatre and performing at a young age when I saw some theatre in education pieces come to the school,” she said.

"The highlight of my school year in primary school was watching the teachers’ pantomimes every Christmas. I also have vivid memories of watching Punch and Judy shows on the beach and thinking it was the best thing ever,” she said.

“As I grew up, I joined every drama group I could be part of including at my school, playing in the school shows and plays.

" I joined a Bridlington Drama group at Spotlight Theatre and Headlands School and took part in one-act competitions that took me to venues all over Yorkshire. I loved watching shows at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, and Hull Truck on school trips.”

At the age of 18, Steph went to London to train as an actor at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated nine years ago.

Since then, she has worked in shows at the Donmar Warehouse, London, Alnwick Playhouse and Barn Theatre, Colchester.

She was also part of an actors’ collective working with directors from Hull Truck, Live Theatre and Derby Theatre.

She arrived back in Bridlington four years ago while performing Scarborough's Arcade Theatre and Pilot theatre on a piece of outdoor theatre called Northern Girls – a showcase for local writers.

“I was due to perform in a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe but the pandemic put a stop to that,” said Steph.

That is when she took up ventriloquy.

“I’d always loved puppetry from the early days of Punch and Judy and Rosy and Jim but as a teen I loved the comedy of Nina Conti and Terry Fator.

"My naive mind assumed that ventriloquism was just something some people were born with, but didn’t realise it was a skill that could be learned.

“I stumbled upon some basic tutorial videos during the lockdown and decided to set myself a challenge.

“I was absolutely awful for the longest time and kept giving up, retrying and eventually realised I was getting the hang of it. Over a year of starring into a mirror and I became a self-taught ventriloquist.

"Fast forward to today, I now perform as a ventriloquist across the UK in comedy stand-up, cabarets and festivals. I have written my own Street Theatre show which I have been performing in London’s Covent Garden for the past few years.”

A Puppet Zoo Adventure is Steph’s children’s show and has been performed at Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Fringe and venues in London. It is suitbale for under 10-year-olds.

“I’ve worked super hard since the pandemic to be a self-sufficient, self-funded artist who can take my show anywhere. My shows both fit into a suitcase each and requires very little input from outside tech.

“I’m excited to be bringing my show to Scarborough's seafront where I spent a lot of time as a child and teenager and hope that the audiences that come see the show feel the love and magic I’ve felt for so long.”

Tickets: https://scarboroughfair.uk/events/a-puppet-zoo-adventure/