Handspring & Morris Reunite for New Project???

The multi award-winning creative team behind West End and now Broadway smash-hit War Horse, director Tom Morris and South African puppet company Handspring, are collaborating on another project, the company’s co-founder Adrian Kohler has told Whatsonstage.com.

Speaking ahead of the company’s Woyzeck on the Highveld opening at the Barbican next week (6 to 10 September 2011) Kohler confirmed that Handspring would be back in the UK to take part in a workshop with Morris – now artistic director of Bristol Old Vic – with in the next fortnight. Morris, who Kohler describes as “increadibly brave and innovative”, won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for War Horse with co-director Marianne Elliott whilst an associate at the National Theatre.

First adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s children’s novel for the National, War Horse transferred to the West End’s New London Theatre in April 2009 following two runs in the NT Olivier. The show opened at New York’s Lincoln Center in April this year. In addition to the Best Director gong, the show added Best Play, Best Scenic Design of a Play, Best Lighting Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Play Tony Awards, as well as a Special Award for Handspring, to the show’s impressive London awards haul.

Handspring Puppet Company, which Kohler founded with Basil Jones in 1985, presented Or You Could Kiss Me with playwright and director Neil Bartlett at the NT Cottesloe last year. Kohler would not be drawn on further details of project he is workshopping with Morris or any other Handspring collaborations in the works, saying the pieces were still too early in development to talk about.