John Barber was joint Artistic Director of Open Hand Theatre Company for some fifteen years, producing high quality theatre for young people. In his subsequent career as a freelance artist, he has worked as a performer, puppet designer and animation director in many of the major regional Theatres and for many national touring companies as well as a four year international touring on the creative team of Green Ginger does Bambi.
He has taught puppet design at the Institut International de la Marionette at Charleville-Mezieres, and in 2009 he and Lisa Howard started a new company, Captain Mermaid, making dark musical comedies for adults. Recent projects include creating multiple puppet characters for Bish Bash Bosh’s The Beast of Bodmin, Hiccup Theatre’s The Owl and the Pussycat and Le Green Ginger’s Le Drame des Autres.
