Spotlight On: Plain Bob
A poetic and playful piece of wordless puppetry, ideal for family audiences aged 3+ in theatres, libraries, community halls, festivals, and even outdoors.
Plain Bob by Noisy Oyster
Touring Availability: 2025–2026
📍 Ideal for: Theatres, festivals, libraries, schools, and community venues (indoors or outdoors)
Suitable for ages 3+
A gentle, magical world created from suitcases, raincoats, and imagination
Plain Bob is a quiet, joyful gem of a puppet show for audiences aged 3 and up. With no words and no need for translation, this universal story unfolds through mime, puppetry, music, and sound effects. Performed under an umbrella using just a suitcase and coat, Bob’s world is conjured before your eyes, full of warmth, good humour, and charm. It's a show where audience members are invited to help Bob with his simple tasks, and may even leave dancing and singing in the rain.
🏆 Winner of Best Street Show and nominated for Best Children’s Show at the World Puppet Carnival, Indonesia.
About the show:
⏱ Running time: 35 minutes
£6–£10 ticket range (guideline)
Global touring ready (travels in 2 x 23kg bags)
Indoor and outdoor adaptable
Relaxed, wordless, suitable for children with SEN
Performance area required: 5m (W) x 3m (D) x 2m (H)
Technical needs: Self-contained; 2 floor lights if indoors or after dark
Audience responses from around the world:
"Ingenious, full of joy, interactive... Plain Bob was a delightful show, tailored both for kids and adults! Enchanting!"
— Oltita Cintec, Luceafarul Theatre, Romania
"Nik Palmer has a good feeling for his audience... especially children. After the performance you will dance and sing in the rain."
— Cordula Nossek, Internationale Puppentheatertage, Austria
International highlights:
Performed in 20+ countries: Colombia, Mexico, South Korea, Austria, Romania, and more
🏆 Winner: Best Street Show, World Puppet Carnival (Indonesia)
🏆 Nominated: Best Children’s Show, World Puppet Carnival (Indonesia)
About Noisy Oyster
Based in Bridgerule, Devon, Noisy Oyster is the award-winning partnership of Nik Palmer and Sarah Rowland-Barker., touring original, high-quality puppet theatre internationally since 2006.
Nik comes from a puppetry legacy (DaSilva Puppets and Norwich Puppet Theatre), is a graduate of Lecoq mime school, and has created everything from large-scale community productions to 3D-printed puppets (Filabods). Sarah brings decades of experience in performance, circus, and craft-based artistry.
Learn more about Plain Bob and Noisy Oyster
Production images