Beyond representation: A conversation with Jummy Faruq on decentring puppetry practice and design

Jummy Faruq is a puppeteer, theatre-maker, and facilitator based in the UK. They are the founder of Puppetry Creatives of Colour UK , who hosted their inaugural retreat in January 2022. Tobi Poster-Su is a puppeteer, theatre-maker, and researcher exploring puppetry and racialization. Since early 2021, Jummy and Tobi have conducted an extended conversation over Zoom and WhatsApp about puppetry, race, and their respective practice-based research. On 14 September 2021, Tobi sat down with Jummy to discuss the culmination of a year-long Arts Council England funded research and development (R&D) project working with Mafwa theatre and Shantona Women’s Centre to produce puppets and run workshops rooted within local communities of color. The discussion has been edited for length and clarity.