Periodic Reporting for period 1 - JPEWP (The Judy Project: A Critical and Historical Investigation of Women and Puppetry from the Eighteenth to the Twenty-First Century)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2025-08-31
The Judy Project shattered long-standing conceptions of British and European puppetry by placing women center stage—as creative practitioners shaping the tradition and as the character Judy herself in the iconic Punch and Judy show. At a moment when questions of gender and power are more urgent than ever, this project delivered the first comprehensive history that not only re-centers women but also re-animates the tradition through fresh archival analysis and research, original performances, and new interviews. Far exceeding original expectations, this work sparked public debate and informed cultural policy with new perspectives and evidence.
While puppet theatre scholarship has grown, historians have largely overlooked the roles of women practitioners—their labour, creativity, and influence remain startlingly absent from dominant narratives. This is especially true in heritage forms like Punch and Judy, long framed as a male preserve. Through rigorous archival digging, critical practice and building on important groundwork by Naomi Paxton and Amber West, The Judy Project revealed how generations of women practitioners have been present, active, and innovative, even when they have been forgotten, marginalized, or misrepresented.
The project sought to make visible these women—and the complex realities of their work—correcting historical silences and challenging simplistic tales of male dominance. It asked not only who has been centred in cultural histories, but how and why, shedding light on broader issues of representation and power. The findings have generated new shows, scholarly work, and collaborations that offer a far more inclusive and nuanced understanding of women’s roles in puppetry—a corrective that matters for reshaping heritage, academic inquiry, and the stories we share in society.
While puppet theatre scholarship has grown, historians have largely overlooked the roles of women practitioners—their labour, creativity, and influence remain startlingly absent from dominant narratives. This is especially true in heritage forms like Punch and Judy, long framed as a male preserve. Through rigorous archival digging, critical practice and building on important groundwork by Naomi Paxton and Amber West, The Judy Project revealed how generations of women practitioners have been present, active, and innovative, even when they have been forgotten, marginalized, or misrepresented.
The project sought to make visible these women—and the complex realities of their work—correcting historical silences and challenging simplistic tales of male dominance. It asked not only who has been centred in cultural histories, but how and why, shedding light on broader issues of representation and power. The findings have generated new shows, scholarly work, and collaborations that offer a far more inclusive and nuanced understanding of women’s roles in puppetry—a corrective that matters for reshaping heritage, academic inquiry, and the stories we share in society.
The Judy Project went far beyond its stated ambitions. Not only were the project’s original deliverables achieved—ethics and data plans, two key deliverables were achieved ahead of schedule—a project website and the practice component, and dissemination at conferences and via speaking engagements as well as forthcoming publications exceed expectations. The research produced two new Punch and Judy shows (rather than one) with a local emerging performer, Nephew Spike Bones, that toured widely to family and adult audiences, and stimulated vibrant dialogue across the UK and Europe through more than a dozen high-profile festivals, conferences, and events. National press coverage and social media outreach further amplified its impact, engaging researchers, practitioners, and public audiences alike.
Central to these results is a new “her”storiography of Punch and Judy, putting women artists and innovators—both as practitioners and as the character Judy—at the very heart of the story. Building on limited earlier scholarship while sharply expanding the historical record, the research exposed systemic misogynist biases particularly about the contribution of Charlotte Charke whose foundational work has long been sidelined. The reframing of gender performance across the tradition not only corrects historical oversights but also demonstrates women’s leadership and innovation since the eighteenth century, with renewed visibility for recent generations.
The planned deliverables included: an Ethics plan and formal process (developed and implemented in partnership with the host and EU guidelines), a Data Management plan, a project website, publication of three scholarly articles, dissemination at three conferences or speaking engagements, and the creation of one new show. In practice, the project yielded: nineteen conference presentations, extensive social media communications, three national press feature articles, four forthcoming publications, and two new shows (one for family audiences, one for adults) that toured to major festivals including Covent Garden May Fayre (2024), Being Human Festival (2024), and Kasper? Kasper! Festival (2025), and regional appearances. (For a complete list of engagements see the project website performance page.)
Delivery of these achievements required rigorous project and financial oversight, advanced ethical compliance (information sheets, consent, ethics review), a robust data management system, extensive archival and ethnographic fieldwork (with visits to eleven collections, eight interviews), creative collaboration with a lead artist, ongoing website development, and strong coordination with institutional press and digital engagement. Significant time was devoted to career development across health, safety, equality, open access, impact strategy, and communications, including training and mentorship as part of the GW4 Crucible program (2025).
Central to these results is a new “her”storiography of Punch and Judy, putting women artists and innovators—both as practitioners and as the character Judy—at the very heart of the story. Building on limited earlier scholarship while sharply expanding the historical record, the research exposed systemic misogynist biases particularly about the contribution of Charlotte Charke whose foundational work has long been sidelined. The reframing of gender performance across the tradition not only corrects historical oversights but also demonstrates women’s leadership and innovation since the eighteenth century, with renewed visibility for recent generations.
The planned deliverables included: an Ethics plan and formal process (developed and implemented in partnership with the host and EU guidelines), a Data Management plan, a project website, publication of three scholarly articles, dissemination at three conferences or speaking engagements, and the creation of one new show. In practice, the project yielded: nineteen conference presentations, extensive social media communications, three national press feature articles, four forthcoming publications, and two new shows (one for family audiences, one for adults) that toured to major festivals including Covent Garden May Fayre (2024), Being Human Festival (2024), and Kasper? Kasper! Festival (2025), and regional appearances. (For a complete list of engagements see the project website performance page.)
Delivery of these achievements required rigorous project and financial oversight, advanced ethical compliance (information sheets, consent, ethics review), a robust data management system, extensive archival and ethnographic fieldwork (with visits to eleven collections, eight interviews), creative collaboration with a lead artist, ongoing website development, and strong coordination with institutional press and digital engagement. Significant time was devoted to career development across health, safety, equality, open access, impact strategy, and communications, including training and mentorship as part of the GW4 Crucible program (2025).
The Judy Project set a new standard for research and proposed new directs for practice in European heritage performance by establishing a parallel “her”storiography of Punch and Judy—centered on women’s creative agency both on stage and behind the scenes. By integrating archival discoveries, interviews, and original performances, the project dismantles the field’s longstanding focus on a singular, male-dominated perspective and offers a dynamic, inclusive history with immediate impact on scholarship, rehearsal rooms, and cultural debates.
This work’s influence is tangible: it launched the career of a new performer, inspired renewed interest among international festival programmers, and created fresh avenues for collaboration across cultural sectors. The resulting new history recognizes Charlotte Charke not as a footnote, but as foundational to the form; sees suffragette shows not as anomalies, but as part of a lineage of transgressive practice; and embraces contemporary artists who use the form to interrogate our cultural myths, challenge authority, and model new forms of agency. As a direct result, new research projects and artistic partnerships are emerging, and broader audiences—including some traditionally excluded from heritage debates and are engaging with these stories for the first time.
The Judy Project’s findings are new references in public discussions about gender, creativity, and representation. By demonstrating how a more inclusive history transforms contemporary practice, the project stands as a model for heritage research with both scholarly depth and concrete, lasting public benefit.
This work’s influence is tangible: it launched the career of a new performer, inspired renewed interest among international festival programmers, and created fresh avenues for collaboration across cultural sectors. The resulting new history recognizes Charlotte Charke not as a footnote, but as foundational to the form; sees suffragette shows not as anomalies, but as part of a lineage of transgressive practice; and embraces contemporary artists who use the form to interrogate our cultural myths, challenge authority, and model new forms of agency. As a direct result, new research projects and artistic partnerships are emerging, and broader audiences—including some traditionally excluded from heritage debates and are engaging with these stories for the first time.
The Judy Project’s findings are new references in public discussions about gender, creativity, and representation. By demonstrating how a more inclusive history transforms contemporary practice, the project stands as a model for heritage research with both scholarly depth and concrete, lasting public benefit.