Squashbox Theatre Craig Johnson

My name is Craig Johnson and I live in Penzance, Cornwall. I am an experienced actor, musician and puppeteer with a humorous, relaxed and engaging style.

As a solo artist, I perform under the name Squashbox Theatre. Squashbox Theatre aims to bring quality performances to schools, involving puppetry, storytelling, live music and comedy. Find out more here.

You can also find out about the workshops I offer on puppetry, drama and storytelling, available for primary and secondary schools, early years, colleges, adult education and all other communities and groups.

Squashbox Theatre can also bring its unique mix of comedy, puppets and music to cabaret performances, emceeing and street theatre. Find out more here, and check out my gallery of weird and wonderful images from previous performances.

For the last 7 years I have been a member of Kneehigh Theatre, performing in major national and international tours such as Tristan & Yseult, Cymbeline, A Matter Of Life And Death and The Bacchae, as well as small-scale village hall shows, including directing and acting in Journey To The Centre Of The Earth.

I have considerable experience working in schools and with young people as an artist and workshop leader, and have also had work commissioned by The Eden Project, The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Authority, Truro Hall for Cornwall, o-region Theatre Company and Golowan Community Festival Penzance.

I have been making and operating puppets for over ten years, including several years as a Professional Street Entertainer using large ‘walkabout’ puppets (Performances include The Millennium Dome, Glastonbury Festival, Manchester Street Arts Festival, Leeds Streets Ahead, Shetland Folk Festival, Cowes Week Isle of Wight, and festivals in Holland, Belgium and the USA).

I enjoy singing and playing music in bands and as a solo artist. I have a special interest in British, European and American folk music and I play the melodeon (button accordian), banjo and harmonica.

A Matter Of Life And Death (The National Theatre 2007)
Cymbeline (outdoor show & RSC Stratford, national tour, 2006 / 2007)
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (performer & director - village hall tour 2006)
Tristan & Yseult (outdoor show 2003; The National Theatre 2005; national tour 2005; Australia, New Zealand and USA tour 2006)
The Bacchae (Lyric Hammersmith 2004)
Skulduggery (village hall tour 2003)
Cry Wolf (national tour 2003)
Quicksilver (village hall tour 2002)
Wild Jam (outdoor show 2002)
Fishboy (village hall tour 2001)
Wolf (village hall tour 2000)

2007 - Lead actor in An Jowl Yn Agas Kegin (The Devil In Your Kitchen), winner of the Govynn Kernewek Award at the Cornwall Film Festival, directed by Brett Harvey.

2006 - Making and operating puppets for Konin Ha Pryv (Rabbit & Worm), a short film in Kernewek (Cornish) for children, directed by Laura Hardman.

2002 - 04 - Devising and directing puppet performances at The Eden Project, Cornwall. With teams of performers and makers I created three shows (Maize, Recycling and The Plant Hunters) that were performed to visitors at The Eden Project throughout the summer months.

2004 - Directed short film Reaper, which won the audience award at Rough Cut short film festival and was shown at The Cornwall Film Festival in 2005.

2003 - 04 - Workshop leader, Truro Hall for Cornwall young people's drama groups Platform and Upstage.

1998 - 2001 - Professional Street Entertainment through agency Fool’s Paradise, including solo walkabout entertainment with large puppets, and comedy music bands The Sneakers and Squeal Like A Pig. Performances include: The Millennium Dome, Glastonbury Festival, Manchester Street Arts Festival, Leeds Streets Ahead, Shetland Folk Festival, Cowes Week Isle of Wight, and festivals in Holland, Belgium and USA.

1996 - 2001 - Company member, Theatre of Fruit, a Penzance-based theatre company presenting shows of music, puppetry and fast-paced, ridiculous comedy for all ages.

1999 - Project co-ordinator, The Lung Puppets, an anti-smoking / lung health awareness project commissioned by The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Authority. Working with artist Alice King I designed a family of puppets to be used in primary schools, along with a video and teaching pack.

1998 - Artist in Residence, Pennair School Truro, teaching improvisation, masks and puppetry skills.

1997 - 98 - Samba Percussion workshop leader, Lafrowda Day Festival St. Just.

1996 - Instructor, The Penwith Project, teaching young people theatre skills.

1996 - present - Storytelling and drama workshops in countless schools across Cornwall.