Mexican Day of the Dead - Tallulah Swirls

Mexican Day of the Dead immersive shadow puppet performance (running time 25 minutes) & puppet making workshops. Originally performed in The Bristol Museum and Bath’s American Museum, it continues to tour primary schools and venues in the West Country and beyond.

Go to my SHOP to see the DIY Cut & Sew Your OWN doll, inspired by this show

Greenskull, Zapata, Blue La Catrina Shadow Puppets

El Dia de Los Muertos, the most exciting party in the world! Take a puppet and welcome happy memories of our dead, with a dance in the light, to the Mariachi band. El Dia De Los Muertos is the OPPOSITE of Halloween – a festival that has become famous for frightening the dead away!

“A beautiful celebration of creativity, remembering loved ones and the vibrancy of The Mexican Day Of The Dead. Such an inventive show and so wonderful to see the creativity of young puppet makers!” *Louise, Make The Sun Shine, who booked for St Aldhelms Primary, Shepton Mallet & The Festival of Death & Dying.*

Little Girl Watching Day Of The Dead shadow show — Off to the circus to meet someone who is now actually DEAD.

“As a Mexican living in the UK, wanting to introduce my children to my culture, this is the most wonderful opportunity I have found so far…”
Feedback, Bristol Museum

La Catrina Welcoming The Spirit of HUman Canonball shadow puppets and projection — Tallulah Swirls first Day Of The Dead event occurred at The American Museum in Bath: ‘I invited Amy to devise a one-off shadow puppet workshop for our Day of the Dead celebrations at the American Museum. Her response to the brief was thoughtful and creative, and she designed a workshop that was inspired by museum collections but also drew heavily on the fun and exuberance of the festival itself. She wove a touching and funny Day of the Dead tale, before children made their own skeleton puppets and took part in a shadow puppet parade. Amy interacted well with both children and parents and feedback from families was overwhelmingly positive, with several parents commenting that it had been ‘magical’. We look forward to working with her again.’ **Zoe Dennington, Head Of Learning and Events Programming, American Museum, Bath**

Taken by Polly Lewis at Bristol Museum Oct 2015 — “This was such a fantastic show/making session! Thank you Tallulah Swirls! All three of my daughters (age 3,8 and 12) had a fab time (and I did too!). Your creativity and playfulness is contagious.” **Kate Elgood, audience, Festival of Death & Dying in Somerset**

Hold the up high! Bristol Museum shadow puppets participation — “That was very well researched & educational at the same time as being very funny!”**Sarah, The Great Malvern Festival Of Storytelling, 2025**

Day Of the Dead, American Museum workshop

Dao Of The Dead shaodow puppet skull in the light

“Thank you for a wonderful Day Of The Dead experience today. I loved the way you met us at the door and immediately gave the children beautiful shadow puppets to use. They were so excited and happy. It was brilliant to watch them enjoying the exciting and hilarious puppet show you have created. They were captivated from the word go, as was I! Your clever use of puppetry and voice work kept them totally entralled. Your show contained so many facts about the Day Of The Dead celebrations, which I thought were shared in a very sensitive way. It was perfectly pitched for the primary age of the children, but I think all ages would enjoy it. I’m 54!

We then had the chance to make shadow puppets with the children back in the classroom. After we had done so it was fantastic to come back and show you, They were very proud of their puppets.

I worked with year 3 and year 6 and both classes made beautiful puppets which were all individual. I am sure the children will never forget today. I would recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a way to experience the incredible “Day Of The Dead”…in a vibrant and unforgettable way. I felt like we had travelled to Mexico 5*****” Yvonne Niyiri, teacher, Merchants Academy Primary School, Withywood, Bristol

“It was moving to witness our children becoming so involved in all that was on offer, experiencing a strand of performing arts which, in my opinion, offered infinite more enjoyment, (not to mention educational factor), than watching any film or YouTube clip”
Chris Guest, Teacher yr5, The Paragon, Bath

An Interview with Chile’s Matute Alvarez, on how it feels to be an Human Cannonball. One of the FIRST human cannonballs, Hugo Zacchini, is represented by the same puppet (different sock!) in The Day Of The Dead. Costume, manipulation and filming by Tallulah Swirls! Puppet made by Annie Scotland.

Feedback – DOTD show and workshop at The Newt In Somerset, 2025

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