Jennifer Davidson Creative Endowment

Credit: Mads Hillam in the Terrapin workshop, 2024. Image: Hannah Todd

Supported by Andrew and Neil Davidson

Now
Incursion

An annual, year-long placement program for a Tasmanian artist
Next opportunity available in early 2026

Impact

Established to create pathways for emerging Tasmanian creatives at Terrapin
Four artists have participated in the program since 2022

Makers Bryony Anderson and Greta Jean in the Terrapin workshop, 2022. Image: Peter Mathew

Feathers creative development, 2024. we see over two peoples back towards a giant ferret puppet performing. — Feathers creative development, 2024. Image: Peter Mathew

Founded by Andrew and Neil Davidson, the Jennifer Davidson Creative Endowment supports an emerging creative to join the Terrapin team for 12 months, gaining hands-on experience and training.

Designed to benefit both Terrapin and the artist, the Endowment is a long-term project for building capacity in the Tasmanian performing arts sector.

Since 2022, four artists have worked with us through the Endowment: Makers Greta Jean and Mads Hillam, Director Sarah Hamilton, and Community Engagement Producer Danelle (Nelle) Degrassi. They’ve all continued to work for Terrapin since, boosting our skills pool and the experience available in the Tasmanian industry.

We’ll be planning for our next placement in early 2025 - stay tuned.

The Endowment is named for Jennifer Davidson, Terrapin’s founding artistic director. A designer and puppet-maker, Jennifer created many of the company’s early puppets and established the company’s flagship Tasmanian schools touring program.

For me, [puppet-making] is really this meeting of storytelling with sculpture, and I still get the same reaction watching puppets moving now as I did watching them move for the first time.

– Mads Hillam

- - Danelle (Nelle) Degrassi
  Current recipient
- - Greta Jean
  - Mads Hillam
  - Sarah Hamilton
  Alumni

two people rugged up in a workshop, one is teaching the other and demonstrating an action — Makers in the Terrapin workshop, 2023. Image: Peter Mathew

Interested in the Endowment?

Storied: Intergenerational Storytelling, Greta Jean with Warrane Primary School student, 2024. Image: Peter Mathew
Puppet maker Mads weaving the whale for Whale Tale in Junction Arts Festival 2024. Image: Hannah Todd

Partners

Founding donors

Andrew Davidson

Neil Davidson

Jennifer Davidson Creative Endowment Alumni

2022 creative trainee
Terrapin’s inaugural Creative Trainee, Greta Jean, began her traineeship in February 2022, working alongside senior designer/maker Bryony Anderson. Over the course of the traineeship, Greta contributed to a wide range of projects exploring different puppet-making techniques, earning creative credits on The Paper Escaper and Forever Young.
"Making puppets is a complex puzzle that is simultaneously mathematical and expressive, kinesthetic and tactile. It requires balancing many distinct requirements including durability, weight, scale/relationship to a set or other puppets, performer comfort/fit, audience visibility, character design and, most importantly, movement. All whilst working within the timelines and the tight budgets that characterise theatre making. I think it’s this complexity that draws me in, it engages my whole brain/body and ensures I’ll always find new challenges in this artform." – Greta Jean, 2023

2023 creative trainee
Mads Hillam, Terrapin’s second Creative Trainee, joined the workshop in April 2023 to work alongside senior designer/maker Bryony Anderson. During the traineeship, Mads contributed to a variety of projects deliberately chosen to give her a broad insight into different puppet making techniques. She received creative credits for her construction work on The Riddle of Washpool Gully, Feathers, and The Paper Escaper.
"I think my proudest achievement was the Duck puppet in Feathers — I worked with Bryony on the prototype, and it's such a lovable character! I was really excited to build the mechanism and see its eyes come alive — it felt like the culmination of everything I’d learned over those twelve months." – Mads Hillam, 2024

2024 creative trainee
Sarah Hamilton, our third creative trainee, commenced work as Associate Director in April 2024, working alongside Terrapin Artistic Director Sam Routledge. During the traineeship, Sarah worked on a variety of projects with directing credits for the remounts of The Riddle of Washpool Gully, Goldfish, and Forever Young.
"Puppets can move us in a way that I don’t think people can. The simplicity of a puppet (which is often not that simple!) can allow us to drop into our imagination, our child like wonder, our hopefulness, our empathy and vulnerability. Puppets can allow us to understand ourselves, and the world around us, in a fuller way." – Sarah Hamilton, 2025.