Testimonials
“Being in Julia’s puppetry classes is like a little bit of magic! Her infectious passion and skilful guidance take you on a wonderful journey of imagination, creativity and fun! All the cares and stresses of my day would melt away and it was just me and my puppet dancing around the room.”
— Jo (Child and Adolescent Psychologist)
“Julia is an incredible teacher and artist. She never fails to inspire her students with her passion, knowledge and creativity. She is an expert at harnessing the talents of her students and supporting them in a supporting environment. There are only a handful of teachers who make a mark on your life and career, and she is definitely one of them.”
— Rachel (Theatre director and former student)
“Being taught by Julia McKelvey was how I found my love for drama, because of the comfortable, supportive environment she creates as a teacher. She makes every part of learning fun and exciting, a talent that is extremely rare. Her teaching will always stick with me; she has a way of inspiring her students to really engage with their studies beyond the classroom.”
— Lucy (Theatre student ,Trinity College Dublin and former student)
“Working with Julia is a real pleasure. Her energy and her laughter are infectious. Her puppets are beautiful as is her smile and enthusiasm for creating them. However, even more impressive is her ability to teach her students how to bring them to life with subtle grace and warm hearts.”
— Luke ( Theatre practitioner and teacher)
“I had such pleasure under the guidance of Julia to build, step by step, several types of puppets using recycled materials which enabled us to develop our own creativity. It was taught with fun, laughter, passion and we were always encouraged to try to explore the genres of puppetry according to the abilities of the students involved. The constant and positive encouragement made everyone want to achieve their best…”
— Cydalise (SEN teacher)
“I really enjoyed puppetry classes, learning how to convey different emotions through body language and doing so through the puppets’ movements. We made sock puppets and string puppets both uniquely different which allowed me to use different skills in order to make them come to life. Ms McKelvey taught us very well using her own demonstrations in order to teach us accurately and we were guided throughout the entire process…”
— Heloise (former student)
“So many wonderful things to say about Julia…She is an incredibly creative, talented and very resourceful person with natural curiosity, a risk taker, problem solver and many more amazing characteristics as evident in the artwork that flows from her hands and in the many lovely puppets she has given life to! Displaying an unstoppable, vivid imagination and energy, combined with a lovely/crazy sense of humour and ‘just the right amount of wonkiness’ ( her words) she quickly turns any dreary, mundane day into a joyful one with a smile on one’s face guaranteed! With many years experience in teaching and theatre, she makes old and young glued to their chairs the minute she takes the stage, anywhere!”
— Francois (Sculptor, illustrator and teacher)
“Ms McKelvey has an incredible gift for teaching. She was the best teacher I ever had- I looked forward to her classes as they were always inspiring, entertaining yet still challenging in the right ways to help you grow your skills. She is patient and supportive which makes you feel safe and comfortable to be yourself and try new things.”
— Zosia (former student)
“Julia McKelvey’s classes range from deeply-moving explorations to light-hearted workshops, all while maintaining an infectious enthusiasm, grace and unwavering patience.”
— Cristina (Arts Management Milan,and former student)
“Julia is a highly skilled practitioner, whose enthusiasm for puppetry is infectious. Her energy and passion are underpinned by a detailed knowledge and expert understanding of theatre in all its forms. She is exceptionally creative and inspires adults and children alike.”
— Sarah (Drama/English/TOK teacher)
“Julia has a passion for all the work she does. I have seen this through countless musicals that we have worked on together and most recently through her fantastic work with puppets. She has created an amazing world of characters that come to life through her capable work, imagination and encouragement of others as they are no doubt infected by her passions.”
— Steve (Musician, teacher)