Dennis Gaviola

Puppet maker Mikayla Teodoro flanked by her 101 Dalmatians during the show's West End run

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ABS-CBN Lifestyle

<p>In this new series by ABS-CBN Lifestyle, readers get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the country&#x27;s most fascinating creatives from multiple industries. Much as they&#x27;re often put on pedestals and applauded for their mind-blowing work that sets them apart, it&#x27;s just as interesting to see how they go about their workaday worlds without the rose-colored glasses. Because really, in the end, these talented individuals are regular humans too...just like us.  </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757153940285IMG_9050.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Puppet designer and maker Mikayla Teodoro just wrapped 101 Dalmatians in London&#x27;s West End. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>A Day in the Life of Puppet Designer and Maker Mikayla Teodoro</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>8:00am in London (3:00pm in Manila!)</p><p>I wake up early to check my emails and messages from my company, Puppet Theater Manila. I am the artistic director and co-founder of PTM and since it’s almost the end of their work day, I catch up to see what they’ve discussed while I’ve been snoozing! </p><p>Ben, my business partner will have been organizing any ground work that needed to be done, while I take over with admin, design, and procurement work that might need approval by the end of the day. I usually do all this in bed so that I can attend to any pressing matters immediately.</p><div><br/></div><p>8:30am </p><p>I get up and brush my teeth and take a shower. Time to get ready for the long day ahead! </p><div><br/></div><p>9:00am</p><p>I prepare myself a cup of Milo (can’t be without Milo even when I’m in Europe!) and make myself some toast before I start my Zoom meetings. Today I’m meeting with the artistic director of Fullhouse Theater Company, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and director of their upcoming musical “Shrek”, Dexter Santos, to talk about puppet designs for their show. I’ll be explaining to them what the mechanisms for each puppet is and how to use them ahead of my trip to Manila where I can explain this to them in person.</p><div><br/></div><p>9:45am</p><p>I pack my bag and feed the cat. At this point, he is yelling at me to give him his food.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757157862991cathand.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Puppet maker Kayla Teodoro flanked by her 101 Dalmatians during the show&#x27;s West End run"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Hangry Cat. Home errands before heading to work. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>10:00am</p><p>I head to my bus stop and take the bus to Canary Wharf in London. From here I need to take two lines on the underground, the Jubilee line to Westminster then I transfer to the District line to go to Hammersmith. </p><p>I usually either listen to a podcast or read a book while on the train since it’s an hour-long commute from my flat to the theater. Today I’m listening to “The Big Flop” by Wondery Media. I just need a dose of comedy to begin my day! </p><div><br/></div><p>10:50am</p><p>I finally pull into my station and tap out of the barriers. I dash to Greggs (a local food chain) for a breakfast sausage roll and a hot chocolate. They stop serving this at 11:00am so I’m usually running out of the train to make the last order.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757158375893cinema.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The calm before the show storm at the Eventim Apollo theatre. Image courtesy of Kayla Teodoro"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The calm before the show storm at the Eventim Apollo theatre. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>11:00am to 12:40pm </p><p>I arrive at the Eventim Apollo theatre in Hammersmith for today’s run of “101 Dalmatians”! I’m the associate puppet designer and puppet technician of the show. This means I need to check all the puppets for any breaks and wear-and-tear before the show starts.</p><p>I then do some repairs and touch-ups on any puppets that might need adjusting. Usually this means changing strings on our dogs and checking that all the fabric finishes look up to scratch! </p><div><br/></div><p>12:45pm </p><p>The cast starts to come in for their warm-up. At this time, I start doing a reset of the show wherein I put all the puppets that need to be where they’re meant to be for the beginning of the matinee. I also go around the company to ask if anything felt off with their puppets during last night’s show and if there’s anything they need me to fix.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757153763139DSCF0027.JPG" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The company and their Dalmatian puppets before the show. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>1:15pm</p><p>The puppeteers of our main dogs, Pongo and Perdi, have to do a thing called a “fight call” with Sydnie Christmas (Winner of Britain’s Got Talent!) who plays Cruella de Vil. During this time, they run the moment where Cruella tries to attack the dogs in the show. This is to make sure that no one gets injured during this scene. I usually watch this call with our puppet captain, Lottie, to flag any potential hazards and to check that the puppeteers and puppets are okay with the movements! </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757158410291syd.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Sydnie Christmas, who plays Cruella de Vil, rehearses the fight scene for safety. Image courtesy of Kayla Teodoro"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sydnie Christmas, who plays Cruella de Vil, rehearses the fight scene for safety. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>1:30pm</p><p>Lunch break! I head to the local food market to grab a bite - today the Filipino food stall is up and they’re serving beef mechado<em></em>. Sooo good, but it’s also £11 (approx P700) for a bowl… so it hurts to pay for it sometimes.</p><div><br/></div><p>1:45pm</p><p>Time to catch up on emails and meetings before the show. Today I have a phone call with the director of a very popular TV show (still under NDA, but catch it next year!) to make a little puppet for them. During the meeting we talk about the script, puppet requirements, and shoot dates.</p><div><br/></div><p>2:25pm</p><p>The stage manager calls “beginners” five minutes before the show starts. At this point, I’ve changed into my all-black clothes and I’ll put my head torch on, ready for the show!</p><div><br/></div><p>2:30pm</p><p>Showtime! I now run my track! This means that I have some cues I need to hit and to watch for any moments that puppets might break throughout the show. </p><p>During any scenes where there are no puppets, I will turn on my laptop to work on the puppet bible. “101 Dalmatians” is closing this week and so I need to put all the paperwork together. In the puppet bible I list all the materials that we used when making the dogs, have photos of each puppet, and drawings of all their mechanisms.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757158576815show.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Watching from the wings! Backstage during the show. Image courtesy of Kayla Teodoro"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Watching from the wings! Backstage during the show. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>3:30pm</p><p>It’s now intermission! I do a reset during this 20-minute break between Act 1 and Act 2. I move puppies to where they need to be for the top of the next act. </p><div><br/></div><p>3:50pm</p><p>Time for Act 2! There are more puppets during this act and so I’m more busy working on my track. This is when our puppy puppets are the stars of the show and the audience—especially the children—love them! </p><p>My favourite moment happens at around 4:40pm when our REAL Dalmatian puppy, Dolly, comes down to stage for her little moment at the end of the show! </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757075283416IMG_1959.JPG" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Hello, Dolly! The only real pup in the show. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>4:45pm</p><p>The show is now done and I put puppets back to where they need to go at the end of the show. I spray any sweaty puppets with disinfectant to dry overnight and take puppets that might have broken throughout the run into puppet workshop for me to fix first thing tomorrow. </p><p>Today was a one-show day (my favourite days!) and so we only have a matinee. I lock up and head back to the station. Since today is a shorter day, I have time to go and catch a show tonight! I decide I’m going to watch a friend’s show in Battersea! </p><div><br/></div><p>5:20pm</p><p>I pull into the station and find a local flower shop to buy a bouquet for my friend! </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757156102395IMG_2073 (1).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Shopping for flowers to gift a friend for her final school project!<em> Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></span></span></span></div><p>6:00pm</p><p>I get to the theatre and settle in. Today I’m watching “The Pig” directed by Tara Oppen for her masters’ degree final showcase. I haven’t watched a student show in a while and it was very nice to see all the students cheering their friends on! The show was much darker than expected but explored some really great themes! </p><div><br/></div><p>7:10pm</p><p>The show is done and it gets a little standing ovation! I give Tara her flowers and head to the pub downstairs for a drink and some dinner. I’m starving since I wasn’t able to get dinner before the show! </p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:591px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1757075768980IMG_2075.JPG" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner"></span></span></span></div><p style="text-align:left">Supporting a friend&#x27;s master&#x27;s degree final showcase. ‘The Pig’ by Tara Oppen. <em>Image courtesy of Mikayla Teodoro</em></p><div></div><p>8:30pm</p><p>Time to head home. The show was in the west of London so it’ll be a long commute back. Luckily my flatmate, Luis, watched the show with me so it won’t be a lonely commute. We take the Northern Line from Battersea Power Station to London Bridge then take the Jubilee line to Canary Wharf.</p><div><br/></div><p>9:30pm</p><p>I stop by the local corner shop (think 7/11 but not 24 hours) to get an ice cream before walking home from the bus stop.</p><div><br/></div><p>9:40pm</p><p>Back home now. We put on the kettle and have some tea as we talk about our days and what we did at work. My fiancé also works in theatre so I ask her what she was up to today and what interesting things she might have painted!</p><div><br/></div><p>10:30pm</p><p>We get ready for bed and I settle in bed with a book. Now I’m reading “The Lamb” by Lucy Rose. Dark but beautifully written! </p><div><br/></div><p>11:30pm</p><p>Good night! Time to rest for another day.</p><div><br/></div><p>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</p><div><em>Mikayla Teodoro is a puppet designer and maker from the Philippines currently based in London. She is the co-founder and artistic director of Puppet Theater Manila and the associate puppet designers of 101 Dalmatians in the UK. Other recent works include Our Cosmic Dust and The Jingleclaw in the West End, as well as being the lead set designer for the recent Philippine staging of Come From Away. She loves celebrating Filipino Culture through puppetry! </em></div>

<p><i>In this new series by ABS-CBN Lifestyle, readers get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the country's most fascinating creatives from multiple industries.</i></p>

In this new series by ABS-CBN Lifestyle, readers get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the country's most fascinating creatives from multiple industries.

Creative Space: A day in the life of puppet designer and maker Mikayla Teodoro

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Creative Space: A day in the life of puppet designer and maker Mikayla Teodoro

ABS-CBN Lifestyle,

Kayla Teodoro

Published September 06, 2025 08:41 PM PHT

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