PuppetryLab.com

From their web site, “One Way UK hold more than 40 Training Days/Seminars/Festivals throughout the UK in the course of a year. These are a combination of Workshops, Performances, and Competitions designed to Teach, Challenge and Equip the puppeteer (Beginner or Advanced) and the director for continued and effective ministry.”

More info @ OneWayUK.com:
Training Day - Verwood, Bournemouth (UK) - Sep 8, 2007

Today was the 8th Annual National Day of Puppetry. Fun puppet events took place all over the country, but I got to take in a few of the activities sponsored by the Mile High Puppet Guild that took place here at the Englewood Public Library in Englewood, CO. Read the rest of this article »

This morning I awoke to a feedbox full of goodies, including some nice puppetry finds. I thought I’d share since I’ve been kinda slow in the posting department this month.

• PuppetBuzz.com shares a rare behind-the-scenes Muppet video featuring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, and Michael Frith. The vid is way too short (9min), but it includes some fun Muppet Show clips and great discussion about character development, angles, focus, and more that would appeal to any puppeteer, not just a Muppet fan.

• Michael Sporn is an animator I’ve been following lately. His blog is full of interesting art pieces, long-forgotton but amazing storyboards, how-tos, you name it. And he does such a fabulous job describing it all. Well today’s post is all about a puppet show, but not just any puppet show, Macbeth in marionettes by the Compagnia Marionettistica Carlo Colla e Figli. Talk about amazing pictures… the costumes, the sets, the puppets… holy cow. I would love to see this show! Check out Michael’s post for a little inspiration and humbling.

Then, of course, if you haven’t been to Jellyfishland in a while, go check out Cap’n Pete’s new segment this week on etiquette. It’s fun. Nice sets, nice writing, nice puppetry… gotta love it.

The Mile High Puppet Guild is sponsoring a day of puppetry at the Englewood Public Library from 10am to 4pm. The activities are free and will include puppet shows and puppet making.

Englewood Public Library, Englewood CO - April 28th - 10am-4:00pm

Before acting theorist Konstantin Stanislavsky challenged the traditional approach to theater, actors of the nineteenth century practiced prescribed poses that were supposed to illustrate certain emotions. (Much like my four-year-old standing in front of the mirror trying to discover his best “poor me” face in hopes of weaseling out of cleaning his room.) If someone tried to convince a contemporary audience with such outdated methods, he’d be laughed off the stage. We don’t want to think, Golly, what a nice pose! That person can really show how an angry person stands. NO! Today’s audiences don’t want to think about the actors as actors… we’d rather forget that we’re watching a movie or a play, being so captivated by the believability of the characters and situation that we can remove ourselves from reality and experience the story. THAT won’t happen with 19th century acting. (Or with a 4-year-old’s scheming.)

Modern actors need to have an emotional connection to what they’re saying, thinking, feeling, and doing. And they need to develop an emotional connection to the audience. Ed Hooks says, “When we speak of creating the illusion of life in animation, it boils down not to mannerisms and naturalistic movement, but to emotion. The audience empathizes with emotion. Actors are athletes of the heart.” (Acting for Animators p 36) Read the rest of this article »

We love warm-up games that get brains going as well. This little exercise will force players to concentrate on their words, actions, and timing within the group. It’s a really simple game, but it’s certain to be a fun way to get your puppet rehearsals going.

Set up. Gather your group into a circle - - sitting or standing, it doesn’t matter. Instruct your players that they will be passing a simple pattern around the circle. Read the rest of this article »

Think about your favorite meal. In our house, anything Mexican trumps… although I’m partial to a good Chicago pizza. Now think about what goes into that meal. What ingredients are necessary? If you leave out one or more of those important elements, would it still be your favorite? Where I’m from, it’s just not a hot dog if you forget your dill pickle spear!

You see, things just aren’t right if you neglect the necessary elements. The same is true with our puppetry performances. If you have exquisitely crafted puppets performing the most well-written lines displaying proper puppetry techniques inside a beautiful proscenium, you’re still missing an aspect of performance that is extraordinarily important: acting. Without it, you’re just not giving your audience the whole enchilada–it might be somewhat satisfying, but it’s not going to call them back for seconds. Read the rest of this article »

From the Twin Cities Puppetry Guild web site, “Watch puppet shows. Build your own puppet. Perform with your own puppet. Watch some more puppet shows. Join in the fun when the Twin Cities Puppeteers and Spirit of Hope United Methodist Church host a free event for families as a part of the Puppeteers of America’s National Day of Puppetry.”

More info @ tcpuppet.org:
Family Puppet Festival - Golden Valley, MN - April 28th - 1:00-4:30pm

From the Detroit Puppeteers Guild website, “This year the Guild will present a children’s Day of Puppetry in cooperation with the Children’s Museum in Detroit. We plan to have four hands-on workshops. The children will range from pre-school to 12 years of age.”

More info at DetroitPuppeteersGuild.org:
Day of Puppetry at the Detroit Children’s Museum - April 28th - Noon-3pm

According to the web site, the Red Festival is, “A four-day festival of live performance including dance, theatre, puppetry, visual art, music, performance art, comedy, and film. Over 50 acts and 100 performers will grace the stage at Lula Lounge to present some of the city’s edgiest, sassiest, and talented artists.” Original link from the Ontario Puppetry Association’s Events Page.

More info @ GirlCanCreate.com:
2nd Red Festival - Toronto, ON - Apr 15-18, 2007