Honoring those that went before, celebrating those who are with us now, and encouraging those to come
Dustin Curtis
We have waited four long years to reunite here at the University of Maryland and I can say that it's great to be back!
Being on the board over the past six years has given me an appreciation of our community and of my fellow members. We have worked to update and transform Puppeteers of America to benefit and serve our members and the communities where they live. We have also shared powerful moments of community as we weathered the pandemic together and shared its disruptions to our lives and art.
I am particularly proud of our ability to pivot to supporting our colleagues through the digital frontier and through many initiatives, in particular, The Direct Relief Fund for Puppet Artists.
This edition of the National Puppetry Festival experiments with new ways to experience our festivals and we are excited to try them out. We hope our first gathering will remind you of the value of our time together. I and the Board of Directors wish you a wonderful time and thank you for your continued involvement with Puppeteers of America.
The National Puppetry Festival is our key (and most beloved) program. Four years ago, I met up with Anatar in a goth bar in Portland Oregon, and we discussed many ideas and thoughts about what we wanted to see in a Festival. Fast forward to early planning where we selected a site that resonated with our thoughts on generational change and transition. One of our key drivers was to engage local communities where we produce so we can inspire and create opportunity for the public to engage with the Puppetry Arts. After deciding on the alma mater of Jane and Jim Henson, we reached out to the National Capitol Guild to serve as our artistic committee. I was impressed by the strong talent and abilities which they demonstrated in their own local work. At that point, the senior team was formed with the addition of Yolanda Sampson as our Artistic Chair.
This leadership team and the addition of Dr. Paulette Richards, Lindsey Ball, and Christine Dempsey invigorated our efforts. I want to take a moment to thank the stellar team who have worked unselfishly and almost non-stop as volunteers to produce this festival. Many staff members had to balance their life and full-time jobs while working on tight deadlines to produce this event. Logistics have proven challenging in the post-pandemic reopening environment. I am also thankful to my personal friends Katie, Julian, and Danette for making this a reality (and only because they know I love puppets).
Together we have brought you the best program we could imagine, and we hope the effort brings you great joy and benefit. My gratitude to the entire festival staff, our officers, our board, and to our partners who all deserve a round of applause.
One last note. These events run on the enthusiasm and generosity of our members. If you were particularly moved by any of the programs, disliked a portion, or wish that something was included, please reach out and volunteer to help make the next edition even better!
Festival Admin Staff:
Dustin Curtis, Festival Director
Gabrielle Greenfield, Festival Coordinator
Charlie Conley, Business Manager
Lindsey Ball, Registrar
Christine Dempsey, Marketing Manager
Gabe Hazuda, Social Media Team
Mackenzie Doss, Social Media Team
Kat Pleviak, Customer Service Coordinator
Bonnie Kim, Volunteer Manager
Laura Borgendale, Web Designer
Artistic Committee:
Yolanda Sampson, Chair and Artistic Director
Julia Schemer, Production Coordinator Sarah
Olmsted Thomas
Alex Vernon
Dr. Leigh Lafosse
Dr. Schroeder Cherry
Michael Lamason
Heidi Rugg
Sam Rugg
Program Producers:
Alex U. Griffin, Reel Puppetry Festival
Grant Baciocco, Host and Interviewer
Drew Allison, Potpourri
Carole D’Agostino, Meet the Artist
Beau Brown, National Puppetry Slam
Zane Exactly & Cassie Bray, Fringe Festival
Conni Mulligan, Piet Symposium
Cheryl Capezzuti & Team, Parade Artists
Workshop Committee:
Anatar Marmol-Gagne, Chair
Milissa Orzolek
Anna Fitzgerald
Danette Newcomb
Puppetry Store:
Stacey Gordon, Store Manager
Gordon Smuder
Pix Smith
Aaron Lathrope
Anna Vargas
Puppetry Exhibit:
Dr. Paulette Richards, Chair
Jeff Swann
Loreen Swann
Starr Page
Photography Team:
Richard Termine, Chair
Alex U. Griffin
Tih Penfil
Jamie Feldman
Guy Thompson
Special Thanks:
Bob Nathanson & Elise Handlman
Ken Martinson
Aretta Baumgartner
Kathleen Conroy
Ben Page
Taylor Bibat
Rowan Patel
Katie Phoenix
Z, Brenna, & anyone inadvertently unlisted
The Jane Henson Foundation
The Jim Henson Foundation
The Jim Henson Legacy
Dick Blick Art Materials
PofA Staff:
Lindsey Ball, Administrative Officer
Charlie Conley, Finance Officer
Kallie Melvin, Front Desk Coordinator
Steve Abrams, Puppetry Journal Editor
Joe Tenerelli, Layout Artist
Georgette Forgione, Proofreader
Laura Borgendale, Webmaster
PofA Board Members 2022-2023
President: Dustin Curtis
Vice-president: Liz Joyce
Secretary; Edna Bland
Treasurer: Katrin Blucker-Ludwig
Chris Heady
Kalob Martinez
Katy Williams
Brandon Kirkham
Adam Kreutinger
Thank you to the University of Maryland Staff for your support!
Joe E. Criscuoli, Jennifer, the Stamp & Clarice Teams.
Welcome to the Puppeteers of America 2023 National Puppetry Festival and Academic Symposium! It has truly been an honor and a privilege to work with our Festival Director Dustin Curtis and the Artistic Committee (Leigh Lafosse, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, Alex Vernon, Michael Lamason, Schroeder Cherry, Heidi Rugg and Sam Rugg) to select the main festival and community day performances which are exceptional, entertaining, engaging, enlightening, and energizing. Our hope is that you will immensely enjoy the diverse puppet performances which highlight a variety of puppet forms, featuring some of the best puppeteers in the United States of America and around the world. We are absolutely thrilled that you are here! A special thank you to Dustin, the Artistic Committee, the University of Maryland Theatre Staff, a l l t h e p e r f o r m e r s , t e c h crew, Anatar Marmol-Gagne, P of A Festival Staff, P of A Board, and the P of A Staff for purposely and pleasantly working to make sure that this festival would be an amazing puppet experience that is out of this world! All the best and GOD bless you!
- Yolanda
From the moment that I was asked to take on this role, I had a vision: Diversity and Inclusion. I wanted to offer workshops done at every level, in every style and different intensities, but I especially wanted workshops that could be accessible to non English speakers. Seeing this vision actualized as Workshop Director has been an absolute pleasure and honor, but I couldn’t have done it without my incredible team: Rowan Pantel, Milissa Orzolek and Anna Fitzgerald.
A big thank you to all the workshop presenters and to all of you for making this possible.
Hoff Theatre –Stamp Student Union
Tuesday, July 18th, 8:00pm
Annie Evans: (writer/producer) Has written children’s television for the past twenty-five years, most notably for Sesame Street (13 Emmy Awards) as well as for shows on Nickelodeon, PBS, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel and Animal Planet. She has taught writing for children around the world and story edited for Sesame Street coproductions in Bangladesh, India and Indonesia. She is also a playwright having had plays produced at such theatres as New York Stage and Film Company, Manhattan Class Company and the Circle Repertory Lab. She is a graduate of Brown University.
Pam Arciero: (director) Pam Arciero performs for film, television and theater, notably as a puppeteer with Sesame Street (Grundgetta Grouch, Oscar's girlfriend, and assorted characters) and with the Muppets for over 35 years. Pam is a director of live theater, television, and film. She choreographs and directs live walkaround (the big versions of the puppets) shows for Sesame Workshop in such farflung places as Jamaica, Turks and Caicos, Barcelona, and Saudi Arabia, as well as Sesame Place and Sea World, USA. She is the Artistic Director of the National Puppetry Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center. Pam holds a master’s degree in Puppetry Arts from the University of Connecticut and a Bachelor's Degree in Dance and Dramatic Arts from the University of Hawaii.
Martin P. Robinson: ( puppet designer/ builder) Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (designer/performer); The Frogs (designer) Off Broadway: Little Shop of Horrors (Drama Desk, L.A. Drama Critics, Villager Awards); Go, Diego Go! National Tour (puppet designer); Film: Muppets Take Manhattan, Follow That Bird, Elmo in Grouchland, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Producers. TV: Sesame Street– 41 years playing Mr Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, Slimey, etc. Currently playing Mr Primm on the new Sesame Street/Apple TV show “Helpsters ”
Aanika’s Elephants is the story of a young African girl who meets a baby elephant (Little) at the orphanage where her father works. They grow together the way only two young girls can, even if one has a trunk. When Aanika’s father dies, she becomes the ward of an abusive uncle. She flees into the African Savannah making one final farewell to Little. Camping that night in the bush the way her father taught her, she is frightened by crashing branches and discovers Little has followed her. They become a herd of two, working together to survive and steer clear of humanity. Adopted by a small herd of elephants, Aanika learns their very beautiful, civil ways. She is finally tested when she must save her new family from poachers.
In a time when children are feeling so much division and stress, Aanika’s Elephants is play about compassion, love and conservation. It’s a story that shows how family can be anything a beloved, widowed father or even a herd of elephants. The audience can use their imaginations to fill in the large rattanframed elephants, adorable baby elephant and people represented by just hats and gloves. With music, a variety of puppets and humor, Aanika’s Elephants entertains and educates both adults and children on the plight of the elephant and our world.
When a seaweed-covered creature washes ashore in the Cape Cod village of Barnacle Bay, the inhabitants fear the worst. Is it a sea monster in their midst? No, it's a baby as big as a house! The villagers adopt the giant baby, whom they name Stormalong…or Stormy for short. Growing over 24 feet tall, Stormy struggles to fit in and chooses a life aboard a merchant ship to find his place in the world. Meanwhile, a REAL sea monster torments the villagers and only Stormy is big enough to save them all! Based on the American tall tales of Stormalong, the creation of this show was supported by a 2022 Family Grant from the Jim Henson Foundation.
Kogod Theatre - Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, June 19th, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Wha t I f Puppet s ( formall y Mesner Puppet Theatre) has bee n i nspirin g p l a y an d cultivating connections through puppetry since the company's founding in Kansas City, MO in 1987 Th e compan y tour s nationally and internationally, engages classrooms with arts integratio n programmin g to suppor t social-emotiona l development , an d build s custom puppets for theatrical an d vide o clients Mesne r Puppet Theater has received thre e UNIMA-US A Citation s and multiple grants from The Ji m Henso n Foundatio n t o support the creation of new works for families. Mike Horner joined the team in 2006 and currently serves as Director of Puppetr y Arts . Mik e i s th e company’s lead puppeteer and puppe t designe r, an d hi s p u p p e t c r e a t i o n s h a v e appeared on stages and in video productions all across the country.
Hoff Theatre –Stamp Student Union
Wednesday, July 19th, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
The Charm City Puppet Cabaret is a celebration of Baltimore's innovative puppetry scene featuring some of the city's most beloved artists. In this cabaret-style evening, a select group of puppeteers will be given a chance to share work that is longer than a slam but shorter than a full-length show, giving you the variety of short-form puppetry but with a deeper theatrical exploration. Featuring live music interspersed between every act, this lively evening will include works by Schroeder Cherry, Dirk Joseph, and the Jane Appleseed of crankies Katherine Fahey, among others. This showcase is supported by the generosity of The National Capitol Puppetry Guild.
Award winning multidisciplinary puppeteer, Katherine Fahey has toured and taught throughout the United States. She combines various crafts, combining indicate papercutting, ethereal shadow puppetry, crankies, and engaging storytelling. Her pieces are either based on stories or songs. They are usually shared as live table top performance, but sometimes as music videos or featured as segments in longer films. Some stories are folk tales as far reaching as the southern swamps of Louisiana and the northern reaches of Inuit Quebec, but can also be true stories from her childhood in Virginia and the streets of Baltimore. Katherine’s shadow puppetry is presented in the form of a tabletop performance
A shadow puppetry
Reid's childhood memories of black horse cart vendors in Baltimore city and the effect they had on her neighborhood.
A young boy discovers that his strict grandfather went to jail as a child. What was that about? This story about children in the Civil Rights Movement is narrated by a rod puppet who uses wooden cutouts to tell what he learns. The puppeteer is in full view, dressed in black.
A native of Washington, D.C., Schroeder Cherry is a Baltimore based artist and puppeteer. He played with puppets as a kid. In college he tried puppetry to see how he would respond to his childhood interest. He apprenticed to a puppetmaster in Chicago while in college, then joined a troupe before setting out on his own. Dr. Cherry has performed original shows with puppets in museums, libraries and cultural centers for adults and children across the U.S. Performances include "Can You Spell H a r l e m ? , " T h e L a n d o f P r i m a r y Color;" “Underground Railroad, Not A Subway;" “Tuskegee Airmen;” “ How The Sun Came To The Sky,” and The Civil Rights Children’s Crusade.”
In Collab Story, two siblings feeling stuck at home without use of their devices must find other ways to entertain themselves. The result is a surreal trip into the world of their imagination..
Baltimore based artists Dirk Joseph and his daughters Koi and Azaria have been performing puppetry together since 2016. Also known as String Theory Theater, they use various puppetry formats to create shows for children and adults. First honing their skills at the seasonal Puppet Slamwich at Baltimore’s Black Cherry Puppet Theater, Dirk, Koi, and Azaria have performed on numerous stages across Baltimore and beyond. The y also creat e large-scale outdoor p u p p e t p e r f o r m a n c e s , s o m e t i m e s partnering with other puppeteers an d community organizations to engage local communities in creative demonstrations and exhibits.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, July 19th, 9:00 pm
Alex and Olmsted (Alex Vernon and Sarah Olmsted Thomas) is an internationally acclaimed puppet theater and film production company based in Maryland, USA. In recent years, A&O has played festivals in South Korea, Canada, and Denmark in addition to theaters and museums across the states. A&O was awarded 2 Jim Henson Foundation grants and the 2020 MSAC Independent Artist Award, the highest honor for performing artists in the State of Maryland and an award that is only given once in the lifetime of an artist or group.
Alex and Olmsted’s short puppet film “Marianne’s Onion,” produced by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams, was an official selection of the Maryland Film Festival, the Washington West Film Festival, and the Paris Art Film Festival, among others.
Ale x an d Olmste d i s a residen t compan y a t Baltimor e Theatr e Project. Vernon and Thomas are also p r o u d c o m p a n y m e m b e r s o f Happenstance Theater with whom they have created 10 productions since 2012.
Internationally acclaimed and 2-time Jim Henson Foundation grant award winning puppet theater company Alex and Olmsted journey to outer space with the creation of their innovative new puppet show, “MAROONED! A Space Comedy.” Lauded as “Achingly beautiful…” (MD Theatre Guide) and “...amusing, charming, delightful and, at times, utterly and completely astonishing” (DC Theater Scene), “MAROONED!” follows the adventures of a lone astronaut who crashes unexpectedly on an uncharted planet. Featuring music from the Voyager Golden Record, this handmade spectacle involves puppetry, illusion, innovative mechanical objects, and virtuosic physical expression. Will the astronaut survive strange creatures, anomalous atmosphere, and isolation in order to find her way home? See for yourself… in “MAROONED!”
This show is brought to you by the generosity of Robert Petza
Shadow puppetry and live music weave a light-hearted, intimate, and mysterious evening of visual storytelling in Lupita’s Revenge, a crankie puppet play that has been touring museums and small theaters around the country.
Lupita’s Revenge is performed by an alliance of eight musicians and visual artists based out of Athens, Georgia: A five-piece band playing a mesmerizing soundtrack of Latin American classics; while three shadow puppeteers tell Lupita’s story of fury and rage following her father’s assault at a wrestling match in Mexico City in 1924. The 50-minute vengeance play follows Lupita on her intense journey as she confronts her father's assailant 20 years later in Valdosta, Georgia. Don’t miss Lupita’s Revenge, complete with romance, wrestlers, intense chases, enchanting music, and “one mild decapitation.”
Hoff Theatre - Stamp Student Union
Thursday, July 20th, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Produced and Directed by Abel Klainbaum; Lead Visual Artist: Phil Jasen; Illustrators: Anthony Gaskins and Alberto Kino. Puppeteers: Abel Klainbaum, Phil Jasen, and Laura María Ramírez Giraldo; Music by Tango Hambre: Violin: Keiko Ishibashi; Lead Vocals: Megan Cole; Guitar: Brian Smith; Bass: Chris Enghauser; Accordion: Philip Kohnen.
Kogod Theatre - Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Thursday, July 20th, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
F o u n d e d i n 2 0 0 5 , t h e company Ombres Folles has created 8 shows and given nearly 450 performances in Canada, France, Serbia and Ukraine. The company now enjoys recognition in youth theater and puppet circles. Ombres Folles defends a world carried by the imagination by creating shows that awaken the whimsical spirit of young and old. Committed to the development of contemporary puppetry and theater for young audiences, the company explores the intersections of genre between puppet, shadow and object theatre, while probing our fears, our quirks and our taboos.
In a world - made of paper - that is both ruthless and fragile, Quijote and Sancho are looking for adventure. Stepping in are the vivid and larger-than-life imagination of the frail knight as well as shadow theatre! But the beliefs of Quijote are too powerful. Wherever he turns everyone thinks he is crazy and people make fun of him. Led by a clown duo of actor/ puppeteers, the production recounts the unbelievable adventures of Don Quijote and his friendly squire Sancho Panza. Imagination, humor, friendship and the search for glory await in a world of extravagant shadows.
This Hip Hopera created by Jeghetto and co-written by Pierce Freelon was awarded grants from the Henson Foundation two years in a row. This Afrofuturistic puppet show is set in a post apocalyptic future with an original score by Hip Hop producer Hir-O.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Thursday, July 20th, 9:00 pm
Jeghetto is puppetry infused with Hip Hop culture. He has been building his puppets out of recycled and found materials for about 20 years now. He’s worked with Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Alec Baldwin and others in the industry. Jeghetto has received 2 grants from the Henson Foundation for his Hip Hopera titled 5P1N0K10 (Spinokio) the Android who wants to be a real B-Boy. He also received a grant from Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreams to produce a short film of the same title that will be released on Amazon Prime.
Before the pandemic, Jeghetto traveled the country performing his unique style of puppet theater in venues and festivals. He also facilitated puppet workshops for all ages which he now does online. You can learn all about him at jeghetto.com.
Kogod Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Thursday, July 20th, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Art became fascinated by puppetry in the early 90’s while pursuing a degree in teaching. A puppetry course his last year of college took him off the teaching path and onto a successful career as a puppeteer. An early opportunity to study with Jim Henson’ s Muppet Performers and hundreds of performances for a touring company helped hone his skills as a performer. An invitation to be one of the first participants in the Emerging Artist Program at the National Puppetry Conference, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center helped develop Grueneberger’s writing and production skills. These skills combined with a bit of luck lead to the formation of Grueneberger’s Puppet Art Theater Co. in 1995. Today Puppet Art Theater Co. has eighteen productions that tour across California and beyond completing more than 600 live performances for family audiences every year. Grueneberger has become a master at developing marvelous puppet shows that delight audiences of all ages.
Live rod and hand puppetry combined with projected sets and animations bring this irreverent telling of this classic tale. Three pigs strike out on their own looking to have fun and adventures. But first, they must build houses for themselves. Straw, sticks, bricks, and a huffing and puffing Big Bad Wolf add up to hilarity and mayhem in this adaptation of the classic story, “The Three Little Pigs.”
MIGRACIONES / MIGRATIONS, by Paradox Teatro, is a poignant meditation on the global migration situation, which draws on the artists’ own surreal experiences in the U.S. immigration system while inspiring compassionate perspectives from the global refugee crisis.
This original work highlights Paradox Teatro’s mesmerizing blend of hybrid puppets, sand drawings, and multimedia shadow puppetry projections to reveal each character’s journey across sand, water, and darkness in search of a new home. These visual mediums are scored by original live music and sparse poetry in English and Spanish so that MIGRACIONES / MIGRATIONS can push the boundaries of non-verbal storytelling, and further Paradox Teatro’s mission to communicate with audiences across cultures and language barriers.
This production premiered at Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis, USA with the support of a 2019 Jim Henson Foundation Production Grant. Since then, it has been presented internationally with support from el Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes and el Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes in México.
Performing Arts Center
Thursday, July 20th, 9:00 pm
Paradox Teatro is a multimedia puppetry arts company founded in 2017 by Artistic Co-Directors Sofía Padilla of Mexico & Davey T Steinman of the United States. T h e c o m p a n y h a s t o u r e d p e r f o r m a n c e s a n d t a u g h t residencies in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. The mission o f Parado x Teatr o i s t o us e performin g art s t o connec t communitie s acros s languag e barriers and cultures.
Kogod Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Saturday, July 22nd, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Drama of Works (DOW)’s mission is to be a performing arts organization that furthers the art of theater incorporating puppets. Their main purpose is to promote, support and create unique, premiere theater experiences that push the boundaries of theatrical norms and conventions. To that end, DOW offers a wide variety of public performances, both classic and original works, throughout New York City and representing NYC elsewhere, for all ages. DOW aspires to be the leading theater company of cutting-edge stage performance in Brooklyn, New York. In the coming years expect expanded programming from DOW, including partnerships with national and international artists, producing of puppet slams, and more classes for the Brooklyn community.
DOW is known for their innovative works that cros s th e l in e betwee n actor s an d puppeteers. Led by Artistic Director Gretchen Van Lente (former president of UNIMA-USA), they have performed locally and abroad: around New York City, the East Coast and at seven international festivals to date, with thei r uniqu e bran d o f theatre : gainin g members, fans and supporters along the way Drama of Works prides themselves on includin g member s fro m a variet y o f backgrounds , includin g puppetr y, experimental theatre, clowning, classical theatre, folk dance and comedy They are the recipient s o f seve n Henson Foundatio n grants, two grants from the Rhode Island Foundation, a grant from the Fund for US Artist s a t Internationa l Festivals , a Chashama/NEA Performance Development Award and an Ensemble Studio Theatre/ Sloan Project Commission, among others.
In the early 1900s African-Americans began to migrate north in large numbers. Harlem was where their community was, so many moved there, despite the high rents. Rent parties became a popular way for families to raise the rent money they needed. They would hire a musician or band, get cheap refreshments and charge a small entry fee.
An innovative toy theater fills the stage, a replica of a Harlem block from the 1920s. Lights flicker on as people awake. We see toy theater puppets, shadows come to life in windows, and at a certain point the whole set transforms. All the while actors frolic in 20s costumes, original saxophone music plays through the speakers and a cat does back alley poetry. We’re transported in time to an era poignant and pivotal to the African-American experience in this country and people of all ages should know these stories, hear these words and listen to this music. Come follow Rose, Jenny and Ricky as they help their mammas throw a RENT PARTY to save their home. All they need to do is get the ice, hand out some cards, oh - and get a real live musician to play. Shouldn't be too hard…
Set deep in the Sagebrush Desert, PACKRAT is a visually stunning puppet play that contemplates humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Puppetry, projections and an original score elegantly come together to shape what The New Times called, “a journey of rescue and redemption…Thoroughly mesmerizing amazingly expressive.” Inspired by the classic adventure novel, “Watership Down,” PACKRAT follows one peculiar rodent, Bud, who has a penchant for hoarding humankind’s goods.
When a discarded cigar sparks a wildfire, the animals in Bud’s valley flee for their lives. Already an outcast among the desert animals for his hoarding instincts, he gets blamed for the human-made disasters infiltrating their lives. When they ban him from the community, Bud must set out alone amidst a raging fire, to confront human-made dangers and a few natural ones. PACKRAT is a poignant account of Bud’s journey to find his place in the world, and his ultimate realization that the interconnectedness of life rules the day.
This show is brought to you by the generosity of The Jim Henson Foundation
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Saturday, July 22nd, 9:00pm
CONCRETE TEMPLE THEATRE is a multi-disciplinary company, committed to the creation of compelling new theatrical works, incorporating drama, dance, puppetry, music and the visual arts. Since 2004, our company has created devised visual theatre that challenges the traditional relationship between design and text. Through touring original works and presenting workshops in NYC, nationally and internationally, we strive to bring myth an d ritua l back to th e cente r o f dialogue, by presenting works and workshops that address real issues withi n communitie s (grief , famil y relationships , environmenta l stewardship). As The Brooklyn Rail stated, “Ambitious production is the norm for Concrete Temple, a creative ensemble with a strong focus on ritual theatre, multi-disciplinary storytelling and the collective experience.” We have presented our work for NYC audience s a t venue s lik e Ohi o Theatre, HERE, and Barrow Street Theatr e an d hav e bee n artist-inresidenc e i n NY C a t Th e Flea Theater, Dixon Place, Mabou Mines, St Ann ’ s Warehouse Concret e Temple has toured work nationally at v e n u e s l i k e : T h e Ya r d , B a r d Summerscape , Detroit Institut e of Arts, Pontine Theatre, Dairy Center fo r th e Arts , Amphibia n Stag e Production s an d internationally : London, Sri Lanka, India, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Scotland, South Korea and Costa Rica
- Gavin Cummins
Atrium - Stamp Student
Union
Wednesday, July 19th, 1:00pm
Gavin Cummins is a puppeteer and artistic director of Thistle Theatre located in Seattle. Gavin began his puppetry career as a performer at Thistle Theatre with founder Jean Enticknap. Gavin cofounded the Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam and collaborated with Red Legg Dance Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Solstice Parade and others. He received an MFA in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut. Responding to the pandemic he helped develop the Drive-In Puppet Show. Gavin has taught and lectured at BIMP, Northern Arizona University, University of Connecticut, Phoenix Art Museum and the National Puppetry Festival. He was an Emerging Artist at the National Puppetry Conference and selected 3 times to the National Puppet Slam..
Thursday, July 20th, 1:00 pm
WonderSpark Puppets is a New York City based puppet theater company led by Chad Williams and Z Briggs. The company's mission is to spread joy, spark imagination and share laughter through high quality puppet performances. They have toured internationally, bringing original productions and puppetry workshops to festivals in Thailand and Taiwan. Their original solo puppet shows were official selections at the International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC, La MaMa Etc Puppet Festival, the Siam Paragon Asean Fascinating Puppets Festival in Thailand, and at the 1st Lize International Puppet Festival in Taiwan. Their works have been performed at the 14th Street Y Theater, Puppet Showplace Theater, Symphony Space, and at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.
Cha d W illiam s (write r, directo r, performer) is Co-Artistic Director of WonderSpark Puppets and has toured and taught puppetry internationally H e ha s written , d i recte d an d performed over 15 solo puppet plays for family audiences with hundreds of performances every year.
In 2022, he released "50 Hand Puppet Techniques: Hidden Secrets and Tricks Revealed", a manual for traditional hand puppetry. He has trained new puppeteers, teachers, actors, special needs therapists and others using his unique Two-Finger Style.
He is a two-term board member of UNIMA-USA and a current Fulbright Specialist.
What makes you - YOU? Fox Fables is a combination of several Aesop's Fables, inspired by the works of the 12th century storyteller Rabbi Berechiah ha-Nakdan. The story is about a fox who loses his precious tail and with it his identity. He tries to be several other animals instead - with hilarious results - before realizing the moral lesson of this ancient fable. Themes in this tale include self-worth, anti-bullying, test taking, and the five senses.
- Laurencio Ruiz
Colony Ballroom - Stamp Student Union
Thursday, July 20th, 4:00 pm
Laurencio Ruiz is a Lecturer of scenic design and puppetry at the Penn State School of Theatre. He holds an M.F.A. in Scenic Design from Penn State School of Theatre, and a B.A. in Graphic Design from Universidad Autónoma de Mexico, where he also studied visual arts. His experience as a trans-disciplinary designer and artist includes sets, costumes, puppets, masks, and props for cabaret, theater, television and film in Mexico and the U.S. Since his involvement with puppetry, he has been creating, directing, and performing original puppet shows at the Eugene O’Neil Theatre Center as an Emergent Artist, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Philly Fringe Festival among other venues. He also received the Excellence and Variety Award in the field of short form adult puppet theatre by the National Puppet Slam Network, presented at the National Puppetry Festival in UConn, 2015; the KCACTF Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Scenic and Costume design for ‘Picnic’ in 2012, and for ‘Medea’ in 2006; the PSU College of Arts and Architecture Creative Achievement in Theatre Award in 2001.
Give Me a Hand is an unforgettable duo of puppets with aa-nhu-maa-tuh-pee-uh, (onomatopoeia) names, Brrrt and Thrrr in which audience members have the opportunity to interact and explore the other side of puppetry. This bilingual interactive performance invites people from the audience to be part of two or three puppet's sketches, as a puppeteer. That is, we ask audience members to come up on stage and ‘give’ his/ her right hand or left and becomes the puppet's hand. Together we complete different tasks, such as magic tricks drawing, cutting, blowing and twisting.
Friday, July 20th, 1:00 pm
Jim Napolitano is a native of Milford, Connecticut, and a graduate of the University of Connecticut's Puppet Arts Program. After completion of his degree, Jim worked with Bits and Pieces Puppet Theater. He performed around the country and around the world, including The National Culture Center in Japan and The National Theater in Taiwan.
Jim has worked as a freelance artist and performer. Jim’s work can be seen on the PBS show, Between The Lions. Other television credits include The Book Of Pooh,The Weinerville Chanukah Special,A Show of Hands and Stick Stickly Jim has also performed voice over work for “Kirby:right at you”, “Shaman King”, “Pokemon”, “One Piece”, Between the Lions and other prodjects.
For over 30 years jim has performed Liv e Shado w Theate r fo r famil y a u d i e n c e s a s N a p p y ' s P u p p e t s N a p p y ' s P u p p e t s i s dedicated to presenting quality puppet theater to audiences of all ages. The goa l o f each performances i s to entertain, inspire and educate the audience on the range and scope of puppetry as an art form.
Before Santa got the job we are all familiar with, he had many other jobs. In this performance we will learn about all the jobs and troubles Santa encountered in his youth. Presented in five parts, “Santa Got Fired” teaches us how to learn from our mistakes and that you can have your milk ’n’ cookies and eat them too
Hoff Theatre - Stamp Student Union
Saturday, July 22nd, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
Sandglass Theater is a renowned theater company specializing in combining puppets with music, actors, and visual imagery Since 1982 , th e company ’s production s hav e toured internationally in over 30 countries, performing in theaters, festivals and cultural i n s t i t u t i o n s a n d w i n n i n g n u m e r o u s international prizes. Sandglass is dedicated to the arts of theater and puppetry as a means of exploring contemporary issues, inspiring dialogue, and sparking wonder We create original ensemble performances and collaborations , presen t divers e theate r artists , produc e event s tha t serv e ou r communities, and teach our art
This project is partially funded by grants from The Jim Henson Foundation and the Puppeteers of America Rose Endowment Fund, and the SBA Shuttered Venues Operators Grant.
Oma says that knitting is not just pom pom hats and sweaters. Oma's knitting contains whole stories! This new family show by Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller is an intergenerational tale that revolves around Grandma or “Oma." It is her birthday and all are preparing for the celebration. While the grown-ups manage work phone calls, playdate logistics and other such tasks, the children get into mischief with party decorating, present wrapping, cake baking. Finally they all gather around for one of Oma's stories told in yarn. One character emerges from the tangle of wool and nearly ruins the party. But not to worry, all ends well at Oma's house.
Saturday, July 22nd 1:00 pm
M adi s o n J . C r ipp s be c a m e a professional puppeteer in 2006 while workin g o n a smal l far m i n th e Berkshir e Mtns Supportin g hi s puppetry is a diverse history of fine art, construction, environmentalism and theatre. In 2008, Madison was awarded a grant from the Mass Cultura l Counci l fo r th e Cripp s Walking Theatre Project He moved to Asheville, NC from 2009 to 2015 and wa s a n activ e membe r o f th e performing arts community During that time Cripps was awarded an UNIM A citatio n o f excellenc e in puppetry for his work on Billy the Liar in 2014. Now back in New England, Cripps brings the experiences and influences of his travels where he performs.
A Slice of Crazy Pie is a unique performance full of interactive song and pun. Cripps weaves harmonica, vocals and hand carved wooden marionettes into a sauntering jaunt through the back reaches of his brain. Fairly endearing, often boisterously emotive, always entertaining.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, July 19th, 7:00 pm
On Thursday, July 20th, we will focu s o n th e "Pat h Makers " a s p e c t o f o u r t h e m e o f Generations. Join us as we have the special honor to sit down with th e inimitabl e Si d Kro ff t and discus s hi s lon g caree r i n puppetry Sid will be beaming in via the internet to join us for an extensiv e chat , a strol l down memory lane, and a Q&A. You can find Sid’s extensive interview o n th e Pof A Youtub e shortl y following the festival.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Friday, July 21st: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Puppetry has a special ability to connect with neurodivergent audiences and can be used as an effective learning tool and bridge for communication and motivation. An invited panel hosts a lively discussion with Jim Henson Foundation President Cheryl Henson, Foundation Manager and co-artistic director of WonderSpark Puppets Z. Briggs, Center for Puppetry Arts
Education Director Aretta Baumgartner, Artistic Director of Drama of Works and creator of "Puppet Club" for neurodiverse puppeteers Gretchen Van Lente, puppeteer of Julia on Sesame Street and Artistic Director of Puppet Pie Stacey Gordon, and puppeteer and puppetbuilder Kieran Braun. 1 Hour.
The Jim Henson Foundation presents: American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine
Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library
Friday, July 21st: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
New York-based photographer Richard Termine has documented American Puppet Theater for over 30 years. Termine’s work captures the animated gesture of the puppet in still images. Over 100 images and objects in this exhibition illustrate the dynamic range of Puppet Theater being created by a vibrant community of artists in the New York City area, as well as some of the excellent work presented at National Puppet Festivals across the United States.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Friday, July 21st, 9:00pm
The most successful performer to emerge from the America’s Got Talent franchise and Las Vegas legend Terry Fator will share a special program exclusively for the Puppeteers of America National Festival. Part performance, part discussion, and part Q&A, Terry will perform several pieces showcasing his amazing vocal abilities and share stories of his experiences in the national spotlight. Terry is eager to join puppetry colleagues on the campus which has been so important to the history of American puppetry, and he hopes to help inspire the next generation of puppeteers. Terry Fator’s long journey from the plains of Corsicana, Texas to the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip was not without its challenges. Certainly, he had some help along the way, thanks to the millions of fans who named him winner of the hit NBC series, America’s Got Talent. After two decades on the road performing at countless kids’ birthday parties, county fairs and oddball venues, Terry thought his lifelong dream of appearing on the Vegas stage might never come true. When he finally got the chance to audition for AGT in that show’s second season, Terry was determined to take advantage, and brought all his talents to bear in taking home the $1 million first prize and the title of “Best New Act in America.”
In addition to Terry’s creative endeavors, he contributes considerable time and resources to his charitable endeavors through the Terry Fator Foundation. While he has supported many causes over the years, his most passionate advocacy is reserved for America’s veterans. “Veterans hold a special place in my heart,” Terry notes. “I want to honor their service and sacrifice as often as I can." At his core, though, Terry is a performer. “I just always want to entertain. That's it. I never had fans before and now that I do I just want to keep them smiling and laughing,” he notes. “I didn’t see success until I was in my 40s, and I’m determined to make up for all that lost time.”
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Saturday, July 22nd, 7:00pm
Andrew A Cano was born and raised in L.A. where he attended the Los Angeles High School for the Arts. He has since starred in theatre and musical theatre productions all across Southern California including A Chorus Line, Shrek The Musical, and West Side Story among others. He has worked in entertainment for over 10 years with the Walt Disney Company, performing in various shows, parades, special events, and even on the Disney Cruise Line. Most recently his work can be seen with the Jim Henson Company on Apple TV+ (Slumberkins) and with Puppet Up! - Uncensored. He looks forward to sharing more projects as they become public.
On Saturday, July 22nd, we will focus on the "Future" aspect of our theme of Generations. Join us as we have a discussion with Andrew A. Cano, Rachel Burson, and Matthew Lish as we learn about how they got started, what they are up to now, and what might the future look like as puppeteers.
Matthew Lish is a NYC-based puppet and prop fabricator, designer, and storyteller. Select credits include various projects at Jim Henson's Creature Shop (Daytime Emmy Award Contributor for Sesame Street, Thea Award for Sesame Street: Street Mission at PortAventura World in Spain), Rockefeller Productions and Disney Theatrical's Disney's Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation (Drama Desk Nominee for Outstanding Puppet Design, Lead Puppet & Prop Builder), and various Broadway and off-Broadway shows. Matthew is a former Walt Disney Imagineer, former circus clown, is on the Global Themed Entertainment team at Sesame Workshop, and works seasonally with Macy' s Branded Entertainment behind the scenes on events like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Rachel Burson is a puppet builder, puppet wrangler and puppeteer based in Los Angeles, CA. Rachel has been pursuing puppetry since 2015. She has worked on projects for various puppet companies like The Jim Henson Creature Shop, Swazzle Inc., Nickelodeon, Noggin and The Muppets Studio. She also owns her own personal business, rachelmadestudio. Rachel has built and wrangled on projects such as: Muppets Mayhem, Waffles + Mochi, Slumberkins, Duff's Happy Fun Bake Time, Crank Yankers, The Barbarian and The Troll, The B Street Theatre’s production of Winnie the Pooh, Womp & Co, Little Big Awesome, My Friend T, and the NBA 2023 Christmas commercial and more.
Kay Theatre - Clarice Smith
Performing Arts Center
Friday, July 21st: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
In the summer of 1961, Nancy Schmale saw Bil and Cora Baird’s puppet play, “The Magic Onion” featured in Woman’s Day magazine and persuaded her neighbor, Alice Swann that they should put on the show even though neither of them had any experience performing with puppets. Swann and Schmale were neighbors in Concord Park, a subdivision that Civil Rights activist turned housing developer Moris Milgram had designed as an inter-racial community in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The two housewives (who had seven children between them) went on to perform at the1967 Canadian Centennial Puppeteers of America Festival in Waterloo, Ontario. The 2023 festival exhibit therefore celebrates puppetry as an inspiring means of realizing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of “beloved community” with a display of puppets and archival documents tracing the development of the Wonderland Puppet Theatre.
Curated by Dr. Paulette Richards, the exhibit will include a reading from her new book, Object Performance in the Black Atlantic, workshops on digitizing personal archives, photographing puppets for posterity, and a panel discussion with children of the Concord Park puppeteers. Admission to the exhibit and ancillary programming is free and open to the public as part of our Community Days Program.
Session 1, Wednesday July
19th: 9:00 am10:15 am
There has always been information available about what to do to build a marionette, but why to do something a particular way isn't always mentioned. This workshop will explain and demonstrate the whys behind marionettes, why joints are made particular ways with specific ranges of motion, why strings are placed at particular points on the marionette and control, why particular materials are chosen for different parts of a marionette, etc.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
Join producer, business owner and puppet artist, Jean Marie Keevins for an information-packed workshop to help you get started on you business plan. Workshop participants need not already be in business. But, if you are, great! We'll cover how to get started and what needs to be included in a successful business plan to help you move forward with clarity.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
Session 2, Wednesday July 19th: 10:45 am12:00 am
Workshop participants learn not only how to make a puppet and manipulate it, but also experience how puppets can generate a safe playground for both the puppeteer and the audience to be more tolerant and open to that which is different, to the eerie, the weird and the odd; to experience how puppetry allows us to explore new, unfamiliar, even uncomfortable realms.
Explore the process of creating a simple but charismatic puppet head and body (half or full body) from all types of found objects and recycled materials, with the possibility of being manipulated by one person or two people. (BYO found objects, materials, and tools). Explore the process of creating a visual narrative, employing manipulation techniques and performing a one-minute puppet vignette with the puppet the participants just created.
Workshop Language: English and/or Spanish Workshop Level: Beginner
Puppeteer Chad Williams will teach you puppetry basics, advanced techniques, and subtle secrets - all gleaned from his 12+ years of working traditional hand puppets in NYC and abroad. Chad incorporates moves from Chinese Bu Dai Xi, European glove puppetry, and other traditions into his modern style. All participants will create their own practice puppet out of simple materials and receive a hand puppet body pattern. This workshop is great for beginners and puppet veterans.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels Workshop Supply Fee: $30 (Optional) for a Custom Felt Hand Puppet
One of the most often overlooked and important facets in creating new works for puppetry, cinema, theatre is how to conceptualize, verbalize, commission and collaborate on your music. In order to avoid expensive licensing fees and to create something truly original, learning to find and collaborate with composers is critical. Puppeteers will be encouraged to bring raw ideas or pre-existing material and we’ll show them how to ask, what to ask for and all the ways original music and songs can transform and elevate their work. This will be a workshop where we do an array of exercises and discussions, learning how to describe the sounds, songs and scapes we imagine and then clearly, fruitfully convey them for collaboration with professional musicians. Puppeteers should leave this workshop with a whole new sense of what music can do for their work and the most fruitful ways of collaborating to achieve it.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Session 1 & 2
Wednesday July 19th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
An introduction to the street puppetry form teatro lambelambe. Lambe-Lambe was invented in 1989 by Brazilian puppeteers Ismene Lima and Denise do Santos and consists of a 2-3 minute show performed inside a box for one audience member at a time. Workshop participants will get an overview of the history and principles of the form, view an example show and create a storyboard and test maquette of their own show from cardboard and tape. www.ceciliacackley.com
Workshop Language: English and/or Spanish Workshop Level: Intermediate
In this workshop Art opens up his books (literally) and shows the money side of things. Then he shows precisely how his business has set and achieved their financial and creative goals. In the first third of the workshop, participants will learn and practice tools that will help them set financial and creative goals that align with their primary life intentions. In the second third, participants will create a simple to follow action plan to focus their energy and will allow them to quickly achieve their financial goals. If the final section we will cover best practices in the most common areas of struggle for artists like marketing, price setting and other ins and outs of running an entertainment business. There will also be a Q&A.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
In this workshop, participants learn mechanical techniques for making shadow puppets move. They will explore pivots, levers, linkages, triggers, stops, and returns as they examine ways to achieve complex movement in shadow puppets. Participants learn some of the basics of engineering with hands-on modules that illustrate how objects move. Those ideas are then incorporated into shadow puppets that the participants create and share with the other participants. The attendees will leave with 2-3 shadow puppets that they create during the workshop and a typed hand-out containing the information discussed in the workshop.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner Workshop Supply Fee: $5 Per Participant
I'm a storyboard artist for animation, and I've found storyboards can wonderfully help puppeteers plan out short films and performances. But many puppeteers may not be familiar with how to approach storyboards as a tool to help them. In this workshop, which I've taught with Jean Marie's Little Shadow Productions, I discuss basic storyboard and shot techniques, and also discuss some ways, for those that don't feel comfortable drawing, how one can use their phone camera, to quickly 'shoot' their storyboards to help come up with some ideas. This is a three hour workshop where half the time I outline some basic storyboarding concepts, but the second half, the class uses their phones and some basic props, to shoot out their 'story' in storyboard form, and hopefully we can upload the images and do a quick 'film festival' pitch the last 15 minutes of class, watching everyone's work.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner - Intermediate
Paradox Teatro offers a teaching workshop for participants to learn an overview of techniques and technology for sand drawings and shadow puppetry on light tables, to perform under a camera for large-scale video projection in live performance. The performance techniques taught by Paradox Teatro artists can be applied to a variety of live performance styles, including using old school overhead projectors, in addition to filmmaking and animation. Paradox Teatro is interested in responding to the unique interests and questions of each participant by supporting participants ranging from beginners to experts of all ages.
Workshop Language: English and/or Spanish Workshop Level: All Levels
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am12:00 pm
Rahul is the third son of Shri K.K.Ramachandra Pulavar (Padma Shri awardee 2021- fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India for his contribution to puppetry) and K.N.Rajalakshmi. As a traditional family member with a rich historical and cultural background, Rahul learnt the tradition of Tholpavakoothu (Shadow Puppetry form of Kerala) at the age of eight. Rahul belongs to a 12 generation of puppeteers who follows the traditional style of puppetry performances and, at the same time, explore the contemporary themes of puppetry. In this workshop, Rahul will teach you traditional shadow puppet making and manipulation techniques.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level:
D Beag y i2nn - eSression 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am12:00 pm
WOODCARVING introduces students to the skills needed to carve puppets out of wood. We will begin by establishing an understanding of how to use the essential carving chisels. Participants learn how to select the best chisels for each facet of a carving project. The biggest challenge when carving is learning how to read the grain of the wood, so as to understand which direction to carve in. Participants will try out different exercises that will help them develop the ability to read the grain. In the process, participants will work with many different chisels as well as hand tools. Participants will also learn how to sharpen and maintain their chisels. For the remainder of the workshop, participants will design and carve a hand, paw, or claw for a puppet.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: BeginnerIntermediate Workshop Supply Fee: $25 Per Participant (One Time)
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2
Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Day 3 - Session 1 & 2
Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Puppet Gym Jam! Monitor and improv puppetry combined. Sarah Nolen, Harry LaCoste (live) and Jon Little (via zoom) will be taking you through three days of monitor puppetry skills and pairing them simultaneously with fun improv puppetry games. This is a multiple day workshop of what we taught on a monthly basis at the Puppet Showplace in Brookline, MA
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level:
Intermediate Day 2 - Session 1 & 2
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2
Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
This workshop is an introduction to woodcarving and wooden puppet making. Students will learn wood identification and structure, basic hand tools, how to sharpen/hone knives and chisels, carving safety, five carving cuts, and ultimately how to start carving wooden puppets! Students will also make Bernd Ogrodnik’s “Kitchen Table Workbench.” This workshop will serve as an introduction to Bernd Ogrodnik’s Foundation Course to Puppet Mastery. Student will be introduced to several styles of finished wooden puppets, including those that are taught in Bernd Ogrodnik’s online Academy of the Wooden Puppet.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate Workshop Supply Fee: $20 Per Participant
(One Time) Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
This fun, interactive, hands-on puppetry intensive will take you on a journey to discover how to bring ANY puppet to life through proven performance techniques. We will focus primarily on hand & rod puppetry but will also touch on and physical acting techniques and application. Through specific exercises, improvisation, emotional studies, physical participation and observation, puppeteers will be challenged to approach their own performances and skill-building in new and exciting ways.Having at least a basic to intermediate knowledge of hand puppetry is recommended, but puppeteers of any level will gain new insights into this magical performance art.
Workshop Language: English
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Taking the traditional Mexican celebration Dia de Muertos (the Day of the Dead) I teach how to build a humansized hybrid puppet: "Calaverita", a smiling skull and a skeleton, which represents the soul of our loved ones after death. I explain how to build the puppet, realization tips, animation and at the end each participant decorates and gives their puppet the personality they want. At the end of the workshop, there is a performance with the puppets of all the participants. In the workshop, I not only explain how to build the puppet, I also share and explain the Mexican worldview, where we celebrate the people who died by remembering them every year. The ritual where we feel that souls return from death to be with us.
Workshop Language: English and/or Spanish Workshop Level: Intermediate
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2
Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
This is a workshop where a puppet solo will be created. The main objective of this workshop is to create a short piece with political and or police-themed puppets. It can be theater, dance, or mixed technique. This will also give us an excuse to be able to generate different puppet mechanisms. That as a group they will be able to learn from the creation process from the idea as a need for expression, the creation of the scenic object that is the puppet, and the completion of the piece. These pieces can be enjoyed live and digitally at the end of the workshop. The materials to be used will be cardboard based. The mechanisms are inspired by automata and variations of Japanese techniques (which can be seen in my book) with other elements such as wood, threads, wire, and conventional tools. But the most important thing is to use puppets as a weapon to talk about important issues in our daily lives.
Workshop Language: English, Spanish, and/or Italian Workshop Level: All Levels
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2
Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Explore the dramatic transformation of the marionette and mask in this intensive workshop! In this four session class ~ build your own Roser-style scarf marionette; explore Roser's paper sculpture method to construct a stage-effective mask to adorn the puppet; and learn techniques to bring it to life! Awardwinning artist Sarah Frechette will share wisdom from the String Academy, drawing on her years of study with German master puppeteer Albrecht Roser. You'll be amazed at how simple, elegant, and evocative a marionette and mask can be. All participants will take home a completed scarf marionette with a unique mini mask and the basic movement vocabulary needed to create a solo performance.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All LDeavye2ls- Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
This interactive workshop will dive into the basics of DIY filmmaking... with puppets! In this workshop, we will both analyze examples of well-crafted puppet content and learn tricks and tips as we film / complete a short film in-class.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
"A four-day masterclass in glove puppetry looking at glove puppets through a Commedia Dell’ Arte lens. We will look at how glove puppets play and move across the playboard, how the characters of Commedia allow play and create narrative. We will look at how to use puppets on two hands and swap characters between the two, and what rhythms this can create. How the form uses brings the audience into the play, and how slapstick works with glove puppets. If puppeteers also have music, or language skills, then these will also be explored and utilized. This will lead to a showing, or showings at the end of the workshop of shows of about 15 minutes long. I find that teaching puppeteers a form where the puppeteer is hidden within a booth can be quite revolutionary in an age when live puppetry often has puppeteers who are seen by the audience. This is a development of the workshop that I run annually as a tutor at the Curious School in the UK."
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate)
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2
Participants will bring a built marionette and work on improving the mechanics as well as practicing manipulation with an emphasis on intuitive discovery following the puppets innate movement vocabulary.
Workshop Language: English
Workshop Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Workshop Supply Fee: $25 Per Participant (One Time)
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner - Intermediate Workshops can be taken together or separately.
Day 2 - Session 1 & 2 Thursday
July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
(DAY 2. Anger as a Force for Positive Change: Culturally Sensitive Educational and Therapeutic Puppetry)
Day 3 - Session 1 & 2 Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
(DAY 3. Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan: Making Puppet Images and Narrative Which Claim Intersectional Identity)
Day 4 - Session 1 & 2 Saturday
July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
(DAY 4. How to Understand, Prepare for, and Offer Healing for Trauma Issues arising from sensitive topics during Psychoeducational and Psychotherapeutic Puppetry, as well as Puppet Therapy)
Expect to laugh during these four daring, delightful, and dazzling workshops, which invite puppets/dolls into your home, classroom, library, spiritual space, and/or clinical space. Participants across the lifespan often project their own story onto puppets. The puppeteer, educator, caregiver & therapist of any type become the sacred witness, handing the participants a comforting image or holding one for them. Effectively facilitating learning about feelings, how to handle hurts & anger, what to expect when someone is grieving, & offering the puppets as a healing instrument, will come more naturally following these four workshops. Furry friends awaken the brain that is keeping a participant/student from feeling whole in body, mind and spirit. Puppets help learners experience the world as a safe place (Interoceptive harmony). Puppets help participants of all ages travel between their inner experience and the present world. Dr. V gives poignant & purposeful suggestions for practical puppet use, some specifically designed for the virtual venue. You will be given many viable ideas and experiences, along with videotaped material and concrete handouts. You will make a puppet appropriate for your setting, practice using the basic concepts of psychoeducaitonal and psychotherapeutic puppetry, and discover the magic of puppet/doll use for a variety of cultures. Mediums: Practice in small groups themes taught, basic puppetry skills, one to one sharing, & performing (if interested) in the "magic space”. Notice differences, likenesses, and feelings about injustices. Use puppets as a healing tool. PowerPoint’s & bibliographic materials are made available.Bernd Ogrodnik’s online Academy of the Wooden Puppet.
Session 1, Thursday July
20th: 9:00 am10:15 am
Going Global with Puppetry: UNIMA as a Catalyst
"UNIMA Overview: Worlds of Puppetry” - Kathy Foley (University of California-Santa Cruz), Academic Committee
UNIMA-USA “How I applied for international Festivals and Made Connections” (Bonnie Kim, Teaching Artist Honolulu, HI) "Puppetry in Korea and the World Festival of Puppetry Arts Korea 2025" (Kathy Foley with Mina Kyonghe Kwon, Associate Professor, University of GA) “Presenting in International Festival Symposiums and Conferences/ Making the Connections” (Kathy Foley; Claudia Orenstein, Editor, Puppetry International Research and Professor of Hunter College, City University of New York; Felice Amato, Boston University and Chair of UNIMA-USA Academic Committee [tentative]) “Making International Connections and Working with Refugee Puppeteers, the Ukraine” Karen Smith (President UNIMAInternational, Zoom presentation) Did you ever wonder how you could get connected with the larger international puppet community, performing in festivals, becoming part of conferences or commissions that work on issues of presenting, researching, assisting puppeteers? This workshop is intended to help puppeteers understand the many ways that they can become involved with the international community of artists, scholars, and puppeteers using UNIMA-USA to link to UNIMAInternational. The presenters will show the ways international performance, research, conferences can enrich lives and deepen art, sharing their experience and advising how interested puppeteers might connect through commissions or upcoming international festivals.
Workshop Language: English Levels Workshop Level: All
Session 2, Thursday July
20th: 10:45 am12:00 pm
A hands-on overview of some of basic principles of mechanizing 2D puppets with levers, pull strings, and returns. Designed to push through any intimidation of mechanisms, this workshop emphasizes rapid prototyping as a regular practice to jumpstart those who wish to begin achieving more movement with articulated figures. Starting flat is also a good stepping stone into more complex 3D mechanics. This is part 2 of a 2 part workshop with Multiplane Puppetry, to be taken together or separately.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner - Intermediate Workshop Supply Fee: $5 Per Participant
Learn about US Fulbright Funding and Travel Opportunities for Puppetry Artists, Educators and Scholars. The presentation will include six panelists who will each share stories and images about their different types of Fulbright grant experiences. The lively conversation and slide presentations will provide opportunities for the workshop participants to learn about how a Fulbright grant can be a great way for puppeteers to celebrate and advance their work as performers, educators and scholars. Carol Sterling will serve as moderator and panelist. Other panelists are: Anna Sobel, Fulbright as a Student in India; Paulette Richards, Fulbright Scholar/ Teaching-Sengal; Claudia Orenstein, Fulbright Scholar/ResearchJapan; Chad Williams, Future Fulbright Specialist/Performer and Educator-Taiwan; Kathy Foley, Fulbright as a Student-Germany; Senior Scholar/Research-Indonesia, Malaysia
Workshop Language: English Intermediate Workshop Level:
The workshop will explore what it feels like to be the Other in puppetry. How do BPOC maneuver in the majority white puppet world and the world in general? What are BPOC experiences from it? How has trauma effected BPOC? How does this effect their work and when they are in white spaces? Do non-BPOC individuals understand this? Are BPOC really understood along with their work as artist when they enter these white spaces? Or are they just being used for grants? How do white artists and white puppet companies deal with BPOC when they have scholarship programs? This is a hands on workshop. There will be role playing and improvisational activities for all involved. We will discuss readings from Black Skin White Mask by Frantz Fanon and other writers and looking at invisible to hypervisble and what that means in the world of puppetry for BPOC. We will also look at what it means to be white in the world of puppetry? The workshop will also look at issues white companies deal with when dealing with BPOC artist? How can communication and understanding get better for all parties involved? This is about learning about oneself and others. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
Session 2, Saturday July 22nd: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
Session 1 & 2
Thursday July 20th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Puppetry is the perfect exploration and celebration of joyful collaboration! After warming up ALL our one-of-a-kind-inthe-world bodies, we’ll use simple, effective multi-person puppets in ensemble performance and enjoy playful discovery of breath, gravity, and focus – the basic of good puppet theatre and ALL great theatre stories!
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate - Advanced
In this workshop, we will look at 2 methods of raising funds; online crowd sourcing and grant proposals. In both these methods, we will focus on writing a compelling story to entice donors to support your work. You will compose your own case for support to entice potential supporters. Participants are asked to bring paper and pen or laptop/tablet if they prefer..
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
L200 Foam Guru Rob D’Arc invites you to pick his brain in this introductory workshop, which will cover the basics of creating giant puppets, masks and props using this lightweight, closed-cell urethane material. It will cover making a pattern, enlarging the pattern to trace on the foam, cutting techniques, assembly of the parts, and an overview of coating and painting.
Workshop Language: English
Workshop Level: All Levels
A multiplane is a layered glass apparatus from stop- motion animation which can be used to great effect by live- action shadow and paper theater puppeteers, for film or live projection. We’ll look at its development, starting with animator and shadow puppeteer Lotte Reiniger, to how puppet artists are using it today. A simple multiplane will be demonstrated, with possible methods for building and performing with one. Lighting, cameras, glass, layering, effects, and performing techniques will be discussed. The workshop will prepare all experience levels to make a simple setup and begin their own explorations. This is part 1 of a 2 part workshop with Flat Mechanics, to be taken together or separately.
Workshop Language: English
Workshop Level: Intermediate - Advanced
Session 1, Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 10:15 am
I will bring wayang golek rod puppets and topping masks for participants to explore in manipulation. After a PowerPoint introduction, participants will receive a puppet to examine mechanism and then themselves manipulate the rods using, the percussion patterns (drum syllables) for each of the five major characters types with a short demonstration of each type. This will conclude with a 10 minute showing of the five characters interacting in a scene. In the second half of the workshop the participants will work in groups to use the different techniques (voice, percussion, character type movement to distinguish differentiation between types). The workshop will conclude with showings of 3-4 scenes that participants have developed which are either standard wayang golek choices or their own creations (of sound, percussion, character movement) that use the ideas of voice, character weight, intensity.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
Learn the secrets to building larger-than-life characters that weigh next to nothing, are easy to transport, and super affordable to build! In this workshop, you will learn tips and tricks for how to fabricate your own inflatable puppets, as well as the Dos and Dont's that Matt learned firsthand from creating some of his characters for his new show, "Under the Sea with Dredgie McGee".
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level:
Session 2, Friday July 21st: 10:45 am
In this workshop we will look at your puppetry business and what you do from a sales perspective. Beginning with defining who you are and the products or services you provide, we will design a basic product strategy and effective marketing plan giving you the tools you need to sell your business. Participants are asked to bring paper and pen or laptop/tablet if they prefer.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
The workshop presents an approach to puppetry in education that requires divergent thinking, group skills, problem solving, analysis of poetry, and dramatic expression. Using simple materials construct a fantastic puppet which is manipulated by 3 or more people and comes alive to recreate the characters from Lewis Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky” Workshop will end with an improvised performance based on the poem. Bringing literature to life.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels Workshop Supply Fee: $1 Per Participant
- 12:00 pm 60
Friday July 21st: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Jim Henson began his career on D.C. television while still a Maryland high school student and continued throughout his studies at the University of Maryland. As Jim drove from home to school to various studio facilities, Jim covered a lot of mileage in his Ford Thunderbird as he and his performing partner (and future wife) Jane Nebel introduced Kermit and the first cast of Muppets to area viewers. Jim’s daughter Heather Henson and Craig Shemin, author of the recent book about Jim’s first show, Sam and Friends, will retrace Jim’s footsteps (or tire tracks) with a very special bus tour of notable sites connected to Jim’s early career. From Jim’s childhood home in University Park, to Northwestern High School (the visual and performing arts academy of which now bears his name), to the WRC-TV studio, and culminating with a special stop at David C. Driskell Community Park’s Sam and Friends Plaza, Heather and Craig will point out the historic sites and show rare video clips and photos.Attendees should plan to meet at 8:30 am in the Stamp Lobby. Boarding will stop at 8:55 and will depart at 9:00 am with no exceptions.
Program Language: English Event Level: Beginner
In this workshop, participants learn techniques for turning drawings and maquettes into full-size puppets. We explore methods for creating orthographic drawings, how to create a three-dimensional model from those drawings, and ways to use those models to create larger puppets. Participants will leave with the orthographic drawings they create and a typed handout that contains the information discussed in the workshop. This workshop includes elements of design, drawing, sculpting, and patterning. It is a hands-on workshop.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate Workshop Supply Fee: $5 Per Participant
Learn how to sculpt from a different perspective—a new twist on puppet design. Sculpting puppets for character strength that can be seen from the back row focusing on cleanliness of design, asymmetry and using planes to catch the light!
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate
Wednesday July 19th: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
The workshop will invite participants to come with an idea still in development. The workshop will be geared towards building a writing practice for the purposes of preservation and self-examination, finding a play/performance structure on the page that makes sense to them and is easily accessible by others, and will offer a chance for group critique where we clearly define “critique versus criticism” and how to better receive critique with clarifying questions. Practical explorations will go over planning, basic writing, revising, proofreading, and group discussion. Tasks will focus on stage directions, dialogue, and overall clarity of the piece. My goal is to also analyze dramatic structure of each individual piece and it's metaphors. I see this workshop predominantly benefiting those who may struggle with writing, or clarity in their writing. I also see this workshop benefiting those who are in the process of pitching their new ideas. I would also like to ask participants to bring whatever puppets they feel they will need to aid in the writing process.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner - Intermediate Workshop Supply Fee: $5 Per Participant (One Time)
Day 2 Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Making Connections Through Puppetry is a professional development workshop for educators, counselors, therapists, and other professionals working with young people (especially those with developmental delays). Are you currently using puppets in your work or are you interested in learning more about how to begin? Learn the basics of what brings a puppet to life, how to perform puppets in one-on-one and small group settings, and how to integrate puppetry into your practice with a focus on elevating performance quality for greater effect.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
Taylor Bibat leads a workshop in movement, tabletop puppetry, and letting found objects inspire devised work. Emphasis on collaboration, specificity of movement, and material understanding. This multi-day workshop for puppeteers of all levels will include movement and puppetry exercises based in Biomechanics, Viewpoints, Laban, and Classical Mechanics as well as more in depth study of 3-person tabletop puppetry. Participants will break into groups and devise work as small ensembles, always paying attention to how the given object "wants" to move.
Day 2 Session 1 & 2 Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm\\
Session
Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am10:15 am
"In this presentation, I demonstrate how Yoda, Darth Vader, C-3PO and other popular puppet/mask characters create meaning and upstage humans. Looking at Yoda, Darth Vader and the droids in particular, I show how various types of “material characters” access powers of Distance, Distillation, and Duality in storytelling. We take a deep dive into what these powers are and how they work, using video clips from Star Wars films as examples, but radiating out into live puppetry performance examples as well. Throughout the presentation, and particularly at the end, I invite participants to discuss the ways Star Wars figures and other material characters perform "otherness” – often using their distance from humans – and how we might consider their representational powers more critically as puppeteers, writers and scholars. Much of the presentation will draw on my new book “A Galaxy of Things: the Power of Puppets and Masks in Star Wars and Beyond” (Routledge Press 2023), using photos and video clips."
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All levels
Drawing from over 20 years busking around the United States I have built a workshop that explains a basic protocol for busking with puppets that deals with portable stages, personal appearance, dealing with the public, finding the ideal venue and plenty of other pertinent issues to be addressed by prospective buskers.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate
Session 2, Saturday July 22nd: 10:45 am - 12:00 pm
An open forum or panel discussion on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Hosted and moderated by Edna Bland, PofA Board Member and Chair of the EDI Committee.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
Viewpoints is one of the most successful and freeing methods for creating stories and movement onstage, particularly devised work. This class is essential for any directors, devisers, puppeteers and movers who need a fresh outlook on their creativity. Viewpoints is a technique that allows the puppeteer to get out of their head and stop “performing”. There are nine Viewpoints that all pertain to a different way of exploring space; Spatial Relationship, Kinesthetic Response, Shape, Gesture, Repetition, Architecture, Tempo, Duration, and Topography. The instructor will guide you through a small section of Viewpoints without puppets, to get you used to how the format works. Then, instructor introduces very simple blank puppets. We use scarves or plastic bags, all starting with the same base and not feeling constricted by any existing characteristics of a puppet. They will discover organic and new characters and movements which they can implement into to their characters and careers. It allows puppeteers to experience a new way of moving around a space, not getting caught in stereotypes ortropes of characters. This workshop will leave you feeling inspired, creative, and free.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
Though puppetry is a movement-based art form, we often need and want to add voices to our puppets to increase storytelling possibilities. Where does one begin? At the beginning, of course! This fun workshop for performers of ALL levels and experiences will share vocal warm ups that increase range and articulation and activities and tips to find character voices. Bring a puppet if you have one--if not, some puppets will be provided.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: All Levels
This workshop is intended for experienced marionette artists. A Tetrahedron Marionette will be provided to each participant, and will focus on the manipulation of this unique abstract figure as a teaching/learning experience. The puppet is based on a design inspired by Buckminster Fuller, and simultaneously explores the origins of life in nature and in Puppetry through animation of the inanimate object.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Advanced
Session 1 & 2
Saturday July 22nd: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Giant Cardboard Parade Puppets with Rob H. D'Arc
Rob D'Arc shows you how to build a giant puppet or two with help from random strangers being sucked into the action... Staplers and woven cardboard technique make for big fun parade creatures!
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Intermediate
Traditional Turkish Shadow Theatre: Learning Karagoz Shadow Theatre with Ayhan Hulagu
Karagoz Theater Company describes the world’s cultural heritage Karagöz in detail with the workshops. How the puppets are made and the fine details of art are explained in practice.
Workshop Language: English Workshop Level: Beginner
The past few years have shown me how unstable things can become but also how artists have a place in all this uncertainty to help. There is something unique about puppetry to be able to mold and contort to the situations as the present themselves.
This workshop is about putting puppet philosophy, dramaturgy, dance performance art and my own personal bias into a set of helpful tools and methods. We will highlight the unique principles of puppets, examine what different puppeteers did during the lockdown and pandemic, then we will work in groups to put what is discussed into practice by creating short puppet pieces with randomized limitations.
I would like the participants of this workshop to feel that they have everything they need to start creating compelling puppet theater and are inspired to do so with their community.
Workshop Language: English Levels
Workshop Level: All
Improv for Storytellers with Tyler Bunch
“a beautiful and comprehensive retrospective look at the award-win- ning work of Coad Canada: Luman Coad and Arlyn Coad.
...an essential document about the art of puppetry and puppet history, but Luman declares a simple, beautiful goal: “We both felt imagination is undervalued in the modern world. We wanted to encourage our young audiences to exercise theirs.”
Puppetry Journal
Available at www.charlemagnepress.com
Corporation founded in 1976
Over 250 unique puppets, kits, & shows 15 books on puppetry
World famous puppetry workshops Extra bonus—virgin domain - puppetry.com
