Greetings puppetry fans, here are a few things going on. These are all listed in our newsletter The Control Stick, which goes out to members every other month.
BAGOP Meeting March 24
The Boston Area Guild of Puppetry is having their next meeting on Sunday March 24th, 6:00 PM at Puppet Showplace Theater. This will be our first in-person meeting in a while, and it will be great to see old friends and new.
Our special guest will be Charlotte Lily Gaspard (see photo) who is performing that weekend at Puppet Showplace Theater. Charlotte will talk about her work, which features enchanting original fairytales and songs that she performs with her company Midnight Radio Show. Come for a behind-the-scenes look into how she designs and creates her magical puppet shows. Charlotte will also be doing a workshop on Friday March 22nd at 6:30 PM on shadow puppets.
And as always, we’ll have Show and Tell, let us know what you’ve been up to lately or where you’ll be performing. If you have any questions, contact John Lechner, JMLechner (at) aol (.) com.
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BAGOP Meeting April 28
The next meeting of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry will be Sunday April 28th, at a special time and place, 4-7 PM at the German Center in West Roxbury (where Paul Vincent Davis lives).
For our program, we will be taking a look back at the history of our guild and celebrating our own Alice Schaefer, who has been so integral to the success of our guild and Puppet Showplace Theater over the years. Come share memories with Alice and Paul, and see old photos from our collection. Bring a puppet if you like for Show and Tell. We will also share a potluck, and everyone is encouraged to bring something (let me know what you’re bringing, so I don’t get the same thing.).
Details have been sent out to all our members. If you would like more information, contact John Lechner – JMLechner (at) aol.com
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Workshops at Puppet Showplace Theater
Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA, has many great puppetry workshops in the coming months, including:
How to Use Shadows: Workshop with Midnight Radio Show
Mar 22 (Fri): 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Explore the endless possibilities of shadows in this three-hour workshop with Charlotte Lily Gaspard, shadow puppetry artist and director of Midnight Radio Show from New York City.
Commedia dell’Arte Weekend Intensive with Markus Kupferblum
April 5 (Fri) – April 7 (Sun)
Spend a weekend immersing yourself in the rich masked theater tradition of Commedia dell’Arte! Explore the stock characters, gags (aka lazzi), and more with Markus Kupferblum, lecturer at the University of Vienna and expert of the form.
An Exploration in Marionettes: Workshop with Madison J. Cripps
May 18 (Sat): 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
How do you make a marionette move? What connects its parts and pieces? Can you (yes, you!) make your very first marionette in an hour? Learn all this and more in an afternoon workshop with the incomparable Madison J. Cripps!
For details about all of these workshops, visit: puppetshowplace.org/adult-puppetry-classes
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World Day of Puppetry Virtual Celebration!
This year UNIMA-USA will again make a presentation for World Puppetry Day in tandem with Puppeteers of America.
The event will happen Thursday, March 21st, starting at 7:00 PM EST, followed by the Puppeteers of America at 8:00 PM EST. UNIMA-USA will announce this year’s scholarship winner, give individual awards to some of our most consistently dedicated and impactful members, award Citations of Excellence to select puppetry productions of note, and present the Nancy Staub Publication Award to writers who have advanced and illuminated puppetry with their works. Then at 8:00, Puppeteers of America will make their own presentation.
There’s no fee, but advance registration for the Zoom link is required, REGISTER HERE.
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Regional Festival Update
Applications are now open for Performances and Workshops at the next Puppeteers of America Northeast Regional Festival, Nov. 1-3, 2024 in Ithaca, NY. Deadline for applications is July 15, 2024. For details and application forms, or to get on their mailing list, visit the festival website: puppeteers.org/puppet-homecoming
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New England Puppet Intensive – Design Edition
July 12—22 (Application Deadline June 1)
Immerse yourself in the ultimate studio experience as we engage in a unique design laboratory with a fully stocked, puppet-making studio set against the backdrop of the beautiful Berkshires. At the core of the NEPI design philosophy is a concern for expressiveness and character. They employ a deep knowledge of puppet-taxonomy and combine it with a thirst for innovation. They encourage a sense of playfulness and experimentation in the design studio — encouraging puppeteers to work from a set design principals as well as their creative impulses.
For details and registration (deadline June 1st) visit their website: www.newenglandpuppet.org
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Summer Intensive Puppetry Training
July 14 -July 27, 2024 (Application Deadline May 1)
This year’s training will pilot a new training model allowing for participants to choose a focused track of Building, Performance or Directing. Participants will spend mornings as a whole ensemble developing common vocabulary through warm-ups, breath training and puppet animation/manipulation class. After lunch participants split into focused tracks in puppet construction, puppetry performance or directing for puppet theater. While week one remains process-based within a focused track, week two will start to blend groups as participants collaborate on small ensemble compositions that will be performed at the end of the week.
For details and registration visit their website: sandglasstheater.org/workshops/summer-intensive
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