Ok, admittedly we’re all beginners when it comes to PuppetCon – it’s a brand new event, after all.
The “Con” is for convention as we are bringing together burgeoning puppeteers and casual fans giving them all something to enjoy with a multitude of workshops, panels and performances.
Our vision for PuppetCon is twofold:
- become the launching pad for the next generation of Canadian puppet talent (you can’t say we don’t have ambition!)
- entice and entertain eager and insatiable youth, curious parents and puppet fans of all ages and backgrounds
With 16 workshops, plus shows and panels, it can certainly feel a bit overwhelming to choose so here’s a quick look at what’s on offer:
I want to learn about puppets and how to handle them
The Iggy Iguana Puppetry Bootcamp: Participants will explore the basics of puppet manipulation with TV star Iggy Iguana and his personal assistant, Bob Stutt. This workshop is sure to be filled with fun, tips and rampant silliness.
Puppets In The Classroom with Sarah Argue: A special offering for teachers, librarians and early childhood educators, participants will create two simple puppets for kids to fall in love with. More importantly, they will build the confidence to bring them to life in support of education and entertainment. These are an educator’s favourite kind of teaching aid!
A Tour of Puppetry: Introduction to Different Types of Puppets with Graham Soul: Participants will try out different types of puppets: hand, rod, string (marionettes), table-top / Bunraku-style, shadow puppetry, object theatre, TV puppetry plus a mascot-style body puppet and humanette puppets.
I think puppets are neat and want to learn how to build one
“How to Make” series with Jeff Banks: Participants can choose a workshop to learn how to make a latex rubber head puppet, an umbrella dragon puppet or a foam-headed puppet (for kids or for adults!). Jeff Banks is a beloved artist and business owner who runs JB Arts Store and Studio on Mill St. in Almonte, Jeff is an accomplished educator who gives art lessons to adults and children throughout the year.
Making Sock Puppets with Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers: Participants will learn how to create a simple sock puppet with the popular Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers! You can also find out what it’s like to be a puppeteer and see Frogtown Mountain’s beloved puppet characters up close.
Ok I’ve already built a few puppets in my life but I want to take it to the next level
Making a Puppet Costume with Ingrid Hamster: Participants will learn how to give puppets the finishing touches that will accentuate its character. All they have to bring is a good pair of scissors (puppet body, pattern, fabrics, sewing supplies and the use of a sewing machine are supplied!)
Sculpting with Plasticine with Noreen Young: Participants will learn how to sculpt the plasticine head of a puppet with the modelling tools and under the watch of one of Canada’s most renowned puppeteers.This is the first step in making the lifelike puppets that made Noreen famous! Participants will also get to take home an instructional video that walks through the entire process.
I want to learn about how to break into the industry
How to Market and Promote Your Puppet Show with Adam Francis Proulx: Puppeteers and theatre creators will discover how to communicate their brand and find the people who want to be their audience and watch them perform.
Adapting Stories for Puppet Performances with Emily Pearlman: Participants will be brought through a creative process that allows them to translate their script ideas into a theatrical, image-rich performance text which features or includes puppet characters.
Puppeteer Presence with Nick DiGaetano: Puppeteers will learn how to add depth, richness and dynamism to their puppets inner life and how to stay focused, alert and engaged with whatever the live environment of a puppet performance throws their way. This workshop will focus on breath, physicality, connection and vulnerability and it will help the person in charge of the action master the stage.
The Good, the Bad and the Fuzzy World of Making Puppet TV with Jamie Shannon: Puppeteers and enthusiasts will hear about the ups and downs and the behind-the-scenes antics during Jamie Shannon’s own production of TV puppet shows like “Nanalan” and “Mr Meaty.”
Forget hands-on learning, I want entertainment!
We’ve got that too! Don’t worry!
The Family Crow: A Murder Mystery is an adults-only thriller created by internationally celebrated puppeteer Adam Francis Proulx and directed by Byron Laviolette of Morro and Jasp fame. You want puppets? Puns? Murder? We’ve got you covered!
Everybody Loves Pirates by Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers is back by popular demand! Eight-year-old Lucy and her goofy pal Little Chucky are searching for buried treasure, but a gang of bumbling pirates keeps getting in the way! With 15 hand-crafted puppet characters and an enormous papier mâché pirate ship, this show well delight the entire family!
The Around The World of Puppetry panel will bring together some globe-trotting artist leaders to talk about what they’ve learned from their adventures and how they seek out new and interesting puppetry techniques.
The Below Board panel will be an unscripted, uncensored and untested night of stories and scandal as puppeteers share their secrets from their lives in puppetry. This panel promises to be unforgettable but, given the subject matter, this one’s for adults only.
And last but not least, the Back to the Umbrella Tree panel is for all the fans of the beloved CBC children’s show Under the Umbrella Tree. We’re bringing the whole cast back together for the first time in 30 years to share stories and answer your questions about that childhood classic that had such a lasting impact on so many of our lives and in the landscape of Canadian television.
If you have been moved by puppets in the past, if you have a strong child memory of a puppet performance you attended in school, if you know your kids could use puppets to express their inner feelings or if you’re looking to build a career in puppetry, register for a workshop now and stand proud when you say you were there when PuppetCon was born!
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