In the depths of winter, literally and figuratively,
many of us are hunkered down toiling away on new shows and
puppets for the coming spring and \ summer, not to mention
finding performances to keep bread on the table. So, this
edition’s word from the president is more of a news
update on what’s going on in the Puppeteers of America.
The membership office, under the able direction of Fred
Thompson, has stabilized its operations and is gearing up
for the annual renewal cycle. Working
with Lindsey Briggs, our “Senior Web-Lackey”,
a new and better-performing online membership renewal and
registration page will soon be available. The Board of Trustees
is currently examining the current PofA Codes and Procedures
to help streamline language regarding membership categories
to update them and produce categories that are bit more
understandable in terms of costs and benefits to members.
A committee has been formed to study the functions and operations
of the Audio-Visual Library and to make recommendations
with the goal of retaining and improving the Library’s
archiving and preservation capabilities, ensuring steady
flow of DVD copies of archival materials for membership
rental through the Puppetry Store, and exploring avenues
for accessibility of materials for academic study.
Stephen Kaplin is the chair of the committee; if you have
thoughts and suggestions, let him know: E-Mail Address
or 37 – 45 84th #31, Jackson Heights, NY 11372.
The Puppeteers of America has received two sizeable donations
in the past few weeks. One, from Jane Henson, is to assist
in the underwriting of the 2007 National Festival in St
Paul, Minnesota this coming summer. The other is from the
estate of Lettie Schubert to further the funding of the
Endowment and Youth Scholarships. A very heartfelt thank-you
from all of us in Puppeteers of America goes out to Jane
and to Lettie’s estate.
Even though we’re still in “winter mode”,
it’s not too early to plan ahead for the National Day
of Puppetry. Just around the corner, the 9th annual NDoP
occurs the fourth Saturday of April (this year April 28th).
NDoP was established at the urging of Carol Fijan through
the meeting of various guild presidents beginning at the
San Francisco National Festival in 1993. The fourth Saturday
in April was selected as a convenient spring date for most
of the continent. The NDoP is, in actuality, celebrated
pretty much from the first of April through June by various
puppetry organizations.
Recently, the Puppeteers of America has been approached
to consider merging our “National Day of Puppetry”
with the “World Day of Puppetry” celebrated around
the world under the auspices of UNIMA and other puppetry
organizations around the globe. This celebration occurs
around the Spring equinox (March 21), sort of early for
the chilly northern hemisphere, but a compromise with our
southern neighbors where the later equatorial temperature
is blazing.
The idea has been tossed about: is it too early, does the
actual date matter given we don’t all use the same
date for our PoA celebrations, and so on. My
question for you, your guilds, and your regions is this:
should we consider coalescing our Day of Puppetry with the
worldwide celebration? One consideration might be the cachet
of a global orientation, and a clearer recognition that
Puppeteers of America isn’t just the USA, but Canada,
Mexico, Central America and the rest of the world.
Please discuss this idea with your guilds and regions and
let either me or other Trustees know your opinions. Should
any changes be made, they wouldn’t take effect until
at least 2008.
There’s lots of other things happening in the Puppeteers
of America, but not enough room to detail them all here.
Stay tuned for more news!
Thanks,
Wayne Krefting. President
PUPPET
RAMPAGE, 2007
Puppeteers of America
National Festival
July 17-22, 2007
Concordia University St. Paul, Minnesota
www.puppetrampage2007.org
Did you know...?
-
Registering early for the Puppeteers
of America’s National Festival, Puppet Rampage -
2007 will save you a lot of money...
-
Scholarships for fest registration are
available for youth and adult members of PofA who could
use a little help...
-
Your PofA Membership, entitles you to
a discount at the Puppetry Store...
THE
GUILD CONNECTION - Kurt Hunter
Many a guild newsletter passing across my desk has been
singing the same song, a song of praise and rejoicing for
the life of George Latshaw. It comes as no surprise, for
his influence ran wide and deep. Countless people counted
George as a dear friend, always wise, always encouraging,
always great fun. He certainly made you want to be a better
puppeteer, but he also made me want to be a better person.
A person who knew what mattered. You certainly mattered,
George, and you are greatly missed.
-
When you get right down to it, it’s
the people that matter in a guild. It’ s the people
who make guilds fun and keep guilds plugging along.
The good folks in the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry
certainly recognize this truth. They recently featured
Gabrielle Boisson on the cover of “Puppet
Life”. She was honored by the guild with a Life
Membership.
-
In addition to remembrances of George
Latshaw that appeared in various newsletters, the
Phoenix Guild of Puppetry included a wonderful
remembrance in their newsletter of Fran Preimsberg,
who recently died at age 99. I always enjoy learning
more about the people who paved the way for us.
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Carol Fijan is another one of
those “way pavers”, who continues to pave
the way. The holiday party of The Puppet Guild of
Long Island was held once again at her studio.
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Of course, holiday parties were happening
far and wide including lots of interesting goings on.
The members of The Puppet Guild of Greater St. Louis
got a double helping of performances at their party
in December with a Christmas show by Pat Breithaupt
and a Chanukah show by Ginny Weiss.
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For their end of January holiday party,
the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers’ Guild
is looking forward to a performance of “The
Christmas Travelers” by Pacific Southwest Regional
Director Kamala Kruszka and her husband Don.
-
My own Twin Cities Puppeteers added
a new twist inspired by “Puppet Up”, the Muppet
improv show, to our usual holiday party festivities.
Groups of four or five people selected hand puppets
from a big, motley pile of puppets and then were given
scenarios to use to create improvised scenes. The results
were mixed, but all were very well received and fun
was had by all.
-
The prize for bravest guild meeting
has to go to the Columbia Association of Puppeteers,
who had their December meeting at a mall on the 23rd.
They were there to see “Christmas on the Beach”
performed by Trails Tails and Company. They also had
a brief business meeting in the food court.
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Guild members of the Puppeteers of
Puget Sound got free admission to opening night
of the Carter Family Marionettes’ production of
“Babar and Father Christmas”. Now that is
a membership benefit to take advantage of.
-
The latest newsletter of the Boston
Area Guild of Puppetry included a wonderful article
on the benefits of guild membership written by Diane
Kordas. Fun and informative meetings, resource library,
online directory, peer reviews, scholarships, the list
just went on and on. The Boston folks also have started
an interesting new program called S.S.E.A.T. (See Shows
Eat and Talk). That one is actually pretty self-explanatory.
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Speaking of fun and informative meetings,
the Puppetry Guild of Northeastern Ohio had a head
modeling workshop lead by Jim Rose on tap for
their January meeting.
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The Chicagoland Puppetry Guild
was planning to see a special preview performance of
David Herzog’s new production “Celebrate
America” also in January.
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The members of the Savannah Coastal
Puppetry Guild met in January at the Puppet People
Studio for a workshop by Yostie Ashley, recently
returned from Russia, on how to make Russian children’s
folk dolls.
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The November meeting of the Puppetry
Guild of Greater New York featured performances
and more performances with an evening of trick marionettes
and other diversions at the Swedish Cottage Marionette
Theatre. Performers included Steven Widerman
assisted by Billy Barkhurst, Addis Williams,
Ed Sheehy, the Cottage puppeteers, and
Bernice Silver.
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The Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry
had their Fifth Annual Evening of Rare 16 mm Puppet
Films from the collection of Mark Bryan Wilson at
the end of January. Some very interesting titles were
featured including “Tanya the Puppeteer” a
look behind the scenes and inside the puppets of the
world famous Sergei Obraztsov.
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The Florida Suncoast Puppet Guild
has plans lined up for their annual Target sponsored
performances at the Tampa Theater in downtown Tampa
for March. The Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers will
be coming in to perform “Everybody Loves Pirates”.
The Frogtown folks are certainly getting around.
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Before I wrap up, I should shine a spotlight
on Carol Carranza, who is stepping down as newsletter
editor for the Greater Houston Puppetry Guild,
after many years of excellent service. On the way in
(although in another guild) is Kevin Frisch,
who is the new president of the Cincinnati Area Puppetry
Guild.
-
Let’s see. Did I mention that the
Puppetry Guild of Greater New York has a new
website thanks to webmaster Jeffery Nelson? Check
out www.pgognyusa.org.
Apparently PGOGNY is too short of an acronym.
Well, that’s the latest. Have I heard
from your guild lately?
KURT HUNTER
5918 W. 39th Street
St. Lois Park, MN 55416
E-Mail Address
REUM...with
a view - M'El Reum
Here in the deep freeze of Colorado with gloves on I greet
you in 2007. Those of you who know me – know I often
talk of the Puppeteers as my other family and it was so true
in December.
After the Journal spotlighted the Puppet Co., my great desire
was to go and visit there. As luck would have it, I was in
Washington in Dec. Our son, who
lives there, asked what I would like to do and I said, “Go
the Puppet Co, theatre”. It was family, the minute I
arrived. Chris and Mayfield Piper greeted
me as a long lost cousin. John McCanistan my “ long lost
brother “was a joy to see. I can never explain how close
puppeteers can be when they take time to know each other.
These are people I have met at National Festivals. The Puppet
Co is a joy to see. The theatre is wonderful and Chris and
Mayfield gave us the grand tour. Who do I run into in the
hall but Allen Stevens another puppeteer I have known forever.
The Show was the Nutcracker and it was exquisitely done. Masks,
Allen’s one string marionette gliding on stage, marionettes,
and hand puppets – it was sensational. If you have a
chance stop by the Puppet Co., make it a must. Thank you Puppet
Co. for making me proud I’m a puppeteer.
When I returned home at Christmas the snow started and suddenly
I had wild memories of John McCanistan. John traveled with
our National Exhibit in the ‘80’s and at Christmas
ended up in Colorado. We had a blizzard that stopped the world.
John was scheduled to come to Christmas dinner at our house
and was snowed in for days. If I remember he and Naomi had
eggs for Christmas dinner. We managed to have a number of
Christmas dinners. when we finally thawed out. John indeed
is family.
Things our puppet family are doing Chicago is
pleased to be hosting the Italian Marionette Compagnioa Carlo.
They will be presenting Macbeth. Historian Fred Putz in Chicago
informs us that the Cole Marionettes have been preserved as
a collection for the Chicago puppeteers.
Chicago's Hobo Junction is working on a new show “The
Temp’. New at Tears of Joy in Oregon is “The Shoemaker
and the Elves”, Columbia College in Chicago is having
a Chinese Shadow Puppet Exhibit. A new idea out of Boston
Guild of Puppetry, the SSEAT - See Shows Eat and Talk.
The idea is to see a show and then to take time and talk about
it in a friendly atmosphere. The Great Arizona Puppet Theater
is hosting Alan Cook’s Exhibit featuring Famous American
Puppeteers.
It is hard to say goodbye to family. A fond farewell to three
of my family. Roger Mara was one of the young men I had the
privilege of knowing when he was just getting into puppets.
He first produced the one-minute puppet stage on our front
lawn and was our guild president. I worked with George Latshaw
on the Journal and have wonderful workshop notes and memories.
How could we ever forget Fran Dowie and his vent act. His
dummy fell apart, first a leg, then an arm and Fran never
cracked a smile. Bless you all and keep us safe under your
wings. Someone once told me we are a part of all we meet and
they become a part of us.
M'El Reum
827 Milwaukee Street
Denver, CO 80206
E-Mail Address
FAX (303) 393 - 1367
Have
you moved?
Please let the MEMBERSHIP OFFICE
know of any changes in your contact information..
MEMBERSHIP OFFICE
Puppeteers of America, Inc.
26 Howard Avenue.
New Haven, CT 06519-2809
E-Mail Address
888-568-6235
EUREKA!!
NANCY H.SANDER
1250 GRANGER AVENUE
LAKEWOOD, OH 44107
E-Mail Address
Greetings, all you who have been so hard-hit
by our winter storms this year. Hang in there, folks. Spring
is not far in the future. Dig in and make a
resolution to first, clear a space in your workroom (yeah,
right!) and second, try something truly experimental. Of
course, for me, I think spring will be
here before I get half my workroom cleared! All that wonderful
puppet stuff that I might need some day…
What Beginners Need: I’ve heard from Rick Morse,
an old friend from Flint, Michigan, who writes, “Y’know,
thinking about “Eureka!”, my mind goes back to
what beginners need. If they can possibly get to meetings
(or even if they can’t) they need their guilds! Good
gosh! Think of all the friends we’ve made over the
years BUT--if folks need the basics, they need those wonderful
old books that are so long out of print. Hand puppets? Ficklen
(Bessie Ficklen: A Handbook of Fist Puppets; B. Lippencott,
1935) or Merten (George Merten: Plays For Puppet Performance,
1957). Marionettes? Beaton (Mabel and Les Beaton: Marionettes:
A Hobby For Everyone; Thomas Crowell, New York, 1948) or
Merten (George Merten: Marionettes;Thomas Nelson, Toronto,
1957). Definitely Marjorie Batchelder’s Puppet Theatre
Handbook (Harper & Row, New York, 1947). And I still
feel every serious puppeteer should have the Stevens Course
(Martin Stevens: Steven’s Course In Puppetry)! Buy
from used book sites or ask the local library to order these
through interlibrary loan. Right you are, Rick, and luckily
the Steven’s course is reprinted and available through
the Puppetry Store. Worth every penny, too. Some of the
oldies are invaluable and the material in them is available
nowhere else. But also, if you can’t find what you’re
looking for at the puppetry store, here are two sites that
are really good for puppet books: www.puppetbooks.co.uk
and www.AbeBooks.com
Professionalism: I feel that it is so important for
a young professional to really get to know the history of
our art: names, dates, history and styles of
puppets, worldwide puppets, etc. It is part of what a professional
does.
Face it: if someone professes to be a professional
piano player but doesn’t know who Chopin is, he’s
no professional. This goes for books as well. Part of our
job is to be able to steer potential puppeteers toward the
good books of our art (or craft, as some books stress).
Head Modelling: I admire how doll makers
make such a smooth cheek and how every area is so pristine.
Iver Johnson III, of Syracuse, NY takes one of the circles
from a cheap door hole cutter—the kind that attaches
to your drill—and flattens it out. With this toothed
tool he can scrape it over a clay head and quickly take
off all the ups and downs. Of course, it goes without saying
that the furrows have to be smoothed out. But this handy
tool makes short work of all the hills and valleys in your
creation.
Soft Clay Problems: After working with the clay for
a length of time, it becomes softer and softer, making dents
more difficult to remove. Pop it into
the refrigerator for an hour and it will be hard enough
to prevent accidental finger dents.
Refining the surface: When I feel that I am nearly done
with the smoothing, I wet my fingers and run them over the
“smooth” area and then hold the head up to the
light. The wet allows me to see small variations in the
surface.
No Burrs Please: After “drawing” in wrinkles
or eyelid creases, there are the annoying waste clay pieces,
or burrs, that must be removed without
damaging the edges of your creases. Take a Q-tip, dip it
in rubbing alcohol and gently remove the remains.
Tidying Up: This tip I learned from my scrapbooking
daughter-in-law, Larissa Sander of Cincinnati, OH. When
at your kitchen table, trimming hair, cutting patterns or
whittling a dragon tooth, tape a large brown grocery bag
hanging off the end of your table. All those little snips
can be swept right into
the bag and not on the floor. Of course, if your table is
varnished or painted, use easy release masking tape to avoid
damage.
Mailings: Now is the time to start that summer booking.
January is a good time to prepare your mailings, brochures
and advertising materials. My
husband, Eric, gave me an idea that really paid off as I
tried to break into a new area. The whole idea of your advertising
is to get the potential client to
open the envelope. I went to a local surplus paper store
and purchased greeting card sized envelopes, bright yellow.
Then I hand addressed the envelopes (no return address).
For all practical purposes, it looked just like a birthday
card. I heard later from my clients that it was the first
thing they opened that
day! I know, I know: it was a big deal to hand address all
those envelopes but it really worked. But don’t try
to fool your clients with a phony
handwriting font. Who can’t spot that?
Summer Care: I heard from Ollie De Priest, from Indiana,
saying that he suffered from several heat strokes last summer.
I can relate. We must take great care to inform our clients
that we will not work in the open sun. It is dangerous to
us and dangerous to the children. I have a clause in my
contract that states, “For outdoor venues, safety against
eye damage due to the sun’s ultraviolet rays is essential.
Therefore the site must not have either the puppeteer or
the audience staring directly into the sun.”
Busking: As spring approaches, and thoughts turn to
summer, who doesn’t dream of stuffing your puppets
into a backpack and working your way all over the world,
busking (working for handouts) your way to freedom? But
how to proceed? Steve Kaplin sends a great list of tips.
Thanks, Steve!
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Keep it funny, loud and short.
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Use live music to help gather a crowd.
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Keep words to a minimum (unless you
have a portable sound system in your bus) Tell the story
as much as possible via images and action, rather than
text.
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Use an interlocutor, who stands alongside
the puppet stage to work the crowd directly but also
interacts with the puppets.
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Build the money pitch into the show’s
finale. Don’t give the audience a chance to walk
away without putting bucks in your bucket.
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Make your puppets and stage weather-proof.
Geegh. I was all ready to pack and go until
I read the last one… I hate to put on my “Mother”
voice to nag you to “Get your homework done,”
or in this case, “Send those tips in,” but this
column is only as vital as you make it. E-mail is so easy.
Computers make it a snap. Just don’t forget.
When I’m out and about, I write tips on my deposit slips.
Heaven knows I don’ t need them for the bank! Send your
tip(s) to:
E-Mail Address
- Nancy |
