I’ve been away for a couple of weeks without posting. Life does that, but puppet stuff hasn’t stopped.
Today wraps up six fabulous days of puppetry at the University of Connecticut the school with the degree in Puppetry. Puppeteers of America hosted its bi-annual national festival.
From their website:
The National Puppetry Festival of the Puppeteers of America will be celebrated at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. The Festival will include more than 20 national and international performances, 30 professional workshops and master classes, 6 exhibitions, a parade, outdoor spectacles and many unanticipated events across the UConn campus and in Storrs Center.
Among additional highlights throughout the festival week: Critical Exchange will offer a series of discussions among practitioners, critics and scholars; Reel Puppetry: Craft on the Silver Screen will feature daily screenings and discussions about the art of Puppetry on screen; and The Professional Day for Teaching Artists and Therapistsprovides professional development for puppeteers, educators and therapists who would like to be more effective while working in educational and therapeutic settings.
The National Festival will be enhanced by the presence of Special Guests. Among them will be Caroll and Debbie Spinney, Chuck McCann and Peter Schumann! After hour events will include a Festival Pub in close proximity to the theater hosting Pot Pourri, The National Puppetry Slam and Late Night with Eugene O’Neill.
Many of my friends and guild members participated watching or teaching workshops, selling, and meeting friends.
In addition this weekend was the start of BJ Guyer’s third class with Stan Winston School. This time BJ lead the class through Puppet Mechanism Basics building on his pattern from the first class How to Build a hand rod Puppet and the mechs he showed in the Foam Carving workshop.
BJ is a great teacher and the others attending the class make this a fun and informative class.
In the realm of Puppet news, D23 was also this weekend, and they shared from the Archives some of the original animatronics from Pirates and other rides. They also had muppet news with EW posting new tv spots (see MuppetHenson) and a panel with the cast (see MuppetHenson for a breakdown.
Other fun stuff in puppets and the internet. Try checking out Periscope many puppet personalities are jumping on and sharing on the scene stream casting, or dubsmash.com where you can take a short audio clip and lip sync to it.