President's Message
Regional Festivals
Use your Consultants
The Guild Connection
REUM…with a View..
Eureka!!

President's Message

Greetings to All,

Celebrations are in order! Thanks to the incredible efforts of Wayne Krefting, Pix Smith and others, the Puppeteers of America Audio-Visual Library Collection has arrived at its new home: The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry (BIMP) located on the campus of the University of Connecticut at Storrs. Dr. John Bell will be curating it and, with the help of students, will be sorting and cataloging the collection. We are very excited about this collaboration of PofA with the Ballard Institute and the University of Connecticut, and the future of the A-V Library.

We lost Board member Steve Meltzer this past November to cancer. He was a wonderful colleague and he is missed. To complete Steve’s term in office, the Board of Trustees has approved Erik Torbeck of Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers. Welcome to Erik and thanks to him for stepping up.

It looks to be a good summer for puppets with preparation for three Regional festivals in full swing. The Board will meet this summer at the Northwest Regional in Seattle, along with the annual meeting of the membership.
And, it’s official: the 2011 National Festival will again be in Atlanta at Georgia Tech. Jeff Cornett and Lee Bryan will repeat as co-directors.

However, now is not the time to rest on our laurels, or what ever we rest on. Now is the time to be scouting out locations for National Festival 2013 and 2015. The idea has been to have National festivals in the same location for two cycles in a row to try to eliminate preliminary work and to build and improve on the experiences of the previous festival.  If you’ve ever thought “I can do that (or, we can do that, as it truly takes a village) contact John Scollon at puppetgnomes[at]msn.com for details, encouragement and other good stuff.

And now, what you’ve all been waiting for: Puppet Festival 2009 the DVD! The film is being processed as I write this. There will be a New York City Premiere in mid-March, with the pre-ordered DVD’s shipping out at the same time. If you did not pre-order, the DVD will be in the Puppetry Store by that time. Thanks and Kudos go to PBC productions for another great Festival DVD.

In these difficult times, we must remember the great gift this art brings to so many. Please remember PofA with a gift if you can. Thank you and have fun!

Regional Festivals
Summer 2010

Great Lakes Regional Festival -
July 29 - August 1, 2010
President Abraham Lincoln Hotel, Springfield,Illinois
Festival Director – Bridget DePriest - bridgetdp[at]cs.com
web page: www.puppetryinlandoflincoln.com

Southeast Regional Festival -
July 15 - 18, 2010
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Festival Director – Gina Gambony - ginagambony[at]gmail.com
web page: www.portcitypuppet.org

Northwest  Regional Festival -
July 30 - August 2, 2010
(Friday night through Monday breakfast)
Seattle University, Seattle ,Washington
Festival Director – Tony DeFilipps - tonydefilipps[at]comcast.net
web page: www.puppet-o-rama.org

When you run into a roadblock with your production or puppet business needs, contact any of the Consultants listed on the PofA webpage www.puppeteers.org/puppcons.html  or in the Members’ Directory.

From animation to ventriloquism, birthday party shows, costuming, toy theater, and so many other topics, the Consultants are there to assist you.

Don’t be shy!  Contact a Consultant today.

The Guild Connection

• The Willamette Valley Puppeteers is a very young guild, so they are still getting their feet wet, figuring out what to do, where to meet, and those sorts of things.  They are making a conscious effort to look at where they can meet to be close to where their members are.  It looks like they are asking the right questions and trying interesting ideas.  In December, they were set to meet with a storytellers guild (great idea), but bad weather got in the way.  Their January meeting included the premiere of a new hand puppet show, “The Fox and the Stork’s Dinner” performed by John Byrne and Cheryl French-Byrne and “The Five Chinese Sisters” performed by storyteller Louise Johnson with wooden table top puppets and a dragon puppet.
  
  
• Founded in 1940, my own guild, The Twin Cities Puppeteers, doesn’t qualify as young any more, but we are still trying to figure out what we are doing (and I count that as a good thing).  A few years ago we moved our meetings to In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre to be closer to members and to the puppetry action.  We had a great meeting in January when Gordon Smuder, one of the creators of the Internet puppet video series Transylvania Television talked to us about all that it has taken to put the series together.
  
  
• Since puppetry is a performing art, it shouldn’t be a surprise, but there seems to be a lot of performing going on at the guild meetings.  For their January meeting, the Florida Suncoast Puppet Guild got to see a sample of the Creative Arts Theatre’s tour show “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears.”
  
  
• The November meeting of the Puppetry Guild of Greater New York featured both live and video performance.  Kate Grow performed her one-woman show “Ote the Nearsighted Devil.”  Videos included Bernice Silver’s “Chicken Happening” from the Puppet Rampage DVD, Artie Poore’s stop motion animations, video by Richard Concepcion shot at a Sesame Street event, and a new segment for “The Wishing Forest” by Guenevere Dean.
  
  
• In February, the Puppet Guild of South Florida had an interesting performance line-up.  Dave Goboff performed “The Pumpkin Girl,” a new shadow puppet piece.  Jean Minuchin also performed a short piece.  Jim Hammond talked about two recently completed projects including a full stage production of “Snow White.”  Alex Loebelenz was an intern on that project.
  
  
• The Puppet Guild of Greater St. Louis had their annual chili supper in January with performances by Mike and Becky Klussman, Carol Watkins, and Sandy Weiss.
  
  
• The Indiana Puppetry Guild combined several popular elements with their “Variety Show and Tell and Sell” in January.  Members were encouraged to bring a number to perform or something to show or something to trade or sell.
  
  
• Another not to miss meeting was “Revitalizing Fables and Fairy Tales” at the November meeting of the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry featuring panelists Paul Vincent Davis, Charolette Dore, and Judith O’Hare.
  
  
• On the video side of the performance fence was a January event “Puppetry In Commercials” organized by the Los Angeles Guild of Puppetry.  The puppeteers who were scheduled to share their experiences included Pat Brymer, the Chiodo Brothers, Alan Cook, Terri Hardin, Scott Land, Nancy Mitchell, Mark Bryan Wilson, René Zendejas and Rick Lazzarini.
  
  
• Performances were the centerpiece of the annual Margo Rose Scholarship fundraiser put on by the Connecticut Guild of Puppetry in February.  Pam Arciero and Grundgetta and a team of surprise celebrity puppeteers including Martin P. Robinson and Jeffifer Barnhardt and puppets headlined the event that also included Scotch and silent auctions.
  
  
• The January holiday party of the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers’ Guild included a long list of performances.  Performers included Art Grueneberger and Rachael Malin of Puppet Art Theatre Co., Michael and Valerie Nelson of Magical Moonshine Theatre, Eli Nash, Ernie Fosselius, and Brian Narelle.
  
  
• Artie Poore hosted a holiday party in December for The Puppet Guild of Long Island. 
  
  
• The Phoenix Guild of Puppetry had their holiday party in January at the home of Linda Brittain.  The party included food, drink, and a gift exchange.
  
  
• In other puppetry news, the Savannah Coastal Puppetry Guild has received a grant to bring Paul Mesner to Savannah in April to perform “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.”
  
  
• The January meeting of the Greater Houston Puppetry Guild featured a make ‘n take workshop of “Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf.”  The pictures of the puppets in their newsletter looked great.
  
  
• The Detroit Puppeteers Guild had an inspired program for their November meeting.  They met at the Detroit Puppet Theatre to see Sue Ostrowski’s collection of sock monkeys (which have won blue ribbons at the state fair) and learned how they ccould be turned into puppets.  They took the meeting to the next level by including Judi Zachary’s collection of bananas.
  
  
• The Orange County Puppetry Guild has also had some interesting meetings lately.  In January they set out to see how many ways you can present “I Know an Old Lady.”  In February Alice Hall and her puppeteers from Calvary Chapel Signal Hill performed their Christmas show and explained what went into producing it. 

Young or old, if your guild has something interesting going on, please let me know.  Good ideas should be passed along.

KURT HUNTER
5918 W. 39th Street
St. Lois Park, MN 55416
HunterMarionettes[at]earthlink.net

REUM- with a view   M’El Reum

Here we are in 2010. I am delighted to leave the past decade. Someone named it the “naughty oughties”.  Not bad.  I certainly wasn’t thrilled with the decade.  I look forward to a bright new world out there, but then puppeteers are optimists.  OK - most of us anyway.

The Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre in New York always has intriguing endeavors. They have been doing “Revolution,” featuring large puppets and lots of action and have taken the show on to Prague.

Kurt Hunter, of St Louis Park, Minnesota did a Valentine show and it was reported as sensational, with a love story for the heart. Ah! The romance of puppets. I always enjoy reading reviews of shows.  Kurt’s reviews make you proud to be a puppeteer. The reviews say the show was - ingenious, charming, captivating, witty, warm, and poignant. Don’t you love to hear that about puppetry? Thanks Kurt.

Check out the wonderful logo for the Port City Puppet Festival in Wilmington North Carilina. July 15-18 they have a great mermaid rod puppet.   It is an enticing invitation.

Patsy Hornaday of Chestertown, Maryland sent a picture published in the Kent County News. It shows her with her George Washington puppet. The show celebrates the marriage of George and Martha Washington.

Angela Beasley, of  Savanna Georgia, also did a program for the heart day “They Call It Puppet Love.”

David Simpich Showcase Marionette Theatre, of Colorado Springs, Colorado is doing “ Firebird,” a wonderful Russian Fairy tale.  Years ago I did Firebird and styled the puppets like paper sculpture but used that crazy wild Celastic for the faces.   If you have a chance to see David’s theatre you will be thrilled. It is total enchantment at its best.

Igor Gozman and his Puppet Art Theatre in Detroit has been performing “The Crane Maiden” and “Oh, Ananse.”

Kate O’Kame in Evergreen Colorado has been performing with her Limberjacks. Kate got hooked on Limberjacks after attending a PofA festival In Oklahoma.

Bob Baker Marionette Theatre in Los Angeles. California has been performing “Fiesta,”a rousing fun-filled show of music and dance.

Watch for a new documentary film “Mythic Journeys.” In it is a stop-motion short called “Bone Orchard” done with stop animation puppets by Brian and Wendy Froud. Brian collaborated with Jim Henson on ‘The Dark Crystal’ & ‘Labyrinth’ and Wendy is a world-famous doll designer.

Marilyn O’Connor Miller, of Canton Center, Connecticut and her charming puppet Piccolo appeared in the local papers.

Congratulations to Debbie Costine of Southborrough, Massachusetts. She received a Henson grant for her new show “Turtle’s New Home.”  The show is about the endangered turtle and its need to find a safe wetland habitat.

The Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts is really a busy and wonderful place to see lots of puppetry. I counted 11 different puppeteers performing there starting in January of this year.  They offer a show for everyone.

Nick Coppola, West Babylon, New York did Macys’s at Christmas. It is his 33rd year performing there.  Now that has to be a record.

Elise Handelman of New York City , and Coconut Creek, Florida, has found a 60th anniversary edition of Kukla. Fran and Ollie. She says it is fun and filled with memories.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, Storrs, Connecticut is to be the new home of the Puppeteers of America Audio-Visual Library. The students are organizing and cataloguing the collection. This spring they will have a “Puppetry Movie Night” showing some of the rare and nostalgic films.

I thought it might be fun to see what was happening in puppetry 50 years ago so I dug out the collection of Puppetry Journals and found the January - February 1960 issue. There is an article about the new Lincoln Center “The greatest coming attraction in New York History.” Imagine that.

Bil & Cora Baird Puppets did “Peter and the Wolf on TV with Art Carney.  Puppets you could buy were Hazelle’s Marionettes, Steiff and Pelham. Lewis Mahlman , Oakland, California  was completing a set of hand puppets for Oakland’s Fairyland for “An English Pantomime of Mother Goose” written by the then new director Tony Urbano of Los Angeles, California.

Jim Menke of Buffalo, New York was doing a world tour for Special  Services. Bob Brown Marionettes  of Alexandria, Virginia were playing “Wizard of Oz” in Minneapolis and Wisconsin.  It was fun looking back to see people still creating and doing puppets.

I had lunch today with Paul Mesner of Kansas City Missouri. He was on his way through Colorado. We had lots to chat about. I am convinced that puppeteers always have lots to talk about.
If you happen my way stop by. 

A good New Years resolution would be to let me know what YOU are doing.
Till next time….M’El

M’EL REUM
827 Milwaukee Street
Denver, CO 80206
puppetreum[at]estreet.com

EUREKA!!

Greetings, all you who have been slogging all winter through the drifts.  I am sitting here in a blizzard, recovering from carpal-tunnel surgery, thinking of all you in the south who are finally learning what we northerners have to endure every winter.  What? and give up show biz?

But February is a great time to catch up on your mailings and literature.  Don’t neglect this essential part of your business.  Now is the time to really push for the libraries. They are already lining up their summer reading club programs.

Dave Herzog, of Chicago, Illinois, mails out thousands of pieces of literature each year.  He says that he is constantly building his data base. He writes that if you enter “child care ___________(your state here)” every preschool in your state will pop up. Dave mails out information four times a year; two are large mass mailings and two are to his old regulars. it sounds like a lot, and it is, but Dave has successfully weathered the recession that most entertainters are experiencing.

Character February is one of my favorite puppet months because that is the month when I am really creating and casting the new puppets for the summer show.  I already know their characters and their personalities.  It is important to know that before you make the puppets. since puppetry is an art of few spoken words, the fewer the better, it is important to have your character’s face tell the audience all they need to know without lengthy speeches. Broomhilda should not have to say, “I’m a bad witch.” it should be in her face, he clothing, her gestures and her voice. Only when you have the character firmly established in your mind should you venture into sculpture.

No Bubbles:  I love to pull my newly cast face out of the mold and see the person that I will be working with. A good mold is a treasure. Nothing is worse than our beautiful heroine having a wart on her pretty little nose (or even worse, on her eyeball!) These warts are caused by a bubble trapped in the plaster.  Jim Rose, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, solves the bubble problem.  When the slurry is still very loose, he applies it to his head. Then he blows on it, forcing the slurry into all the cracks and crevices. When the slurry begins to set up he slathers it on. I do something similar. I use cheapie paintbrushes from the dollar store. When the slurry is still runny I paint all the features that have indents. then, as Jim does, I wait for the set up and slather away.

Mixing plaster:  Nonetheless, it’s best to try not to have bubbles in the plaster in the first place.  Everett Doddrill, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, taught me his method of mixing plaster.  He never touches the plaster until he is ready to slather.  He says that the plaster will not begin to set up until it is stirred.  He sprinkles the plaster into the water  until the top looks like a dry texas creek bed (you know, those cracks that form due to evaporation). Then he slowly stirs it, careful not to fold in any bubbles.   Just before he applies the plaster, he sets the bowl on a table and slaps the table sharply until all the bubbles rise to the top.

Latex Seams: Jim Bryznski, of Berea, Ohio, tells of a way of getting rid of those hideous seams in flexible latex. He takes a Q-tip and cuts off one end. He then inserts the bare end into his Dremel. He dips the Q-tip into Bestine Solvent & Thinner and Dremel’s that baby away. You can get Bestine from Union Rubber, Inc, Trenton, New Jersey.

Need Bricks?  I was talking to Bil DeLong, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he gave me this tip: If you need bricks, cut out the brick shape in particle board.  Then split them in half.  what you get is a nice rough texture.  This is really good for stones, too.

Painting Alumilite:  Bil also says that if you cast your heads in Alumilite, you can paint the heads right on the mold.  It creates a chemical bond between the paint and the Alumilite. No chips ever and it creates a really nice smooth surface.

Shadow Material:  For you shadow enthusiasts, don’t put off going to the closest large scrapbooking store.  They have some new wonderful nearly clear papers that have patterns on them.  Michael’s Craft Supplies, here in the East, have houndstooth, flowers, paisley, and other patterns.

Casting Material:  Marc Dunworth, of Chicago, Illinois, swears by Apoxie Sculpt 2 for his casts.  He says that it is, as all epoxies, in two parts. It has a waxy feel to the mix, but when dry, it is shatterproof and durable. You can sand it, tap it and drill it. What he likes about it is that it is non-toxic and doesn’t shrink.  Marc presses it into his mold and it air dries in three or four hours.  He also repairs cracks and fills seams with it.

Advertising: I received a blurb in the mail trying to get me to buy advertising in one of those family magazines. Dave Herzog and I both agree: don’t do it.  To begin with, even if you buy a huge ad like Dave did, it gets lost among so many others. But mostly, the parents that read it are usually first time parents and all the children are under three years old.  By the time they are old enough for a puppet show, the parents have stopped reading that magazine.

Curriculum Specs:  Peggy Pearson, of Greenwood, Indiana, was complaining about the necessity of the performer now having to justify your show to meet curriculum standards. Even though she thinks it should be the principal’s responsibility, she always puts the customer first.  She says that you can find all the curriculum guidelines on the internet. Access them through your state’s education department.

And so, I now will go back working on my new show, “Rumplestiltskin.” Let the snow do its thing; I don’t care. There’s one heck of a cute unpainted jester head looking at me.

So, when you take a break, send me a line or e-mail. What was, or is your best advertising technique?

Nancy

NANCY H. SANDER
1250 Granger Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
puppetmaster[at]puppetswithpizazz.com