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| The Official Newsletter of the Garden State Puppetry Guild, chartered by Puppeteers of America |
| Meeting Notice The next meeting for The Garden State Puppetry Guild Is: Saturday, January 20, 2007 1:45pm - 4:00pm At: The Penny Pretzel Playhouse South Orange, New Jersey PROGRAM: Enjoy a performance of Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimy by Preston Foerder A short general meeting will follow the performance. Tickets for this performance will be purchased by the guild. Guild member must reserve a spot by Jan. 9. in order to receive the free ticket. Please contact Penny at (973) 586-8412 or e mail [email protected] to make your reservation! |
| A Letter from the President Happy New Year to one and all! New Year is a time to look backward and look forward. For years I spent New Years Day updating my resume for my business life. Then I was invited to an open house and decided that the resume could wait. I�m glad I went because I had a great time and realized that having fun was the best way for me to start the New Year. Now it�s a tradition with my own family to spend New Years Day at the home of my brother. Times change and people change. One constant about life is that it never stays the same, but hopefully all of us will take what is important in our lives and carry that from year to year. For 2007 I�d like us all to take a look backward and a look forward for the guild. What did you like? What do you want to see more of? What do you think we can try that we haven�t tried before? One of my goals for this year is to increase membership. I�ve sent letters to lapsed members to encourage them to come back to the guild and maybe become involved in meetings. If any of you know someone who loves puppetry but is not in the guild, invite them to a meeting. We will have some terrific meetings and extra events in 2007 and I hope to see all of you at one or more. I�d like to get to know everyone in the guild and hear your ideas about what would improve and help our guild grow. Until then � happy and healthy New Year to one and all!! - Penny J. Rapicano |
| Here At Home |
| Things To Do, People to See Upcoming Performances: The Marionette Players will perform Pinocchio at The Morris Museum�s Bickford Theatre, Friday, March 30th, 2007 at 4 pm, Saturday, March 31st, 2007 at 11 am and Saturday, March 31, 2007 at 1:30 pm. For Ages K-4. The Museum is located at 6 Normandy Heights Road Morristown, NJ, 07960. Call the box office at (973) 971-3706 for more information and tickets. Not quite puppets, but something great to see � The Doll and Toy Gallery and the amazing Musical Machines and Living Dolls: Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata from The Murtogh D. Guinness Collection which is now on permanent display. Live demonstrations of several of the objects from the Guinness Collection are currently being done at the following times: Tuesday - Friday at 3 p.m. Saturday - Sunday at 2 p.m. Or click on the web page to get a preview: http://www.morrismuseum.org/static/collections/guinness/guinness.html |
And last but certainly not least, Matt Leonard will be performing in New Jersey on Jan. 27 at the Raritan Public Library at 1:00pm. Stop by and say hello if you can. Review : The Lady from Sockholm 71 mnutes Lynn Lamousin, Director. Here's the premise: Can a clean sock find justice in a dirty town? A sock puppet detective unravels a case involving the disappearance of high-end hosiery. The Video Association of Dallas said, "This clever film noir is as inspired by vintage children's cartoons as by Orson Welles." Featuring an all-sock puppet cast, it has all the requisite characters of a good Raymond Chandler novel, a private eye, a double dishing dame, hostile witnesses and plenty of dramatic tension - along with the non-stop hosiery puns. - Lois Corwin |
| World of Puppetry |
| PUPPET RAMPAGE 2007 The Puppeteers of America National Festival Brings International Flavor to America�s Heartland. Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota. July 17-22 The National Puppetry Festival is a biennial happening produced by Puppeteers of America. It is a caffeine-laced endurance test of performances, workshops, symposia and late night shoptalk. Puppet Rampage �07 will be no exception, so mark your calendars. This festival will bring together dynamic productions for every taste� cutting edge performances for adults as well as outstanding shows for kids and families.This is a great opportunity to enjoy performances both traditional and contemporary from across the USA, but it's also a chance to see some highly acclaimed foreign puppet troupes. Festival organizers already have verbal commitments from puppeteers in England, France and Mexico and are angling for Brazilian and Dutch performers as well. From the state-of-the-art, air conditioned theaters perfect for puppetry, to the Late Night Lounge (open nightly into the wee hours), comfort and camaraderie will abound. Puppet Rampage 2007 is your passport to a world of puppetry, all on a single college campus. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended. For more information visit: www.puppetrampage2007.org |
| Puppet Rampage 2007 Festival Scholarships
Thanks to the generous support of your fellow PofA members, both Youth and Adult Scholarships are available for the 2007 Puppeteers of America National Festival to be held in St Paul, Minnesota at Concordia University July 17 - 22nd, 2007 Scholarships cover registration fees and, in some cases room and board. Youth must be 12 to 21 years of age at the time of the festival, and adults 22 years and older. Selection is based on completed application which demonstrates involvement in puppetry, support materials letters of recommendation, energy passion and enthusiasm - Financial need may also be a factor. You must be a member of the Puppeteers of America to apply. Deadline for completed applications is February 1, 2007 For additional information and applications please contact: Kamala Kruszka PofA Scholarship Committee 9612 Twain Way Bakersfield, CA. 93311 (661) 654-6070 [email protected] Applications are also available online at www.puppeteers.org Click on SCHOLARSHIPS |
| Remembering George Latshaw George Latshaw was an internationally known Master Puppeteer and author, with a career that spanned over fifty years. The winner of many major awards related to puppetry, Mr. Latshaw�s artistry and insight on performance were highly praised by puppeteers and theatrical venues the world over. Widely known as the man who manipulated Carrot Top in the MGM musical Lili starring Leslie Caron, George�s other famous and well-loved character Wilbur was a staple in his performances for most of his life. Though Mr. Latshaw excelled in the genre of hand-puppetry, he was often commissioned to do special projects involving large, oversized puppets--- including his legendary mounting of �Billy the Kid� featuring nine foot puppets for the Detroit Symphony. He represented the U.S numerous times at international festivals, and was asked to perform at the very first International Puppetry Festival in New York City, sponsored by the Henson Foundation. His book, Puppetry, the Ultimate Disguise has been reprinted several times and is considered to be one of the foremost publications on the subject. Mr. Latshaw was editor of The Puppetry Journal (the official magazine of Puppeteers of America) for twenty-one years, and was honored with an award in his name at the National Conference in 1999. Mr. Latshaw was respected and loved by professionals and novices alike, and his workshops and demonstrations on the puppetry artform were attended by hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Latshaw died after a long illness and leaves behind his wife, Patricia Latshaw, son Christopher and his children Sierra and Trevor, and son Michael and his partner W. Geoff Smith, as well as a cousin Georgann Bronk of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. A memorial service will be held at Grace Episcopal Church, 15102 Amberley Drive in New Tampa on Saturday, January 26th 2007 at 3:00 p.m. - Michael Latshaw |
| Remembering George Latshaw: A Personal Touch My very first Puppet Festival was in 1999. It was called The Festival of the Millennium in Seattle, Washington. I won a scholarship which helped me to attend. At that time I was not a member of any guild and didn't know a single person involved in puppetry. I went because I wanted learn about the big world of puppetry. I had worked with my Aunt Jenny who got me interested in puppetry, but I never attended a festival with her. (She asked me to go with her, but sadly I did not). Well, I got to Seattle and was immediately overwhelmed by the 700 or so puppeteers who were attending the festival. My first day a tall, friendly, older gentleman introduced himself. He was George Latshaw. He remarked that I seemed a bit lost, I explained that it was my first festival. He told me "Well you picked a good place to start, this is the biggest festival we ever had." We talked for a while, he asked me how I got into puppetry. He said he knew my Aunt, but not very well. He was so warm and friendly that I felt very much at ease. While we were having our conversation it seemed that everyone knew George. EVERYONE said hello and wanted to speak with him. Even though they were his friends, he still made time for me and finished our little talk.Throughout the festival when he saw me, he made a point to say hello and ask how I was doing. He would ask if I enjoyed the shows, told me to make sure I got to the bookstore and exhibit, and to drink lots of water....just little things. What a friendly warm person he was. I got to see George perform later at the festival, he did puppetry and some magic. He was charming and he seemed to delight in everything he and other puppeteers did. When I came home I realized just how important George Latshaw's work was in puppetry in the United States. He was truly a celebrity and I felt honored that he spent time with an overwhelmed, novice puppeteer. I will always remember him as the kind and generous man man who helped me feel comfortable at my first festival.Thank you George. We will all miss you! - Penny Rapicano |
| Et Cetera |
| The Garden State Puppetry Guild is open to all puppeteers and puppet enthusists.
Membership dues: Adult $15.00 Junior $10.00 Family or Troup $25.00 Contact Lois Corwin at [email protected] For Puppeteers of America Membership contact Jean Newkirk at (888) 568-6235 or [email protected] or join online at www.puppeteers.org Contact Guild Officers and How to Reach Them President: Penny Rapicano, [email protected] Vice President: Lois Corwin, [email protected] Membership/Treasury: Steven Hollow, [email protected] Communications Officer: Bridget Burke-Weiss, [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Helen Horn-Mitchem, [email protected] |