| The Official Publication of the Garden State Puppetry Guild, chartered by Puppeteers of America |
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| Around the Water Cooler: Guild News |
| Our Next Guild Meeting
Sunday, March 18th 2:00-4:00 Baird Theatre 5 Mead St. South Orange, NJ 07079 Program: The ABC�s of writing lyrics for songs presented by Lois Corwin. Each member attending will get a chance to write his or her own lyrics for a puppet that needs to sing about a situation in our made up puppet show. Bring a puppet to the meeting and be ready to have some fun!! |
| A Letter From the President
As always my life is full of ups and downs. This past week was no exception. The beginning of the week was good, then things took a turn for the worse, but now things are leveling out. Something that helped me was reaching out to a fellow guild member when I was in a �puppetry crisis." It made me see once again how important having a community can be. I like knowing I can turn to all of you for advice and help in the puppetry world. I�m even happier to see that some of you are utilizing the guild to ask questions of others and to spread information about workshops in the area. That is what the guild is all about� reaching out to others, helping others, and creating a community. Let�s all keep the lines of communication open so our community can be one we can all rely on and benefit from. Hope to see you at our next meeting on March 18th. - Penny J. Rapicano |
| A Message From Our Membership Chair Dear Fellow Guilders, Well it is almost that time of year again. "What time of year is that?" you say. Membership renewal time! "Oh joy. I have been waiting to show my financial support for the organization that keeps me a part of my local puppetry community, that provided free admission to a show at the Penny Pretzel Playhouse, and provides me great workshops to help me advance my skills, not to mention this fine newsletter." |
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| "What?" you say. "I just paid my dues a few weeks ago. Right?" For some of you that is true, unfortunately it�s not that you were so early with this year�s dues as you were that late with last year�s dues. Remember that our year runs from June 1st to May 31st.
Everyone will be receiving an email reminder with your amount due, current contact information to check, and instructions on how to make the check and where to send it. Please respond to that email when it comes. It will save us the cost of a letter and stamp reminder for those who forget. See you all at our meeting at the Baird on March 18th. Yours in Puppetry, Steven M. Hollow Membership Chair |
| E-Mail Mailing List If the guild does not have your email you are really missing out on some great stuff. Updates are sent to members with puppetry information and listings of shows you may want to see. The guild receives requests for birthday party entertainers and posts other job opportunities using email. Remember, you don't have to own a computer to have a free email account. You can always check personal email at your local library or even at a friend�s house. It is a great way to find about shows, jobs and to stay connected with the community. Please let us know your email address today at [email protected] |
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| New Book Jim Jones has recently published a book called Puppets In School. It is a text written for anyone interested in puppets. However, it is addressed specifically to teaching about and creating puppets. A description of it follows: |
| Making Waves: What Our Members Are Doing |
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Puppets in School by Jim Jones Puppets In School is a practical guide and working manual for using puppets in the classroom. The text offers specific directions on how to make different puppets using common and easily attainable materials and how to utilize puppets for instructional purposes. The creation of these puppets, most of which can be constructed quickly, provide enriched learning experiences. Its potential helps open up a fascinating world of learning, from the aesthetic to the academic |
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| Call for Member News
Want to share your story, tell us what's going on in your life right now, or just get some free advertising for your shows? Send your news to [email protected] (with the word "Newsletter" somewhere in the subject line) and we'll publish it in this member news section. We are always excited to hear what our fellow guild members are doing! |
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| Plenty of Fish in the Sea: Things to Do |
| National Day of Puppetry
Yes it�s that time of year again. Saturday, April 28th is the National Day of Puppetry. If you haven�t been involved with the guild�s NDOP event before, now is the time to join in. It�s a great way to try out new material in front of a human audience (not just the cat, dog and other puppets). We are looking for performance pieces or demonstrations (5-20 minutes in length), workshop leaders, and stage hands. Please contact Penny at [email protected] or 973 586-8412 if you would like to become involved in the premier event of the season. To learn more about National Day of Puppetry log onto: http://www.puppeteers.org/fest_ndop.html |
| Upcoming Puppetry Festivals
Puppet Rampage '07 July 17-22, 2007 Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota Puppeteers of America National Puppet Festival www.puppetrampage2007.org PuppetFest MidWest July 10 - July 15, 2007 North Central Missouri College & Grundy County Jewett Norris Library Trenton, Missouri http://www.puppetfestival.org/ |
| 5th Annual PuppetFest MidWest When: July 10-15, 2007 Where: Trenton, Missouri. What: All of our workshops and performers are confirmed and ready. Our goal is to provide a relaxed, professional environment where you can really focus on one aspect of puppetry in a twenty-hour workshop. You can learn a lot in that length of time! This year�s workshops are: * MANIPULATION BOOT CAMP with Drew Allison, Grey Seal Puppets Intense workthrough that will focus on creating and developing puppet character through movement and manipulation with an emphasis on non-verbal puppetry. * HANDS UP! with Luman Coad, Coad Canada Puppets Participants will create a comfortable, durable, and performable hand puppet with a papier-mache head. * NEEDLE FELTED HAND PUPPETS with Pam Corcoran * ADVANCED MARIONETTE MANIPULATION with Phillip Huber, The Huber Marionettes * VENTRILOQUISM: AN ANCIENT ART DEMYSTIFIED! with Randel McGee, McGee Productions * ROD PUPPETS AND PERFORMANCE with Paul Mesner of Paul Mesner Puppets * SHADOW PUPPETRY with Jim Napolitano, Nappy�s Puppets For more details, please look on our website www.puppetfestival.org . Our website wizards, Nick and Rose Sage Barone, continue to work technical and artistic wonders to capture the excitement of our unique puppetry event. You can also read some great reviews written by participants of last year�s PuppetFest MidWest. We hope to see you at this year�s PuppetFest MidWest. Please let me know if you have any questions. And PLEASE, we�d appreciate it if you would Share this Information with Everyone who might be Interested. Thank you, Debbie and Peter Contact Information: PuppetFest MidWest Festival Directors, Peter Allen & Debbie Lutzky Allen P.O. Box 14 Jamesport MO 64648 Phone: (660) 684-6825 Email: [email protected] Website: puppetfestival.org |
| Intellectual Property Workshop. There is a workshop offered by the Union County Division of Cultural and Heritage Affairs called "Protect You Intellectual Property: A Workshop on Legal Services and Copyright Law for Arts, History and Cultural Groups, and Individual Artists" with a speaker from New Jersey Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Here is a link for more information: http://www.unioncountynj.org/cultural/njvla07.pdf |
| Puppetry Workshop
Fatto a Mano is pleased to announce it will host the Cortesi Puppeteer's Family Workshops in New York City. A unique opportunity! Not to be missed! What: �Traditional Italian Puppetry Animation� FIRST WORKSHOP: Saturday March 24th from 10 am to 3 pm SECOND WORKSHOP: Sunday March 25th from 10 am to 3 pm The two workshops are different but compatible. If you are in the field, we recommend to take both. When: March 24th and 25th of 2007 Where: 150 West 28th Street, # 1403, New York City 10001 Contact: Please visit our website for full description (www.fatto-a-mano.com) or call (212) 686-4848 and ask for Lucretia |
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| Going to a Festival or Workshop?
If you are going to any workshop or festival and want to share transportation, or meet up with other guild members, let the guild know. Festivals are so great and it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know each other and experience puppetry at its best. |
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Can�t Make It to a Puppet Festival?
Make your own festival right at home. Spend a day or just an afternoon with puppetry in any way you can. See a performance, read or reread a Puppetry Journal, find a new puppetry book at the library or the book store, or watch a video or DVD. You can invite a few guild members and make it a real party! Puppeteers of America Audio Visual Library has over 200 DVDS now available for loan check out on the web: www.puppeteers.org/av_dvd.html. |
| DVDs Penny Rapicano has some videos and DVD�s that she is willing to loan out. 2005 DVD � National Day of Puppetry � Somerville Library 2006 DVD � National Day of Puppetry � Somerville Library Puppet Festival � Seattle�s Festival of the Millennium -1999 The American Puppet Biography � Sesame Street Costuming Puppet Characters The Dark Crystal Being John Malkovich The Lady of Sockholm Lili The Nightmare Before Christmas If you want to borrow something, contact her via the guild or call (973) 586-8412. |
| Join Puppeteers of America Not a member of Puppeteers of America? It�s easier than ever now that you can join online!! Puppeteers of America is a fantastic source for all things puppet including scholarships, insurance for performers, consultants, bookstore and lending library. Support the art of puppetry by joining or rejoining today at http://www.puppeteers.org/signup.html. Or contact: THE PUPPETEERS OF AMERICA, INC. MEMBERSHIP OFFICE Fred Thompson 26 Howard Ave. New Haven, CT 06519-2809 (888) 568-6235 |
| Don't Let the Well Run Dry: Contribute of The Phoenix |
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| Tips Needed Guild member Jim Jones has volunteered to write a small piece for The Phoenix on tips for puppeteers if everyone would submit some of their ideas. To date, he has had no response. Please get him you puppetry tricks as soon as possible so we can all take advantage of this great opportunity. |
| Articles Needed The next issue of the Phoenix will be coming out in a few months. An actual deadline will be mailed to you via e-mail. Please have all articles, ads, photos and information to the editor by this deadline. Let us know what puppet related projects you have planned, what you are working on and anything else you would like to share. Send all material to: Helen Horn-Mitchem, [email protected]. Please put "Newsletter" somewhere in the subject line. |
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| Puppetry Guild Member on Stage See guild member Bridget Burke-Weiss at Smiling Rhino Theatre (Address: 247 Wanaque Avenue, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442, Phone Number (973) 248-9491 ) in the suspense thriller Night Watch by Lucille Fletcher .This play is a mystery with a storyline reminiscent of the great master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Show dates are March 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25. |