More Puppets Around the World!

Aesop's Fables
by Applause Unlimited

Thurs & Fri, Feb 27 & 28 at 10:30 am
Sat & Sun, Mar 1 & 2 at 1:00 & 3:00pm

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From "The Country Mouse and The City Mouse", "Aesop's Fables" by Applause Unlimited

Up next in the “Puppets Around the World"series...Aesop’s Fables!

Though little is known about the mysterious Aesop, a poor man in ancient Greece, his stories have stayed with us for centuries. Enduring the test of time, Aesop’s fables have been passed down through different generations and cultures to take on the form they exist in today. Short, imaginative tales, Aesop’s fables utilize animals and nature to reveal greater truths of the human condition, and convey morals for humankind to accept.

Renaissance era depiction of what Aesop may have looked like.

ABOUT THE SHOW:

Applause Unlimited's production includes three of Aesop’s classic stories: “The Ant and the Grasshopper” in which a busy ant teaches us the importance of being prepared; “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse” in which we learn that some risks aren’t worth taking; and “The Tortoise and the Hare” in which a wise tortoise teaches us that boasting will not win a race.

ABOUT THE PERFORMER:

Christopher Hudert (Applause Unlimited) began his theatrical career at an early age, performing with The Children's Theater of Richmond, Puppetfest Productions, and other Virginia-based companies. While pursuing a degree in Theater Education, Christopher joined the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus and toured for 9 years across the United States and Japan. After achieving the rank of Boss Clown, he left the circus to create his own company with master puppeteer Terry Snyder. Since its founding, Applause Unlimited has received two UNIMA Citations of Excellence, the highest recognition in American puppetry, and has performed in theaters and at festivals worldwide. 

Christopher Hudert (Applause Unlimited) performing "The Magic of Hans Christian Andersen"

We invite you to revisit these classic tales through the magic of puppetry, and join us as Aesop’s fables come alive on stage at Puppet Showplace Theatre!

Magical May Continues with Cinderella!

"A Woodland Cinderella"
by Deborah Costine, Puppeter!

Mother's Day Weekend at Puppet Showplace Theatre!

Showtimes:
Thurs & Fri, May 9-10 at 10:30am
Sat & Sun, May 11-12 at 1 & 3pm

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ABOUT THE SHOW

In this original UNIMA award-winning version of Cinderella, the King of all Woodland Fairies wants his son to marry a fairy princess, but he knows that they are very hard to find. So the King hosts a great ball and commands all the young fairy maidens to attend. He hopes that the missing fern fairy princess will come. Will he find her?. 

This show is very popular for children aged four and up and their grownups.  It is also enjoyed equally by both boys and girls.

Deborah Costine, Puppeteer in Action!

ABOUT THE PERFORMER

Debbie grew up in Lancaster NH in a region known as “The Great North Woods.”  There were no visiting school assembly programs and the only puppet Debbie had ever seen was “Bunny-Rabbit” on “Captain Kangaroo” (TV reception was very limited there in the 50s!) When she was ten she made a puppet! She had no idea how to go about it but made a papier mache clown that still sits in her studio today.

Since 1974, Debbie has been one half of the well-known “Gerwick Puppets” touring throughout New England at schools, libraries, museums and events such as First Night Boston.  She writes the scripts with partner Lenny Gerwick, and makes all the puppets.  She estimates that over the past thirty years she has made over two hundred puppets! The Gerwick Puppets have presented over 5,000 performances to over a million children! Productions include “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp,” “Pilgrim Adventure to America,” “Inside the Haunted House” "Adventures From Thornton W. Burgess"  and "Midwinter Magic" to name a few. 

Beside her work with “Gerwick,” Debbie designs, constructs and performs her own solo shows called “Small Shows for Small Groups of Small Children.” Titles include “The Three Pigs and Other Tales,” “A Woodland Cinderella” and “The Twig Family in the Oak Tree.”  These are especially popular in pre-schools, libraries and birthday parties.

For lower elementary grades is "Turtle's New Home" that reflects Debbie's growing interest in the environment and the value of being connected to the outdoors.

She has taught puppetry classes at Plymouth State University in NH and Northeastern University in Boston, and Worcester State College.  She created a set of eight puppets for the National Park Service to teach about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway. She has does professional voice work, such as playing numerous characters on the Verizon web-site: Superthinkers.com. 

Debbie's environmental interests have continued to grow - taking her outside on trails more and more, downstream in her kayak and a growing interest in bird identification.  Her own experience of growing up in a rural setting , playing outdoors, building "forts" in the woods with her brothers, wading in brooks, gave her an ongoing sense of the unlimited joys of the outdoors.  Now, Debbie's mission is to try to do what she can to promote a love of nature in children.  It is something that can give great pleasure to everyone.  Nature is everywhere! (from: http://www.deborahcostinenaturepuppets.com/about.html)

Internship Opportunities at PST!

A NOTE FROM OUR INTERN

Education Outreach Intern Krista shares her experience this summer

Finding the right internship can be hard, but I managed to spend the summer at a workplace that was engaging and fun!  The Puppet Showplace Theatre (PST) has been providing entertainment and educational opportunities to the community for 38 years now, and I am happy to have been involved in that process.

As an Intern for the Puppet Showplace Theatre, I worked on a variety of projects including assisting with puppetry camps and workshops, reaching out to schools and summer camps, ushering the shows, and generally lending a hand where it was needed.  With such a wide range of responsibilities, I had something new to look forward to every day.  When assisting with classes, I enjoyed interacting with the kids and helping to plan activities.  In reaching out to school and camp groups I gained many office and computer skills.  When ushering the shows, I helped theatre run smoothly and got to watch a new artist perform every week for free!

At the Puppet Showplace Theatre, I really enjoyed learning about how a non-profit organization operates.  The performing arts are definitely important to me, and I value PST’s dedication to providing a variety of educational opportunities to the community.  Their performances, workshops for students, and classes for educators are all focused on sharing knowledge about puppets and performing.   As an Education Outreach intern, my main objective was to establish and maintain new relationships with educators in the community. 

Lastly, one of my favorite things about working at PST was the atmosphere.  For me, the idea of working alone in a cubicle is not an agreeable one.  However, office and computer skills come in handy in nearly any line of work. Whether it be communicating via email, blogging, creating spreadsheets, or keeping files in order; where better to gain experience with the basics than in a colorful environment?  The walls are painted brightly and puppets are displayed throughout the lobby.  I was always welcome to try out puppets, to create a new display board, or to participate in events like the Puppet Slam.  I definitely did not want an internship where I would be ignored.  At PST I felt that the staff encouraged me to be involved and if I needed assistance, were glad to answer any questions.

So if you are interested in an internship that is enriching and entertaining, I wholeheartedly recommend applying to the Puppet Showplace Theatre.  They are now accepting applications for the Fall.  For more information about internships, Click Here.

-Krista, Education Outreach Intern Summer 2012