Save the Planet with Puppets!

A marionette made from recycled materials!

ALL AGES WORKSHOP:

Build Your Own Recycled Puppets
With Brenda Huggins, PST Teaching Artist
Saturday February 2, 10:30 am - 12:00 PM

Cost: $15/Individual; $10/Member

*Children under age 13 must participate with a parent or guardian.  Recommended for ages 5 & up

REGISTER ONLINE

Climate Action Week continues in Brookline through Feb 3rd, and Puppet Showplace Theatre is excited to participate with a SUPER FUN puppet making workshop!

Have you ever wondered what to do with those old jeans with holes and rips, or have a pillow that is not fluffy or comfortable to sleep on and more? Or maybe your recycling bin is piling up with cardboard and plastic bottles, and you have always wondered if maybe there was a more creative way to Reduce, Re-use, Recycle than just dropping the bin at the curb?

Join us for an all-ages workshop on Saturday to learn how to turn materials already in your home into creative characters that come to life! No need to stop by the craft store, or spend tons of money on a bolt of fabric!  All materials are included for this hands-on, all-ages workshop. Each participant will make a puppet from recycled materials to take home.

Teaching Artist, Brenda Huggins is today's guest blogger.  Let's find out what to expect during class on Saturday:

ANYTHING CAN BE A PUPPET!

by Guest Blogger, Brenda Huggins

Brenda Huggins and her puppet Bella Monster, made by Jon Little of Little's Creatures.

I love the idea that "any thing can be a puppet." It is a catch phrase that I use often in my teaching, and I am sure I picked it up from an immersion in puppetry education programs at PST for the past three years.  Often when I teach puppetry, I begin with "Object Theatre", or the idea that any everyday object can become "alive" when the puppeteer discovers how it can move, how it looks around in its environment, how it breathes, and perhaps even what its voice sounds like.  These are the fundamental basics of puppetry manipulation.  Why is this important in a puppet building class?  As a puppet builder, I like to think about how the characters I am creating will exist in the world, as this greatly inspires their design and the materials they will be made out of.

Yes, the MATERIALS! Let's talk about the materials, because that is why we are here isn't it?  When we are creating puppets from recycled, or re-purposed materials, the goal is to take an everyday object and be inspired to transform that object into something new-and also perhaps save a little money from not having to buy brand new materials at the craft or fabric store.  It is also a FANTASTIC way to recycle materials you wouldn't even think to recycle.  How many times have you thrown out an old shirt because it had a stain or rip in it? I know many of us are very good about donating clothing to Good Will or other second hand shops, but what do you do with those old things that cannot be resold?  Instead of flooding landfills with these precious textiles, let's make puppets!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as seen in "Puppet Playtime"

When I am building puppets, I LOVE to be inspired by the materials I will be working with, especially the textiles.  Maybe this comes from my work as a costume designer.  As an example, some of the most recent puppets I built are for a new program at PST called "Puppet Playtime." The materials I used are  a towel and recycled clothing  (I have a huge suitcase full of cut up clothes and other goodies for crafty projects! I can't wait to share it with you!) To create the character of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, I used a bright green towel for the body, and created three dimensional spots by cutting circles out of a dress shirt I have from when I was in college. (I will admit that was almost 10 years ago! I held onto the shirt, because the fabric was so beautiful and I just HAD to use it for a fabulous crafting project!)

Join me on Saturday for an hour and a half of recycling, creation, and play! I can't wait to see each of your unique pieces of art come to life!

-Brenda

Announcing Fall Adult Classes 2012

PST HAS THREE UPCOMING CLASSES FOR ADULTS!
LEARN MORE/ REGISTER

Puppet Shorts!
Six sessions, September 10th - Oct 15th
Monday Nights, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Cost: $150/ $125 before September 1st!
Click Here to register online, or call 617-731-6400

Introduction to Puppetry Arts
Four sessions, October 9th - 30th
Tuesday Nights, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Cost: $125/ $105 before October 1st!
To register, call 617-731-6400

Introduction to Shadow Puppetry
Five sessions, November 12th - December 10th
Monday Nights, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Cost: $150/ $125 before November 1st!
To register, call 617-731-6400

Our artist-in-residence at PST, Brad Shur, will be teaching these three new classes for adults starting in September!  Brad has been professionally involved in puppetry for almost 15 years.  Creating and performing with his own puppets, he is equipped with an incredibly broad knowledge of various forms of puppetry and performance techniques.

Puppet Shorts! -  How do you get better at making puppet shows?  Practice!  Any great writer will tell you that in order to write well, one must write as often as they can.  The same is true with puppetry.  This class is designed to stretch a puppeteer's creativity and skill through a variety of projects.  Using different puppetry styles each week, participants will create six short performances.  With the help of the instructor, the class will also learn formal critique methods to analyze and improve each others' work.

Introduction to Puppetry Arts - Learn about the basics behind the scenes!  If you have always admired puppets from a seat in the audience, maybe it's time you got a closer look.  This class will teach the basic materials and performance methods used by professional puppeteers.  In addition, the class will study and discuss the work of great puppeteers such as Richard Bradshaw, Burr Tillstrom, and Sergey Obraztsov.  From constructing your first puppet to understanding the concepts of what makes an excellent puppet show, the subjects covered in this class are vital to a beginner puppeteer.

Introduction to Shadow Puppetry - Tap into the power of playing with light!  Shadow puppetry can be a wonderful way to tell stories, and at the heart of it, all you may need is a light, some paper, and a screen.  From the simple fun of playing with light, to more complex and diverse styles of shadow puppetry, this class is for anyone interested in this beautiful art form.  Through the use of building exercises and performance assignments, participants by the end of this class will have the tools to create their own shadow puppet plays.


Any questions about class content may be directed to instructor Brad Shur: bshur@puppetshowplace.org.  For more information about all of our Adult Classes, please Visit Our Website!