Happy 4th of July!

You may have seen this before, but it still makes us laugh.

Come by and join us for our own show on the Fourth: Brad Shur's "Raccoon Tales" at 1:00pm

A Summer of Puppet Fun!

Please note that our performance schedule has changed for the months of July and August. During the Summer we will be hosting 5 performances per week; Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 AM and 1:00 PM, Sundays at 1:00 PM. The Puppet Showplace Theatre Box Office will be closed on Mondays and Saturdays throughout the Summer. Tickets can always be purchased online here.

And don't miss a special July 4th performance of Raccoon Tales by Brad Shur!

Puppets Around the Web: For you 'Star Wars' fans

Yea, we consider it a puppet. In fact, we hear that there was even a puppet or two in the original 'Star Wars' movies - you know, the days before computer cartoon characters.

Wrap up report of the O'Neill conference

My week at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference was so packed with puppetry, that there wasn't a spare moment to update you on all the wonderful goings-on. But now, with the conference behind me, I can give the full scoop.

Roxie, Jon Little and myself got to participate in three separate tracks of the conference. I'll let them fill the readers in on the Video Anarchy and the Flock Theatre facets of the conference.

Myself, I participated in the ensemble production. This year was a special one, the 20th anniversary of the conference. In honor of the occasion, we created a show using one puppet from each year of the conference so far. These ranged from marionettes to masks to a Muppet (yes, an actual practice Muppet from the Henson Company, from the first year of the conference). 20 performers and three directors worked together to create one show that would bring all of these very different puppets together.

Besides that project, the conference hosted master classes every day with experts in writing, movement, and other facets for creating a show, as well as celebrity guests like Noel MacNeal from Bear in the Big Blue House, and Kathy Mullen from Fraggle Rock (both have worked on a number of Henson and other puppet productions).

Conference goers also created about two dozen participant projects, short puppet performances created entirely that week.

To name all the names of the amazing people who attended, taught and facilitated that week would take pages. Let me just say that I was surrounded by folks, both staff and participants, who were not just incredibly talented, but also incredibly open and eager to share their knowledge and skills. By the end of the week, I was exhausted by the almost impossibly full schedule but also excited about everything I had seen and learned.

Boston's other Green Monster

Our buddy, Jon Little, takes his friend out for a day on the town. Check out Jon at littlescreatures.com.

More About... Our July/August postcard!

Can you recognize all of our July and August performers? There are 17 in total, and 18 shows! Over the next eight weeks, we'll be highlighting a new performer every few days, close to their performance days. Here's a handy key to all of our performers this summer at Puppet Showplace Theatre!



1. "Galapagos George" by Barefoot Puppets (8/11 & 8/12)
2. "The Carrot Salesman" by Brad Shur (8/25 & 8/26)
3. "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" by Pumpernickel Puppets (8/1)
4. "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Spring Valley Puppet Theater (7/21 & 7/22)
5. "Everybody Loves Pirates" by Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers (8/18 & 8/19)
6. "Leopard Learns a Lesson" by Magpie Puppets (8/4 & 8/5)
7. "Hansel & Gretel" by National Marionette Theater (7/14 & 7/15)
8. "The Case of the Missing Woodpile" by The Gerwick Puppets (6/30 & 7/1)
9. "The Firebird" by The Puppet People - PST PREMIERE! (8/29)
10. "Wizards and Knights" by Theatre of Life Puppets starring Sammy Snail (7/28 & 7/29)
11. "The Brave Little Tailor" by Lionheart Puppet Company - PST PREMIERE! (7/25)
12. "The Twig Family" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer! (7/18)
13. "Raccoon Tales" by Brad Shur (7/4, 7/7, & 7/8)
14. "Here Come the Clowns!" by Brad Shur (8/15)
15. "The Monkey King" by Galapagos Puppets (7/11)
16. "The Three Pigs and Other Tales" by Deborah Costine, Puppeteer! (8/22)
17. "The Little Red Hen" by Lionheart Puppet Company (8/8)

Puppets on NPR

Hi PST fans!

I just arrived back in Boston after a week at the National Puppetry Conference. It was wonderful to bump into so many accomplished artists from across the country and talk up our programming in Boston. Stay tuned for news of upcoming performances by out-of-towners and emerging artists!

Today, NPR ran a story about the conference as part of Weekend Edition. Check it out! And see you at the Showplace!

Roxie

Her Heroes Have Always Been Puppets

Our very own Roxie Myhrum, PST's Artistic Director, was featured in the Globe this Thursday!

Andreae Downs' article highlights Roxie as the newest addition to our family and the role she'll play in the years to come. We're proud to have Roxie join us - her experience with a variety of theatre genres will certainly strengthen the programs we offer.

Please check out the article on boston.com. And come check out our upcoming shows - you may even meet Roxie while you're here.

Show your Brookline pride and help support local nonprofits!

These t-shirts are available only at Village Green Renewal in Brookline Village, just up the street and around the corner from the Puppet Showplace Theatre. Profits will go to benefit 12 selected Brookline nonprofits – one each month – including PST in December 2010!

Showplace fun at the Eugene O'Neill National Puppetry Conference!

Hi everyone!

I hope you’re getting psyched for Summer at Puppet Showplace! We’ll be changing up our schedule with the start of July (more on that soon!) This week we welcome to the Showplace Lionheart Puppets with The Reluctant Dragon, followed by Nappy’s Puppets with Father Goose Tales. Get your tickets today!

I had the great fortune of seeing Nappy perform last night in an outdoor amphitheatre under the stars at the (regional Tony award-winning!) Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center where I’m currently attending the National Puppetry Conference (it just so happens that the conference is also where I met Matt Leonard of Lionheart Puppets for the first time!).

This year, PST Artist in Residence Brad Shur, PuppetSLAM Emcee Jon Little, and I are all here learning from master puppeteers drawn from all over the world. We’re also hard at work on new projects that will be presented at the end of the week (if you happen to be in Waterford, CT come check them out!). While we’re here, we’re also promoting the Showplace to puppet artists from all across America—thanks to all of our current family (Nappy, Michael Graham) and SLAM performers (Z. Briggs, Jones, Carole D'Augustino) for talking up the theatre as a great place to perform!

Stay tuned for announcements of our upcoming SLAM season, and more news from Jon and Brad about their experiences at the O’Neill!

Roxie (artistic@puppetshowplace.org)

Join Our Board

The Puppet Showplace Theatre is seeking energetic professionals to serve on our Board of Trustees and shape the future of this wonderful organization.

We are looking for individuals with a passion for performing arts and experience in any of the following:

• Governance
• Marketing and Promotions
• Theatre and Arts Administration
• Education
• Fundraising and Development

As you may know, the Puppet Showplace Theatre (PST) is a Brookline based institution that has been serving the community for over 36 years. PST is New England's only year-round, non-profit theatre devoted to the art of puppetry, and one of very few local organizations that provides ongoing programs for young children and their families.

PST is currently in the process of implementing a three-year strategic plan and will be revising our by-laws during the summer months. We've seen considerable growth over the past several years thanks in part to the enthusiasm of our talented staff, board, and puppeteers, as well as the support of the community.

Trustees play an active role in shaping the theatre's direction and represent a broad cross-section of the community. Each Trustee spends on average 8-10 hours each month addressing Puppet Showplace Theatre matters. There are approximately 6 board meetings each year, generally on weekday evenings. Trustees provide direct support through participation on committees and are responsible for fundraising efforts. Prior board experience is beneficial, but not required.

Please contact Kris Higgins, Executive Director, at executive@puppetshowplace.org to learn more about this opportunity.

Puppet Showplace Theatre in the news!

There's always a lot going on at the Puppet Showplace Theatre, from our family shows, to memorable birthday parties, to performances from our friends Kitsch in Sync, to other special shows like Ole Lukoie's Magic Winglets.

In the middle of all these great things is our great new Artistic Director, Roxanna Myhrum. Roxanna joins us with nearly twelve years of puppetry, theatre, and opera direction and dramaturge experience. Look for a full profile and photo in the Boston Globe later this week! In the meantime, check out this great profile from Boston.com:

A new hand pulls the strings at Brookline puppet theater - Boston.com

In other PST news, local mask maker Eric Bornstein has been profiled by the Boston Globe. In addition to the article, there's a great image gallery of Eric's work at his shop, Behind the Mask. And if you want to see more of Eric's creations, just look up when you're in our lobby – our four, larger-than-life hummingbirds came from Eric's workshop!

Mask man Eric Bornstein makes magic with paint, papier-mache, and endless imagination - The Boston Globe

Ole Lukoie Puppets Presents Magic Winglets

The Puppet Showplace welcomes a special international guest performer to our theatre this week. Master Puppeteer Alexey Shishov of St. Petersburg, Russia has designed a show especially for Boston audiences that draws on the dreamlike storytelling tradition of Oje Lukoie (the Sandman). Performed in English by Brookline community members Olga Pinson and Helen Cherkasova, this adaptation of Thumbelina features table top puppets and projected animations.

Performances will take place at the Puppet Showplace Theatre;
5/27 at 6:00 PM
5/28 at 5:00 PM

Tickets for this performance are not available through the Puppet Showplace Theatre Box Office. Tickets can be purchased directly from Ole Lukoie Puppets online. They will also be selling tickets at the door.

Purchase Tickets

Behind The Mask Upcoming Events

Puppets and masks share common ancestry. And so we're excited to share with you some upcoming events of Behind The Mask, a performance troupe directed by long-time friend and PST board member Eric Bornstein.

May 24 through June 30
Mask Exhibit
Porter Square at the Porter Square Mall, CVS Window
Visit the Cambridge Arts Council's website for more info.

Opening June 2
A Midsummer Night's Dream
The Plaza Theater at the Boston Center for the Arts
We proudly annouce our collaboration with Contemporary Theater of Boston, under the direction of Chris Cavalier, in a non-traditional adaptation journeying into the mysterious dream world of love, desire, and fiendish faeries. Featuring masks and costumes designed and created by Behind The Mask Studio

June 5
Cambridge River Festival
Behind The Mask Studio has created a tribute procession for the beloved storyteller Brother Blue, complete with giant puppets and a butterfly bonanza!
Behind The Mask will also put on an exhibition & workshop, with a performance of the story “The Woman Who Outshone The Sun”
Please visit http://www.cambridgema.gov/CAC/Community/river.cfm for more details.

Through June 9
Illustration of the Imagination: Masks by Four Contemporary Artists
Heftler Visiting Artist Gallery, Center For the Arts, Endicott College, 376 Hale St, Beverly, MA
Please visit http://www.endicott.edu/centerforthearts for more information.

Also, be sure to check out the Cambridge River Festival posters in the MBTA featuring the work of Behind The Mask Studio!

PuppetSLAM is coming... Saturday May 22nd at 8pm!

Our 4th and final PuppetSLAM of the 2009/2010 season is coming this Saturday night at 8pm! And what a show we have planned for you: Jon Little is set to host, plus there will be at least 22 performers making up nine performance troupes, including...

- Brodrick Jones of Virginia, with his "Piece of Dirt"

- Little's Creatures

- Lesley Smith, the talented ventriloquist behind Sammy Snail and the Theater of Life Puppets

- Evan O'Television and his televised self

- Puppetmaster Jake

- Michelle Finston making her debut performance!

- Elephant Tango Ensemble, an eight-member troupe consisting of puppeteers, actors, musicians, designers and dancers

- a short stop-animation film from Brittanie Marques

- The Puppet Showplace Incubator Hatchlings, a group of individual performers including Jim Sedgwick, Gary Pappas, Michelle Finston, and John Lechner, plus Puppet Showplace Theatre Artistic Director Roxie Myhrum, Artist in Residence Brad Shur, and Artist in Residence Emeritus Paul Vincent Davis

Tickets are still available but going fast. Get yours before we sell out! BUY TICKETS

Check out video of a piece from our previous PuppetSLAM in March 2010...
"The Conductor" by Little's Creatures

Disfarmer: A review

Disfarmer, directed by Dan Hurlin, was performed at the ICA this past weekend.

I have to admit, I don't get as many opportunities as I'd like to see serious puppet theater aimed at adults, so forgive me if I have the giddy tone you'll find in the parents of a young child eating at a restaurant without a drive-thru for the first time in months.

Of course, I take puppetry aimed at children very seriously, but well done, full length adult puppet theater is a rare treat.

There is only really one character in this show, Mike Disfarmer, an eccentric Arkansas photographer who documented small town life in the 1940s (Learn more about the real Mike Disfarmer). He is brought to life as a bunraku-style puppet worker be several performers at once. Not only was the manipulation of the puppet Disfarmer clean and elegant, but the landscape in which he lived was brought to life as well. The sets lived on a series of tables on wheels which rolled together to form the interior or exterior of his house. In a few scenes, while Disfarmer paced alone with his thoughts, table after table rolled under him, creating his path through the town with each step he took.

If the show itself was the treat, then the cherry on top was the Saturday morning workshop with director Dan Hurlin and the show's five puppeteers.

Participants worked with simple jointed practice puppets (pictured on the right) to learn how to bring them to life through teamwork. In the tradition of bunraku puppets, one puppeteer manipulates the head and right hand, one works the left hand, and one walks the puppet. It quickly became clear how difficult it was for three people to coordinate their efforts for even simple actions like walking or lying down, much less the subtle and character defining movements of Disfarmer.

Watch this blog for upcoming performances and workshops.

2010-2011 Season Sponsorship

The puppets are busily preparing for the 2010-2011 season year, which begins in September. But they need as much help as they can find to ensure that we'll be able to present really fantastic programming. And their looking to local sponsors to help out.

We can't express how delighted we are to have Finagle A Bagel recently pledge their support as a corporate sponsor!

Know of a wonderful local business like Finagle A Bagel that we should partner with? Send them our way. Our corporate sponsors receive really cool benefits, such as private shows, loads of advertising, and even a puppet likeness of the company's CEO. More details on sponsor benefits can be found here.

Contact Kris, our Executive Director, at executive@puppetshowplace.org for more info.

And thanks for supporting the imaginative world of puppetry!

Puppets in Development...

In addition to being a fabulous place to see puppet theater, Puppet Showplace is a great resource for artists developing new works. Every other week, we host our puppet incubator where artists of all persuasions meet to discuss and develop their works-in-progress. I love getting feedback from artists who work in different mediums or puppetry styles, and I always leave incubator fired up to build or write or rehearse.

Our puppet slams are also great ways for artists to try out pieces of a larger work in front of an audience. At our last slam, Diane Kordas of Romper Rhythm & Puppets performed part of her "Pirates and Tales of the Sea" show, which she will perform as a full piece at PST in September. Also, Bonnie Duncan of They Gotta Be Secret Agents performed an excerpt of her show Poste Restante, which I saw in its complete form (twice! once with my Mom! it was that good!) over the weekend at the Charlestown Working Theater. We're also waiting with great anticipation for the day when our friends and regular slam performers Z. Briggs and Chad Williams of Wonderspark Puppets will present a full-length show at PST. (Z. recently informed me that she did her first solo performance as a puppeteer at PST. We're so proud!).

For artists who are not working on a full length show but who still want to advance their puppetry skills, PST is a great educational resource. This weekend we are hosting a workshop with master puppeteer Dan Hurlin of Mapp International Productions while he is in Boston performing at the Institute of Contemporary Art as part of the Emerging America Festival. Then on Sunday, the Boston Area Guild of Puppetry (BAGOP) will present (PST board member!) Eric Bornstein of Behind the Mask as part of their Guild Meeting at PST. New members are welcome!

Still not sure how to take advantage of the artist resources that PST has to offer? Email me or drop by the theater and we'll talk! We had two puppeteers (Allison Daniel of Chicago and Agus Nur Amal of Indonesia) serendipitously drop in last week and wow us with their work. Our doors are open to you too!

Your body is a puppet

It's always amazing to see how every culture finds new and wonderful ways to bring inanimate objects to life. Chack out these Japanese leg puppets.



There's a practical limitation that affects every puppeteer: You only have two hands. How can you bring to life your characters with all the detail and sophistication they deserve with only two hands to manipulate them with? The solutions to this are the root of a lot of the innovation and artistry of puppet theater.

This traditional Japanese puppet form solves the problem by bringing a bit more of the body into play. The puppeteer's legs form the trunks of the puppets' bodies, and his hands are free to slip into the sleeves of the kimono to animate the arms. Voila! You have a puppet with three actively manipulated parts. Granted, it's a bit limited what you can do with a leg while lying on your back, but still quite beautiful.

Seeing this clip reminded me of this piece by Peruvian performers Theatro Hugo & Ines.



Hugo & Ines are masters of using the human body in innovative ways to create bright, living characters. If you're planning to be in New York later this month, you can see Hugo & Ines in action on May 28th, click here for details. Unfortunately, the only way to see traditional Japanese leg puppets would be a trip to Japan, unless you make your own.

-Brad Shur
Artist in Residence

The Brookline Arts Center's Palette Project

This spring, as they get ready for a big Spring fundraiser gala coming up this weekend, our friends at the Brookline Arts Center have created a town-wide art show.

Artists' palettes donated by more than 100 artists have been displayed throughout the town: each is designed by a Brookline talent, and will be available in a silent auction.

The Puppet Showplace's own Artist-in-Residence, Brad Shur, added his talents, creating a whimsical puppet inspired character. Apparently this green little guy has made many friends at The Children's Bookstore in Brookline Village where he's been on display.

You can bid on Brad's palette at the Children's Bookstore or at the BAC's fundraiser event, Color Your World Gala, this Saturday. Visit BAC's website for details.