IBEX Puppetry
Dedicated to promoting the fine art of puppetry in all its forms
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- Schroeder Cherry's puppet show will be a "highlight" of Zora! Fest this year, according to West Orlando News. Shows are at 9:30am & 2:00pm on Friday and Saturday this weekend. Will we see you there?
- Wow! This year we're partnering up with the incredible Zora! Festival in historic Eatonville, Florida to present Schroeder Cherry and His Puppets in four performances... but one is already sold out! Which performance will you be at--Friday 2pm, Saturday 9:30am, or Saturday 2pm?
- Guo nian hao! We wish everyone good fortune in the Year of the Dragon.
- Click below for a video of IBEX parading a bevy of wildlife puppets through the lush outdoors earlier today... the view from the Crystal River Florida Manatee Festival at Three Sisters Springs, courtesy of Carol Grant!
- We're live Tweeting our meeting on Twitter on @ibexpuppetry, follow along as we plan our Sing Along with The Muppets event in New York this March!
- Heather & IBEX are working on new environmental spectacles. Tweet or comment below to us with your manatee-related art/photos this month & we'll share it with our followers on here and on Twitter! Let's share inspiration.
- If you never had a chance to see the UNIMA-award winning "Panther & Crane" live or just want to keep up with the latest of Heather's performance work, subscribe to our Youtube and you can have front-row seats to her performances from miles away.
- Tonight! Catch The Nativity Story, 4pm at St. John Lutheran Church in Winter Park, FL. Preview: http://ow.ly/8dtu3
- Happy birthday today to Marsian, our Puppet Slam chanteuse!
- In the Winter Park area this weekend? Come enjoy a public performance of "The Nativity Story", presented by Pinocchio's Marionette Theater. This elegant retelling of the holiday tale features puppets from the workshops of IBEX Puppetry and the Jim Henson Company.
- Happy new year everyone! In 2012, we resolve to support the community of puppetry on stage, screen, and gallery & bring you more of Heather Henson's beautiful performances. Now that we've shared our resolutions for the new year, let us share yours! Comment below or Tweet your puppet resolutions to @IbexPuppetry & we will reTweet them. Let's share inspiration!
- Happy new year from the Handmade Puppet Dreams film series!
- Happy 2012 to all the Puppet Slammers!
- Love the Muppets? Here's a guide to accounts for fans, by fans on Twitter.
- Check out our list of official Henson-related Twitters! Get your news straight from the Muppet's mouth: http://ow.ly/7VZjK
- Whether you see 2012 as The End, or a new beginning, one thing is certain: The Slampocalypse will not be televised!
- Winter solstice today. Which is it for you: the shortest day of the year or the longest night? http://ow.ly/861fj
- The new @puppetslam YouTube playlist looks great! Subscribe to our channel for the hippest underground puppetry: http://ow.ly/7X8EX
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Tweets
- Schroeder Cherry's puppet show will be a "highlight" of Zora! Fest this year, according to West Orlando News: http://t.co/2xGw18GL
- 2pm today, 9:30am & 2:00pm tomorrow: a puppet play about black history by Schroeder Cherry! Info: http://t.co/GtYPCcOF
- #FF Find a puppet workshop for adults: @PoA_rEvolution @ctrpuppetryarts @puppetshowplace @concretetemple
- We nominate @marioglove for a Shorty Award as best #videoblogger because they make Heather laugh! http://t.co/irbCj2YO
- Tomorrow at 9:30am & 2:00pm: @zorafestival & IBEX present a puppet play about black history by Schroeder Cherry! Info: http://t.co/uQ6OYdLs
- We nominate @FafaGroundhog for a Shorty Award as best #videoblogger because beaver is better than Bieber. http://t.co/xWW09Bw6
- IBEX presents Dr. Schroeder Cherry's "Underground Railroad, NOT A Subway" with @zorafestival this weekend! Details: http://t.co/MXUDWJOe
- Wow! This year we're partnering up with the incredible Zora! Festival in historic Eatonville, Florida to present... http://t.co/LcTvOYVa
- @TheDailyCity @CentralFLTop5 @skubersky IBEX presents black history puppetry at Zora! Fest, details: http://t.co/hYwwabbHJan 26, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @momsguide @orlando_Family @eatonville @citybeautiful IBEX presents black history puppetry this weekend! Details: http://t.co/9j2HEJmq
- @yelporlando @orlandonow @visitorlando IBEX presents Schroeder Cherry & His Puppets at Zora! this weekend. Details: http://t.co/VEipsksn
- Got puppets on the brain? @puppetkitchen has seats for a puppet hat workshop! Contact them quick: this is free tonight! http://t.co/2NjwxxZb
- This weekend, Ibex Puppetry brings the story of The Underground Railroad, as told by Schroeder Cherry and His... http://t.co/dUjSSnTm
- I posted 28 photos on Facebook in the album "" http://t.co/RFzSk62l
- @oceangrant Thanks for all the pictures and video of us at the Manatee Festival! So happy you were there with us.
- IBEX's own Hannah Miller teaches marionette basics for @ArtsFestUA, register for a chance at a free ticket here today: http://t.co/MMlcnPli
- The gorgeous waters of Three Sisters Preserve in Crystal River at the #manatee festival yesterday http://t.co/nXz7oKKN
- Guo nian hao! We wish everyone good fortune in the Year of the Dragon.
- Mermaid spotting at Three Sisters Spring during the #manatee festival! http://t.co/1jzCfaqbJan 21, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- Our #manatee puppet, by Wavy Davey Jordan, debuting in Crystal Springs, Fl http://t.co/YXsguukG
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Handmade Puppet Dreams: Gallery Experiences
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Uploads
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- May 07, 11
- May 06, 11
What a great celebration of puppet films! We screened nine Handmade Puppet Dreams, with four filmmakers in attendance - David Michael Friend (Moonfishing), Scotty Shoemaker (Harker), myself Sam K. Hale (Yamasong) and Kevin McTurk (Narrative of Victor Karloch). Other filmmaker's shorts included Matty Sidle, Paul Andrejco, Genevieve Anderson, Steve Johnson, Frankie Cordero and Lyon Hill. Afterward, we were treated to the new documentary "Puppet", which shows filmmaker David Soll's outsider's look into the work of Dan Hurlin and Co. as they develop the show "Disfarmer". Very intriguing and revealing as to the hurdles, challenges, and longing for respect in live puppet theater. I highly recommend it. - May 01, 11
I'm here at Newport Beach Film Festival with filmmakers David Michael Friend and Scott Shoemaker. Gearing up for our screenings at 1pm today! David will be premiering his new amazing and charming film "Moonfishing" about a character who has to fish for moonlight to restore light to his village. We will also be joined by Kevin McTurk who will be giving us a teaser of his new Victorian ghost story puppet film "Narrative of Victor Karloch"! Shall be a wonderful day of puppet short films!
- Apr 06, 11
Thinking of going to the National Puppetry Festival in Atlanta, GA this year? Want to participate in the Puppet Cabaret? According to Beau Brown, the Cabaret curator, the deadline for submissions has been extended to April 14th.
The Puppet Slam Network is offering $300.00 Travel Grants (one per Slam) to help get some of your amazing works to the Cabaret. Use these forms to submit your work for the Cabaret:
Please feel free to contact Beau Brown with any questions you might have. - Mar 31, 11In preparing for our Puppet Slam Network Presentation at the Puppetry and Postdramatic Performance Conference this week, I was looking over the answers to our annual Puppet Slam Survey where we asked the question:How can a Puppet Slam Network could best help you?
Many of the slam organizers mentioned touring slam acts as a way the Puppet Slam Network could help, and I am delighted to say that we will be offering a travel grant to qualified performers who are interested in performing in the PofA Cabaret this year with the deadline extended to Friday, April 14th. Details and Submission forms can be found at the PofA website. Please contact Beau Brown at beau.brown@gmail.com with Submissions.My presentation Slamposium: The New American Vaudeville and the Puppet Slam Network will be held on Friday, April 1st at DRMU Room 228 at the University of Connecticut (Storrs). Thanks everyone for your input and well thought out answers. Please email me and let me know if you plan on attending the conference and the Puppet Slam Network presentation at puppetslam@mac.comBest, MarsianHow can a Puppet Slam Network could best help you?
Click below to read what people are saying!Keeping us in contact with other puppeteers so we can present new puppet artists at our slams in San Diego. We can also plan to travel to other regions and participate in their slams.***I want to learn how to use the network and utilize the ways it can help All the Saints Theater Company grow, and connect with other puppeteers and public puppet enthusiasts.***Want to connect to other Midwest Slams, also try to attract some of the puppeteers from both coasts to come slam with us (we’re not that far away!)***Connecting with puppetry artists and publicizing our events***It would increase interest in the slams as well as reach folks that haven’t heard about this form of short-form puppetry. Puppetry is mostly seen as a simple art form that speaks only to children, but it’s so much more! I strive to bring that fact to light here in Portland.***We appreciate being connected to a national network of puppeteers interested in performing at Romps.***A network to share acts would be of the most assistance. It would also be great to be able to share other resources (travel tips, touring ideas, banding together for additional funding from other sources)***We’re always interested in bringing acts in from the region, and always open to HPD films as well as amateur film work.***It will help to let other artists and curators hear about the work we are presenting here in LA. Conversely, it will help us to know about other artists and curators around the country, and possibly lead to presenting some of these artists in our cabaret. It will also help us in terms of national visibility.***No Answer***This could help people outside of the CalArts find out about the Puppet Cabaret.***Last year we had an audience of 20 people. This year we had over 50 people. I feel that the network helped us achieve a higher number of audience members. We had a raffle for the O’Neill at our August slam and, due to our larger house, we were able to raise $250! In part thanks to the Slam Network.***Keeping informed of other slams and artists can only help build the Slam Nation and aid in traveling from one city to another with a piece. Carole and Liz have both come from NY to do our slam, and that is something I would love to continue.***Will bring more and better artists out to perform***..I’m glad to see that the project has taken off and that it has grown so large. For the past 3 years I did not know there was a directory, and that it was such a network.***Puppet Slam Network can offer HOBT information and models on how to organize and market puppet slams. HOBT is also available as a venue for other puppet slams***Full Moon is a puppet-specific cabaret, open to all puppet artists and forms of puppetry. Being part of a network is a great way for us to meet national puppet artists. Also many regular performers at Full Moon tour and appreciate the connection with potential performing opportunities.***One of our major goals at Links Hall is to foster opportunities for work that originates here to have a life beyond it. We believe performance-based artists can best grow both their craft and their art through live performance, particularly before audiences of strangers. We were delighted that Meredith Miller, who was asked to create a new work for our toy theater festival in February, was subsequently asked to bring her work “The Abduction” to Minneapolis’ Open Eye Figure Theater’s puppet festival and to Great Small Work’s International Toy Theater Festival. She had told Links Hall’s director that prior to being asked to be part of the Links Hall festival, she hadn’t created a new work of her own in two years because she had been working so much on other artists’ works. The Puppet Slam Network would be a huge help in identifying places where new work generated here could have further life and create opportunity for artistic exchange between cities.***Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.***No Response***It would be good if worthy artists could tour from one slam to another, in a “Slam Circuit.”***To open a pathway for a ‘performer trade’ pool and insure that slams that happen in the same region have variety. Also to help other Slam Coordinators plan their dates around one another’s events, so there is little crossover.***A Puppet Slam Network could: Help us broaden our artist-base by providing a place to post our artist-invitations beyond our regional mailing lists. Help us broaden our audience-base by providing a place to post our eventannouncements beyond our regional mailing lists. Keep us informed of slams throughout the country. Create a nationwide awareness of the Puppet Slam Movement, generating heightened public interest in such events.***No Answer***To get the word out.***Getting the word out that we accept and show video shorts.***Connecting slam curators with each other. Possibly a slam curator summit!***The V4V Festival aims to support and encourage NYC artists who are making work for puppetry. For the Puppet Art Attacks Slam, we like to challenge artists (from anywhere) to create short and succinct works and hope that this exercise advances their artistic growth and maturity. We also want to excite audiences with the breathless variety of form and expression that puppetry has to offer, in one evening of fast paced theatre-- in a decidedly community based environment of mutual support and excitement. We would like to send our participating artists out to other festivals and slams with the work that they bring to our festival-and we would love to afford to bring artists from distant areas to share their work with us—but we can’t help them financially. All we can do is “trumpet” them to the best of our abilities and with the limited resources we have. If a Puppet Slam Network could raise funds to help with expenses of travel and accommodations for a few --who are selected yearly to bring their short works to the wide array of Slams now cropping up—that would benefit us-as presenters--BUT-it would also provide an incredible boost of confidence for those artists who would receive this honor. The return in this investment is more high caliber work from the selected artists in the future, and for the artists who will create work in response to the challenge to be selected for the honor. Competition ensues-but it is important to make sure it is perceived as self competition rather than competition against others. One must make her/his own best work and defeating others has nothing to add to this goal. It would be great if it could help with advertising! If it could help post information to other sites, guilds, list serves, and advertising sources that would be great!***No Response***I think that being a part of the network would attract new artists to our evenings and help raise awareness about our evenings which we hope will attract younger and emerging acts as well.***Communication is always important. It’s good to have a centralized place to learn about other slams, make sure our schedules don’t conflict, etc. It’s good to have a hub for the community.***Referring performers to us, helping to defray costs for travel, helping to support the development of quality new works***Being in Arizona, we have a limited supply of puppeteers from which to draw; it would be nice if the Network put us in touch with puppeteers who would like to come and perform as Guest Artists (or would like us to come and perform at their Slams).***The puppet slam would definitely help puppeteers in other cities know about us. In addition, our venue is in a very diverse neighborhood in Southwest Baltimore that is cut off from downtown by an expressway. The neighborhood is underserved by cultural organizations, and the theater has long provided an important service by offering performances. The Slam Series would provide valuable performance programming for the area, and increase foot traffic in the neighborhood at night. Events at Black Cherry generally draw a very socially diverse audience, helping to build community. The slam series will also help to build an audience for puppetry in Baltimore.***We would love to meet more puppeteers that could potentially tour to DC. We’d also love to know of more slams where we could tour to.***No Answer***Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.***It is exciting to feel part of a national community of puppetry experimenters. It is also useful to have our events promoted through this network, and to be notified about events happening around the country.***Linking to our website? helping us figure out whom to ask to perform at our slams (i.e., suggestions…)***We would love to connect and network with other puppeteers from outside of Asheville. This past slam we were fortunate to meet Hannah Miller and Jack Fields from Orlando, who were able to come up to Asheville with support from IBEX (Thank you!). We want to travel and perform at other puppet slams, and we want to support a community and exchange of ideas with other puppet slams around the country. Having a Puppet Slam Network can help facilitate this.***No Answer*** - Mar 28, 11Members of the Ibex family were excited to receive an invitation to a Muppets-themed group art exhibit planned by Orlando-area locals Benjamin Sawinski and Tracy Brown.
The event will be at the funky Metrowest location Achille's Art Cafe on Saturday, April 16th. Here's a taste of what to expect (by Vaughn Belak, one of the more than 13 contributing artists): - Mar 28, 11Puppet Slam Network SLAM ALERT!There are several puppet slams occurring just a few hours away from one another over the course of one week. It's great to see slam curators coordinating to create circuits like this so that performers can travel short distances to share their craft with each other as well as new audiences. Check it out:
- May 20th, 2011 Blood From A Turnip (Providence)
- May 21st, 2011 Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)
- May 25th, 2011 PUNCH (NYC)
- May 27th & 28th, 2011 Puppet Playlist (NYC)
Hey, we're so helpful, we even mapped all the theaters for you:If you are arranging, performing at, or just curious about Puppet Slams, you should sign up for the Puppet Slam Network email list. Every month you'll get an update about what Puppet Slams are happening, when, and where!If you host (or are planning to host) a Puppet Slam, you can contact PuppetSlam@Mac.com to have your event added to the Puppet Slam Network's database. To learn more about the Puppet Slam Network, go to the Puppet Slam Network homepage! - Mar 22, 11
Here is a review of the Hive Gallery talkback on "Yamasong", an IBEX Puppetry short film. The talkback featured Sam Koji Hale and composer Shoji Kameda. Enjoy!
http://graphation.com/blog/2011/03/have-puppet-will-follow/ - Apr 08, 11
We had a GREAT turnout last night for "Yamasong" @ The Hive Gallery & Studio in L.A.! Full house of mostly young artists connected with the Hive Gallery (fantastic art space!) -discussed the artist's lifestyle, conceptualizing scale and sculpture, the critical role of music in film. I even got into a little about Gaston Bachelard's "Poetics of Space" - a book I read in art school. Deep reading on art philosophy, but very inspiring stuff!
Shoji Kameda of On Ensemble, "Yamasong's" composer was great partner on the talkback - I always get excited by his energy and enthusiasm! He and I tag-teamed how we met (at a live puppet show I did called "The Fox Lantern") and the coincidental overlap in his creating a song about climbing a mountain and my deriving a fantastic journey up a mountain without him telling me that's what the song was about!
And after the talkback we sat down for a screening of "The Dark Crystal", which is always inspiring to watch! Love that film!
NEXT UP: Handmade Puppet Dreams at Newport Beach Film Festival on May 1st. Mark your calendars and come see highlights of the Handmade Puppet Dreams series! - Mar 17, 11
Graphation @ The Hive featuring "Yamasong"
Time: Thursday, March 17 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: The Hive Gallery and Studios, 729 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA
Join Sam Hale, director of the Handmade Puppet Dreams film "Yamasong", and Shoji Kameda, composer of the song that inspired the short film, plus the puppet stars and of course the film, YAMASONG. Followed by a Q&A with Sam and Shoji and one of the Jim Henson masterpieces that inspired Yamasong, The Dark Crystal.
Watch the Yamasong trailer here:
http://bit.ly/yamasongteaser
Watch the trailer for The Dark Crystal here:
http://bit.ly/darkcrystal
Hope to see you there! - Mar 11, 11
Watching the Davey Rocker Barnyard Jam show is difficult. Difficult to focus on, I mean, because the swarm of toddlers leaping about the stage will distract you with their joyful jumps and delightful dance moves. See for yourself in this video, compiled during their 2010 Orlando Puppet Festival performance at Lake Eola:
The Barnyard Jam is the collaboration of Orlando-area locals David Schweizer and a few local puppeteers/builder, including John Kennedy (no, not THAT John Kennedy--this one) and "Wavy Davy" Jordan. The bright, charming character of John Kennedy's puppets (featured in the video above) immediately set the mood for positivity and fantasy. No surprise, since Kennedy has been an official Muppeteer for years and penned two books on puppet-building. Jordan is a prop and puppet maker as well as a Nickelodeon veteran. His clever caterpillar can be seen in this clip:
Schweizer has put his considerable skills as a songwriter and performer to work to create kid-friendly music that can be enjoyed by adults, too. Known for his original pop music as well as his legendary bluegrass shows, he is also respected as a producer (he owns and manages Richter Records & Studio). TIP: If you listen closely to the catchy, upbeat songs in The Barnyard Jam's repertoire, you will recognize the voice of local folk queen Terri Binion!Bring your kids or just treat your inner child to the Davey Rocker's Barnyard Jam at the Winter Park Art Festival! It's March 19th (that's a Saturday) at 1:15 PM.Learn more at http://daveyrocker.com/index.html
by Hannah - Mar 07, 11Upon entering the Orlando Ibex office, you may notice a female figure sitting in the corner.Her head wilts forward, making her seem more a dormant spirit than an object. Despite her compacted, limbless anatomy, she is unmistakably feminine. The facial features are delicate, the torso is composed solely of exaggerated breasts, and the lower body borrows the form of a skirt. She is a creature of nature, draped in greenery,with veins beneath the translucent skin that echo a leaf's venation. The pole at her center is like the trunk of a tree, rooting into the base.This figure is one of Heather’s creations from Heart of Coal, which was in the 2008 Orlando Fringe Festival. An allegory about the destructive practice of mountaintop removal, it used shadow puppets, actors, and puppets. It was one of the first times I saw Heather’s work, and epitomized everything that is distinctive about her style: the emphasis on femininity, nature, and light. This emphasis extends to the background elements, which relate to the design of the Earth Mother’s breasts.The background’s translucency allowed them to function as shadow puppet stages, adding another layer of reality to the storytelling.A great deal of work went into the creation of these beautiful translucent pieces.Even the King’s industrial, inorganic form is given extra life by the inclusion of illuminated panels.The strength of Heart of Coal’s artistic designs was part of what drew my interest to Heather’s company in early 2008. The knowledge that I would work on similar projects excited me when I joined later that year. Though time has dulled my memories of the show’s plot and characters, I still recall the ethereal beauty of those veiny, undulating hills.Photos were taken by Billy Kid and edited by Jack Fields.To learn more about mountaintop removal, visit: http://www.ilovemountains.orgBy Jack
- Mar 07, 11"My Dear Lewis" by Kyle Loven6th Annual Orlando Puppet FestivalFriday, December 3rd, 2010Gallery at Avalon Island
The moment he ripped the hair from his own head, just a foot or two away from me in the intimate Theater at Avalon Island, the watery state of my eyes recalled me to myself. I had forgotten I had a body or a name. Placeless and weightless for the first half of the show, I was enthralled by the dark whimsy and mystery of Kyle Loven’s “My Dear Lewis”.
Kyle was brought to Orlando from his base in Seattle as part of IBEX Puppetry’s annual Orlando Puppet Festival and his low-tech, emotionally draining show was arguably the highlight of an exciting and diverse weekend of puppet-oriented theater.
It was the revelation of the main character’s heart, emerging pale and anatomically correct from its place in a locked box padded with hairs torn from the protagonists’ head, that connected me directly to the story. I ceased being an observer and found myself in Lewis-the Everyman, the Eternal Soul-as he looked back through all the lives and loves he’d experienced and struggled to find a foothold in the muddy limbo between sleep and waking, between birth and death as he hovered partially aware in the collective unconsciousness where our memories hide to preserve themselves.
“My Dear Lewis” plays with archetypical oppositions such as Heaven and Hell, mind and body, and, of course, man and woman, illustrating with extremes everything that exists between and because of extremes. Like soft muscle flexing against tough bone to create movement, memories arise from the interplay of these extremes in our lives. To stretch this idea further, Kyle’s puppetry also experiments with actor/object, fire/water, light/dark, and imagery/words. This constant attention to conflict means that, while watching “My Dear Lewis”, you cannot overlook the irresolvable clash at the center of human existence: we live to remember, we remember to forget, and ultimately… we live to die.
All of this intensity is tempered by clever visual humor and tender details. The desk atop which “My Dear Lewis” comes alive is scratched and dotted with paint. Stitches on fabric pieces are visible; so are the carving marks on the unfinished wood puppets. Lines of newspaper text are legible on the papier-mâché puppets. The hair on a child marionette is Kyle’s own.
Find out more about Kyle Loven's latest exploits at http://www.kyleloven.com/
by Hannah - Mar 07, 11
Had our Handmade Puppet Dreams screening today at Clinton Street Theater and what a great audience Portland was! Attendance was impressive!! Our Q&A went well, where I was joined by Jesse Gregg and Ashley Burke, fellow collaborators on the short film "Yamasong". Portland was an amazing experience. Thank you Katie McClenahan of Beady Little Eyes and Tears of Joy for a great event!! - Feb 21, 11
Don't forget, "Handmade Puppet Dreams" Volume 1 screens at Clinton Street Theater in Portland tomorrow (2/20) at 2 pm! Includes a special screening of "Yamasong" and a Q&A panel of the film's artists as well!
- Mar 07, 11
Michael Curry Studio HOW AMAZING! Giant parade puppets, creatures, dinosaurs, and one of the most organized and well-thought out studios I've ever been in. They embody one of my important puppet building concepts - BUILD LIGHT! They love composite materials, especially carbon-fiber, tubing, etc., lots of hoop structure, inflatables.... Brilliant stuff. The place where art and design dance together. All of this in the middle of dairy farms! If you're ever in Portland and can visit, DO IT! - Mar 07, 11
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- Jan 20, 12Thank you to everyone who submitted a 2012 Slam Survey. We received an unprecedented number of Suveys this year (over 50!) and are please to announce that we will be awarding 40 slam grants.The Puppet Slam Network (PSN) has truly goneglobal with over 60 different events spanning 3 continents, encompassing thecontiguous United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, several spots in Canada, and asfar as Copenhagen and Melbourne!Congratulations to the following 40 slams - We will be contacting you individually in the coming days with further details!Action Puppet Force #OrlandoAdult Puppet Cabaret #SanDiegoAll The SaintsTheater Company's Spaghetti Dinner! #RichmondAustin PuppetIncident #AustinBand of Puppets Fest #BrooklynBeady Little EyesPuppet Slam #Portland, ORBlood From A Turnip #ProvidenceCafé Concret #MontrealCalArts PuppetCabaret #ValenciacoLAB Arts Puppet Slam #NewBrunswickDas WunderKammer ~ Puppet Kabarett #BrooklynDolly Wiggler Cabaret #CalgaryFor the Love of Puppets Cabaret #MinneapolisFussy Cloud Puppet Slam #SeattleGreat Arizona Puppet Slam #PhoenixGreat Small Works Soirees & Spaghetti Dinners #NYCKC Puppet Slam #KansasCityKing Friday’s Dungeon #Portland, MENationalPuppet Slam #AtlantaNasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret #ChicagoPlayhouse Puppetry Slam!#Glen EchoProfessor Williker’s Puppet Slam #ArcataThe Puckin’ Fuppet Show #AtlantaPUNCH #NYCPuppet Manualfesto #PhiladelphiaPuppet Pandemic #NYCPuppet Playlist #NYCPuppet Rampage - The Slam #FtLauderdalePuppet Showplace Slam #BrooklinePuppet Slamwich #BaltimorePuppet Underground Cabarets #DCPuppetzilla #LosAngelesThe Singing Picture Show #NYCSlam Noir #MelbourneSobre la Mesa Puppet Slam & Titeretada: Noches de Cabaret #SanJuanSpork in Hand Puppet Slam #ColumbiaStrung Out #CincinnatiUConn Puppet Slam #StorrsWham Bam Puppet Slam #AshevilleWinnipeg Puppet Slam #Winnipeg
- Jan 13, 12GREAT SMALL WORKS SPAGHETTI DINNERTUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012America is Home
2012
LISTENING TO MILITARY FAMILIES AND VETSMeg McLagan and Daria Sommers, directors of the film LIONESS(http://lionessthefilm.com), about new experiences of women in combat, AND Brian Palmer, director of the film FULL DISCLOSUREwill show excerpts of their films about Iraq
Lead organizers of Veterens for Peace Direct Action Team will share images and ideas from their work followed by general discussion with the whole room.Additional performers TBA!One Arm Red10 Jay Street, 9th floorDUMBO, Brooklyn8PM$15Info: 917-319-8104 - Jan 26, 12
Our latest Directory updated in January includes basic contact information on active puppet slams. If you are an audience, find puppet slams in your area. If you are a slam curator, talk to other curators to find nearby acts that can tour. If you are a performer, use the Directory to find curators to pitch your show to.
You may download the Slam Directory as PDF or as Excell - Dec 23, 11If you are having an upcoming Puppet Slam or Cabaret, please contribute to our monthly Puppet Slam Calendar. Each month, we put out a calendar with basic information on Puppet Slams happening that month and also a brief look ahead into the year. Our calendar is sent via direct email to around 3,000 people (and growing). We also repost and retweet this information on social networks, blogs and through community distribution lists.To collect information efficiently and create accurate copy for the month, we ask that you email your Submissions generally 1 week before the month of the event. We also ask that you update future events and let us know of any changes, postponements, or cancellations as soon as possible before the Submission Deadline. All Puppet Slams who have received a slam grant are required to send in Calendar Submissions.Please email back to puppetslam@mac.com by the following dates:For Slams happening in:Submissions due no later than:January 2012Monday, December 19th, 2011February 2012Wednesday, January 25th, 2012March 2012Thursday, February 23, 2012April 2012Friday, March 23, 2012May 2012Tuesday, April 24th, 2012June 2012Friday, May 25th, 2012July 2012Friday, June 22nd, 2012August 2012Wednesday, July 25th, 2012September 2012Friday, August 24th, 2012October 2012Monday, September 24th, 2012November 2012Thursday, October 25th, 2012December 2012Monday, November 19th, 2012
- Dec 23, 11Warm up your Winter Woes and kick off the New Year with a puppet slam or cabaret! Whether you see 2012 as The End, or a new beginning, one thing is certain: The Slampocalypse will not be televised! (unless of course you know of an affordable documentary film crew with a soft spot for performing objects)New Year Slam #PhoenixFriday, January 6th at 8:00PMSaturday, January 7th at 8:00PMGreat Arizona Puppet Theater302 W. Latham StreetPhoenix, Arizona 85003(602) 262-2050Facebook: Adult Puppet Slam$8 Advance/ $10 DoorArizona's quirkiest, edgiest puppeteers come together for some raunchy fun! Independent performers do short pieces, which are usually funny and always adult! Puppet Slam nights at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater are for guests 18+.Puppet Slamwich #BaltimoreSaturday, January 14th at 7:00PM & 9:30PMBlack Cherry Puppet Theater1115 Hollins StreetBaltimore, MD 21223410-752-7272$7Pepito the Clown hosts performers from New Jersey, Brooklyn and Baltimore, including marionettes by Princeton Puppet People, worm songs by Laure Drogoul, a preview of Black Cherry’s new show, and captivating performances by Eric Avery & the Ragdoll Engine Collective.The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam #SeattleSaturday January 14th at 8:00PMTheater Off Jackson (Upstairs Gallery)409 7th Ave SSeattle, WA 98104(206) 340-1049$10Dreary as it is during Seattle's long Winter, we're drumming up a second edition of The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam. Gavin Cummins and Rachel Jackson return along with Elizabeth Westermann, Jenelle Weidlich, Beau Bond, and more!Blood from a Turnip #ProvidenceFriday, January 20th at 10:00PM95 Empire Performance Collective95 Empire StreetProvidence, RI 02903(401) 831-9327$7Since the day Blood from a Turnip began in February of 1997, BfaT, as the salon is affectionately called, has offered professional puppeteers and those new to the art form an opportunity to present big stories, in miniature.Puppet Showplace #BrooklineSaturday January 21st at 8:00PMPuppet Showplace Theatre32 Station StreetBrookline, MA 02445(617) 731-6400www.puppetshowplace.org/slamIt’s never too cold for puppets! January’s Puppet Slam features live music and a new gender-bending puppet performance by Elephant Tango Ensemble, the magnificent Liz Joyce, and more!UConn Puppet Slam #StorrsSaturday, January 21st at 8:00PMStudio Theater, University of Connecticut Department of Dramatic Arts802 Bolton RoadStorrs, Connecticut 06269-1127(860) 486-4025FreeSee exciting and innovative works for puppets and objects by professional puppeteers from the Northeast, as well as new productions by students from UConn’s Puppet Arts ProgramPuppet Playlist #NYCMonday, January 23rd at 8:00PMTuesday, January 24th at 7:30PM & 9:30PMNew York’s only all-original puppet slam returns. This month’s theme, by popular demand: The Beach Boys, featuring brand-new works of puppetry & musical interpretations by some of New York’s most exciting singer-songwriters!
- Dec 23, 11GREAT SMALL WORKS SPAGHETTI DINNEROccupy The New Year!Friday, December 30, 2011, 8pmJudson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, NYC$15 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds)info: 917-319-8104featuring...LEGS ON 'OLIDAYLittle Did Productionsdirector/lead puppet designer & builder: Jessica Lorenceperformers/builders/designers: Emily Norton, Luke Santy, Sarah WhalenLITTLE ORPHAN GENDER REVOLUTIONARY ANNIEa toy theater video by Dr. Kate Sorensen, Niknaz Tavakolian, & Killer SideburnsTHROUGH THE HEADLIGHTSprojections, music, and dance from Montreal by Zuzu Knew (Design), Julia Thomas (Choreography) & Tyr Jami (Sound), and...SYNGJATyr Jami, manipulated cello, samples, voice & Zuzu Knew, layered overhead projections, re-interpreted traditional Icelandic folk songs, psychedelic-pop and recordings of the sister team's Icelandic great-grandmother, with analogue projectionsOCCUPY THE HOLIDAYSthe Occupy Wall Street Puppetry Guild with a holiday tale featuring Mayor Michael Bloomscrooge and the ghosts of Occupations Past, Present, and Future performed by members of OWS Arts & CultureWOLLESONIC MEETS WOLLESCENIClight & sound installation by Kenny Wolleson & friendsand...BALKAN BOOGALOOmusic for dancing by Jessica Lurie and friends!
- Dec 23, 11At this point, most people are probably familiar with the Occupy movement. It started in September with Occupy Wall Street in New York City and has spread to hundreds of cities throughout the world. Arts and Culture committees are common in many of the occupation sites with art projects helping to build community, beautify spaces, enliven actions, and illustrate hopes and visions. And now PSN's favorite artform is also starting to make a regular appearance: puppets are increasingly joining the movement!In this blog post I will be focusing on just one puppetry project, a cabaret, organized by Puppet Underground for Occupy K Street in Washington, DC. But puppetry is starting to blossom in other occupations, perhaps most notably in New York City with the Occupy Wall Street Puppetry Guild who formed in October and helped organize the Occupy Halloween parade. The Puppet Underground cabaret, “Occupy Kabaret Street”, was organized in coordination with local organizers and activists to support an action—the occupation of a vacant building—planned for November.
The Context:
On November 19th, DC activists identying themselves as Free Franklin occupied the Franklin School building, a publicly owned building in downtown DC that has been vacant for years. From 2002-2008 it housed a homeless shelter but that was shuttered as part of the trend in the last decade to cut homeless services and push shelters to remote areas on the fringes of the city.
Enter the Activists:
With national attention focused on the concerns highlighted by the Occupy camps, local activists and organizers decided to draw some of that attention toward the local issue of how public property is regularly misused and sold to private developers while there continues to be a severe shortage of affordable housing and homeless services. In recent years the city government has been trying to sell off the Franklin School building to private developers (one proposal was to turn it into a boutique hotel). It was an occupation in 2002 that originally pushed the city to open Franklin as a homeless shelter, so it seemed appropriate that another occupation would serve to highlight the potential public uses of the space.The Cabaret:
The goals of the cabaret were layered: to introduce new people to Occupy K Street, to educate Occupy K Street activists about social movement history in the area, to creatively provide the story (and local significance) of the Franklin School building, and to provide witnesses to its occupation. (Up until the end of the cabaret, no one had any idea the school had been re-occupied.)
The cabaret was organized like a walking tour: sites related to social movement history were chosen and the shows were set up at each of those sites. Musicians played while the audience was led from one site to the next and activists presented the history of the site at each new location. The final location was in front of the Franklin School and hosted a show about the history of the building. At a dramatically timed moment toward the end of the show, a forty foot banner reading “Public Property Under Community Control” dropped from Franklin’s roof and the show ended with the announcement that Franklin was now occupied. A statement from the occupiers was read and an after-party commenced with pie-eating (OccuPie!) and music to support the activists inside the building.
The Performances:
The Bread and Puppet Theater performed two short shows. Local puppet group The Shadow Senators offered a tribute to Joe Hill. Music was provided by rock band Ugly Purple Sweater and Mexican folk music band Son Cosita Seria. Poetry was read by Zein ElAmine and a monologue was performed by political performance artist Quique Aviles. Puppet Underground ended the cabaret with the show about the history of Franklin School.Follow Up:
The Franklin School building occupation garnered significant local and national press attention (with several international stories published about it as well). It successfully put the issue of the loss of public property and cuts to homeless services back in the spotlight. Two days after the action a community meeting was held to discuss publicly what longtime community members would want to see happen with the Franklin building. Currently activists and artists are continuing to plan how to use their momentum to support affordable housing campaigns, to broaden public engagement in the issues, and to follow up with communities about their ideas for reclaiming and repurposing their vacant public property.
Links:
PBS News Hour’s interactive tour of the cabaret (capturing pictures, video, sounds and stories from the route):
http://to.pbs.org/sf3D8i
Video of the banner drop and Free Franklin’s statement:
http://freefranklindc.blogspot.com/
Huffington Post article describing the arrests of the activists:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/20/free-franklin-police-raid-protesters-arrested_n_1103509.html - Dec 23, 11
Find a slam in your area coming up in 2011 and 2012 or use this list to help plan a slam tour. Please visit www.PuppetSlam.com for Calendar Archives and www.Facebook.com/PuppetSlamNetwork for late breaking updates.(Calendar snapshot as of September 4th, 2011)
OCTOBER 2011
7th, 8th, 9th - Sobre La Mesa Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)
8th - The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)
9th - Playhouse Puppetry Slam! (Glen Echo, MD)
14th, 15th, 16th - Sobre La Mesa Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)
15th - Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)
17th - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
20th, 21st. 22nd, 23rd – Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
21st – Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
28th & 29th - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)
29th - Puppet Rampage – The Slam (Fourt Lauderdale)
TBA - Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
TBA – Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington, DC)
KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO), Mike Horner, Spencer Lott, 2011. Photo courtesy of Paul Mesner Puppets2nd - Puppet Rampage – The Slam (Fourt Lauderdale)
NOVEMBER 2011
5th - Puppet Pandemic (New York City, NY)
8th - 11th - Band of Puppets Fest (Brooklyn, NY)
11th – Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)
12th – Action Puppet Force (Orlando, FL)
12th – Slam Noir Puppet Slam (Melbourne, Victoria - Australia)
18th – Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
18th & 19th – KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
19th - King Friday's Dungeon (Portland, ME)
26th - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)
TBA - PUNCH (NYC)
TBA - Adult Puppet Cabaret (San Diego)
DECEMBER 2011
2nd & 3rd - Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)
5th – Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)
5th – Strung Out Puppet Cabaret: Holyday Slambourri (Cincinnati, OH)
9th & 10th – Austin Puppet Incident (Austin, TX)
16th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
16th & 17th - KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
18th - Puppet Art Attacks Slam (NYC)
28th - Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)
31st - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)
TBA – CalArts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)
TBA - Puppet Parlor (NYC)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - PUNCH (NYC)
TBA - Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner (NYC)
TBA – All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)6th & 7th - Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)
JANUARY 2012
14th - Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)
20th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
21st - Puppet Showplace (Brookline, MA)
28th - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)
TBA - Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)
TBA – UConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, Connecticut)
TBA - Professor Willikers Puppet Slam (Arcata, CA)
TBA – Jan/Feb - The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)FEBRUARY 2012
11th - For the Love of Puppets Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)
16th – Puppet Pot Pie (Hartford, CT)
17th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
24th & 25th – KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
25th - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)
TBA - Puppetzilla Slam (Los Angeles, CA)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)
TBA (Feb/Mar) - Playhouse Puppetry Slam! (Glen Echo, MD)2nd & 3rd - Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)
MARCH 2012
8th, 9th - Dolly Wiggler Cabaret (Calgary, AB)
16th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
17th - Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)
21st - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn, NY)
22nd, 23rd, 24th, - Titeretada: Noches de Cabaret Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)
TBA - Slam Noir Puppet Slam (Melbourne, Victoria – Australia)
TBA – Bobbindoctrin’s Puppet Slam (Houston, TX)
APRIL 2012
13th & 14th - KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
14th - Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)
20th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
28th - Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn, NY)
TBA – King Friday's Dungeon (Portland, ME)
TBA – Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
TBA – All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)
TBA - Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington, DC)
TBA - The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)
4th & 5th - Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)
MAY 2012
18th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
18th & 19th - KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
TBA – Sobre La Mesa Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)
TBA - CalArts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)
TBA May/June - Strung Out Puppet Cabaret (Cincinnati, Ohio)JUNE 2012
2nd - Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)
15th - Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)
TBA – All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)
TBA - KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - The Singing Picture Show (New York City)JULY 2012
13th - CoLAB Arts Puppet Slam (New Brunswick, NJ)
21st - Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)
TBA - KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)
TBA - Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)
TBA - The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)
AUGUST 2012
TBA – Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
SEPTEMBER 2012
TBA – All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)
TBA - UConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, Connecticut)
TBA - Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)
OCTOBER 2012
6th - Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)
TBA – Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
TBA - Sobre La Mesa Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)
TBA - Puppetzilla Slam (Los Angeles, CA)NOVEMBER 2012
TBA – King Friday's Dungeon (Portland, ME)
TBA - Slam Noir Puppet Slam (Melbourne, Victoria - Australia)
TBA (Oct/Nov) - The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)DECEMBER 2012
1st - Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)
TBA - Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)
TBA - Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)
The Puppet Slam Network aims to catalogue, connect, support, and raise awareness for the growing field of independently produced puppet slams, so artists know where they can perform, venues can find artists, and audiences can be entertained.
- Sep 08, 11
Connect with a Puppet Slam online or in your area of the world! Choose from the 55 Puppet Slams we are now following and find out more in the Slam Profiles section of our website, www.PuppetSlam.com.
* * *The 24-Hour Puppet Show Challenge (Atlanta)What makes the 24-Hour-Puppet Show Challenge so unique is this: all artists will be given one day’s notice of each slam’s theme, as well as cash to create their puppet. 24 hours later, Atlanta’s best puppeteers will perform skits, all on one theme, using their own (very recent) creations.* * *
Action Puppet Force (Orlando, FL)Action Puppet Force is an adult puppet slam curated and hosted by the members of the Central Florida Puppet Guild. Action Puppet Force… enforcing a good time for all!* * *
Adult Puppet Cabaret (San Diego)The APC is actively fostering artistic development of new short works of adult puppetry. Puppet making, audience participation, heckling, cheering, and even dancing is encouraged as well as audience performance with our Puppet-e-Oke musical interludes. Our future goal is to invite more local audience to attend and more out-of-town puppeteers to perform at APC.* * *
All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)Our Spaghetti Dinners act dually as a grassroots artists cabaret of puppetry, vaudeville, and good old cardboard enthusiasm while feeding the community all at a sliding scale rate. Eccentric, delicious, and the ultimate go-to for RIchmond’s experimental performance scene. All the Saints Theater Company began hosting these dinners to offer a radical gathering place for garlic, bread, community and puppet shows* * *
Austin Puppet Incident (Austin, TX)The Austin Puppet Incident is a joint creation of Glass Half Full Theatre and Trouble Puppet Theatre Company to highlight short works of puppetry for adults. We encourage artists to participate in our reciprocal model, in which artists work with and for each other in a variety of pieces. We welcome local performers as well as visiting artists.* * *
Band of Puppets Fest (Brooklyn, NY)Band of Puppets Fest is an annual series featuring new work from selected puppetry artists working within a musical theme. Our festival this December 2011 will focus on the music of Michael Jackson. We challenge our artists to incorporate video into their performances, with the goal of uniting the aural landscape of music with the visual expression of puppetry.* * *
Beady Little Eyes Puppet Slam (Portland, OR)These Pacific NW slams are a combination of live shows by a talented gaggle of local puppeteers and puppet short films from around the country. Frequently hosted by a 7-foot-tall amphibian, Mr. Toad, these slams have become a popular way for Portlanders to drink good beer, be entertained by talented performers and be a part of something unique.* * *
Blood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)Blood from a Turnip is a puppet salon that offers professional puppeteers and those new to the art form an opportunity to present big stories, in miniature. Co-curated and hosted by Vanessa Gilbert,David Higgins, and Boston-based video ventriloquist Evan O’Television, BfaT continues to redefine itself, but refuses to grow up.http://www.perishable.org/index.php/bfat
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Blood-from-a-Turnip/162776430470017* * *
Bobbindoctrin’s Puppet Slam (Houston, TX)In our ongoing effort to introduce artists and audiences alike to the most daring contemporary puppetry for adults, Bobbindoctrin is proud to present its Seventh Annual Puppet Festival! This year, Bobbindoctrin company members and local artists will present new live works of puppetry, along with short films from national and international puppetry artists, distributed by Heather Henson’s Handmade Puppet Dreamshttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Bobbindoctrins-Annual-Puppet-Festival-aka-Slam/258089080879084
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Cabaret Automata (Los Angeles, CA)Automata presents a dazzling array of short experimental object performances, puppet shows, music, and films, reflecting a vital community of Los Angeles artists: highly original, low-tech, and adventurous.* * *
Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)Café Concret is a soirée of experimental puppetry, object theatre, and other media accompanied by a serving of food and live music in Montreal. In a city with a vibrant puppetry community, Café Concret is the only informal (and bilingual) event for short-form performance presented by a mix of emerging and established artists, often presenting works-in-progress in an interdisciplinary context* * *
CalArts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)CalArts Puppet Cabaret is a biannual, interdisciplinary event curated by students from the Cotsen Center for Puppetry and the Arts. Small in number but large in talent and creativity, we puppetry students use puppetry as a means for bringing CalArts students from all disciplines together to share puppet experiments and animation sequences outside of class in a casual, fun atmosphere.
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CoLAB Arts Puppet Slam (New Brunswick, NJ)If you’re interested in irreverence, ridiculousness, and theatrical whimsy, the CoLAB puppet slam is for you. Collaborative Arts’ mission is to cultivate a community that is empowered to create inspired and inspiring art. The partnership between CoLAB and Mary Gragen Rogers has resulted in a dynamic slam that assists puppeteers in developing new work and thrills audiences throughout New Jersey.* * *
Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)Welcome to the New Weimar Era, and “Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett”, where we celebrate the collapse of the empire, one puppet-act at a time.Das WunderKammer ~ Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn, NY) Basil Twist, 2011 Photo: Lexi Karafelis
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Dolly Wiggler Cabaret (Calgary, Alberta - Canada)It’s wild, it’s weird, and it’s always entertaining. The Dolly Wiggler Cabaret features short bits of brilliance from local, national and international animated object artists. Adults only.* * *The Downstairs Puppet Cabaret is described as unusual, surprising, magical and entertaining. (Note: Please let us know if you have a contact there as they have just appeared on our RADAR)
The Downstairs Puppet Cabaret (Copenhagen, Denmark)http://thedownstairspuppetcabaret.blogspot.com/
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fthedownstairspuppetcabaret.blogspot.com%2F* * *
Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)Feed the Birds is a reoccurring multidisciplinary puppetry & performing objects cabaret in Toronto, Canada. With a focus on new works that aim to take artistic risks, we subscribe to the “cheap art” school of thought, and believe that no act is too small or absurd for our stage. Free grilled cheese with the show!* * *
For the Love of Puppets Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...When talented artists gather together to share their love - in this case, puppets - in a cabaret of short performances, you will be thrilled, touched, and thoroughly entertained. With all this (unconventional) love in the air, the scene will be set to woo your valentine as you never have before.* * *
Full Moon Cabaret (Minneapolis)Blurring the line between audience and spectacle, The Full Moon Puppet Show provides puppeteers a space to develop experimental work and mentors emerging performers in their exploration of the puppetry arts.* * *
The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)Fussy Cloud aims to be an ongoing series of quality puppet shows for grownups featuring a selection of short works by puppeteers from the greater Seattle area (and beyond!). We hope to be quirky, edgy, hilarious, heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, beautiful, disturbing, profound, and profane. We intend to use Fussy Cloud to promote and support the puppetry community in the Pacific Northwest.* * *
Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)Puppeteers from near and afar team up for an evening of weird, funny, offbeat and irreverent puppetry. You must be 18+ to attend.* * *
Great Small Works Soiree (Brooklyn, NY)A newly-initiated monthly series of informal showings of works in progress. Primarily for artists working in the interdisciplinary medium of puppetry, the Soirees also welcome artists in other mediums who wish to get feedback from our puppeteer/visual artist community. Artists of many ages and levels of experience show and respond to work, in conversations facilitated by Great Small Works.* * *
Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner (NYC)Spaghetti Dinners are thematic evenings presented in cabaret format, offering plates of home-made spaghetti and a healthy roster of puppetry and live music. Semi-nomadic, each is a unique, one-time-only event and designed to the scale of the venue, from grand spectacle in Judson Church’s vast sanctuary to intimate miniature work at One Arm Red’s 99-seat theater.* * *
Indie Grits Puppet Slam (Columbia, SC)As part of the Indie Grits Festival, our puppet slam will celebrate Southern puppetry that is off the beaten path. Since its inception six years ago, the festival has been growing every year, expanding to include not just independently produced Southern films, but also an indie craft fair, local bands, and a slow food event featuring local chefs* * *
KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)KC Puppet Slam is quirky, edgy, and oh-so-naughty…you’ve never seen a puppet show like this before!* * *
King Friday's Dungeon (Portland, ME)King Friday, post-monarch, deposed and living in squalor beneath an old vaudeville house hath requestedeth new puppet works and puppet works-in-progress for an impromptu, after-hours, puppet-roadhouse show. Pieces shall be edgy, bawdy, humorous, elegant, or bizarre. Object theater, canastoria, and ventriloquism are likely candidates too. Come romp through the netherrealms of puppet and object theater with K.F. Adults only please.* * *
Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)Curated by puppet artists Julia Miller and Jessica Simon, Nasty Brutish & Short invites performers to create new work and risk sharing it with an audience for the first time. Puppet artists across all puppet forms present new shorts three times a year at Links Hall. All ticket sales are split among the performers.
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The National Puppet Slam (Atlanta, GA / Multi-City)The National Puppet Slam showcases the best slam pieces from across the country at the National Puppetry Festival. The pieces are nominated by the individual slams in the Puppet Slam Network. This evening is a showcase of the beauty, ingenuity, and hilarity of Puppet Slams, not for regular audiences, but us, the Puppeteers of America.
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Pinocchio’s Puppet Slam (Altamonte Springs, FL)Pinocchio’s Slam takes place in a beautifully realized 18th century string marionette theater, and patterns itself on the traditional puppetry salons and cabarets of Europe, England, and Ireland. We hope it will help Pinocchio’s in its overall goal of becoming an artistic and intellectual hub for puppetry in Central Florida, drawing on the theater’s staff and Orlando artists.* * *
Playhouse Puppetry Slam! (Glen Echo, MD)The Puppet Co. Playhouse presents another Puppetry Playhouse Slam!, a showcase of short puppetry vignettes. Starring puppeteers from up and down the East Coast. Audiences will experience puppeteers performing edgy and provocative works that won't be seen in mainstream venues. Content ranges from the raunchy and risqué to the tender and tear-jerking of both rough and polished acts.* * *
Professor Willikers Puppet Slam (Arcata, CA)Hosted by Professor Willikers, the indestructible puppet, and featuring a variety of puppet artists, this slam event is in a cabaret format with live music. The 2012 event will feature puppeteers from San Francisco, , Calgary, and Portland as well as an array of local puppeteers.* * *
The Puckin’ Fuppet Show Atlanta, GA)The Puckin’ Fuppet Show is a night of uncensored puppetry drawing on the vast pool of puppeteer talent in Atlanta GA, as well as a welcoming atmosphere for newcomers to puppetry. Cash prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place as voted on by the audience.* * *
PUNCH (NYC)PUNCH - NYC’s most consistent puppet slam, roams the city from venue to venue bringing you the widest array of short puppet theater pieces and theater spaces in the city! We are so excited about this and we hope you’ll join us for a great night of puppet mayhem, curated by Drama of Works!* * *
Puppet Art Attacks Slam (NYC)The V4V Puppet Festival seeks short works of genius for its Puppet Art Attacks Slam. Short works should be between three to eight minutes. We seek short, condensed works for puppetry that are: brilliant, witty, tragic, funny, stunning, startling, ironic, exotic, political, lyrical, musical, beautiful, intellectual, experimental, wild, but always demonstrates genius in a matter of minutes!http://www.voice4vision.org/#!__puppet-art-attacks-slam
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Puppet-Art-Attacks-Slam/247106848646284
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Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)Puppet Manualfesto celebrates short-form puppetry, community and food, embracing a multitude of performance aesthetics. If it involves puppetry, mask work or object theatre we want to see and share it with everyone else. Pay-what-you-can for dinner, stay for the show. A night filled with 2 to 10 minute gems of live puppetry, short film screenings between set-ups and dinner beforehand.* * *
Puppet Meltdown (Chicago, IL)Sea Beast Puppet Company is proud to present Puppet Meltdown, one of the newest slams in the Chicago puppetry scene. Founded in 2011 the Puppet Meltdown makes its primary home at Gorilla Tango Theatre but stumbles around the city bringing puppetry to the fleece-hungry masses desperate to satisfy that rumbling in their tummies for the unusual and unexpected.* * *
Puppet Pandemic (New York City, NY)This showcase of works developed at the National Puppetry Conference, explores the infectious nature of puppets. Watch as artists redefine conventional notions of puppetry. From marionettes to Papier mache mayhem, puppeteers breed new strains of creativity. All profits from these performances will fund an Alumni Scholarship to attend the Eugene O'Neill National Puppetry Conference. Spread the Puppet Pandemic!* * *
Puppet Parlor (NYC)Join the Dream Music Puppetry Program’s feisty showcase of tidbits, characters and shorts from the pinnacles of the puppet community.* * *
Puppet Playlist (NYC)Puppet Playlist is a bi-monthly slam in Manhattan. For each Playlist, a musician is chosen (e.g. Tom Waits, David Bowie) and puppeteers create new pieces inspired by that person’s work. Between acts, musicians play interpretations of songs by the chosen artist. This mix of puppetry and music attracts a wide audience, many of whom have never attended a puppet slam.* * *
Puppet Pot Pie (Hartford, CT)Puppet Pot Pie, brings short form puppetry to the masses, creating another venue for puppet performers in the North East Corridor while introducing short form puppetry to the Hartford audience.* * *
Puppet Rampage – The SlamSouth Florida’s Puppet Rampage explodes bi-annually in an uncensored blitzkrieg of puppet mayhem. While professional and novice puppeteers lob surrealism and satire, THE RAMPAGE gives special consideration to Sideshow Freaks, Burning Man Creatives and Asylum Escapees looking to perform.* * *
Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)The Puppet Showplace Slam is a much-loved Boston tradition that brings together amateurs, professionals, and emerging artists from across the region to showcase the finest in short-form puppetry arts. We aim to present a variety of puppetry styles and feature work that ranges from thought-provoking to mind-blowing.* * *
Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)Puppet Slamwich at Black Cherry Puppet Theater celebrates puppetry for adult audiences in all of its forms, from traditional to experimental, as well as related genres, such as vaudeville, cabaret, toy and object theater. Puppet Sandwich hopes to introduce audiences to a broad array of puppetry, welcoming emerging and established artists from the Mid-Atlantic Region and beyond.* * *
Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington, DC)Puppet Underground cabarets bring together local and touring artists for fun, community-building evenings of puppetry and performance. Our cabarets are usually politically relevant and we try to link our puppetry with local grassroots organizing efforts.* * *
Puppetzilla Slam (Los Angeles, CA)The LAGuild of Puppetry has hosted annual evenings of short shows as part of our Holiday Party. This year we are planning an Anti-Valentine’s Day Puppet Slam in February and another Halloween-themed one in October.* * *
The Singing Picture Show (New York City)Banners & Cranks’ The Singing Picture Show is committed to presenting and promoting cantastoria as a contemporary puppet practice mixing music, object theater and traditional forms of picture performance. We seek to present the widest variety of puppetry that incorporates cantastoria traditions remaking them and transforming them into puppetry that sings its stories.* * *
Slam Noir Puppet Slam (Melbourne, Victoria - Australia)Lit only by torchlight (flashlights, not flames!) and held at a local funky laneway café, new and inspired puppet pieces are created according to different slam themes, popping up anywhere in the café space. Interactive audiences shine their torches to help light the piece. Curated by Lana Schwarcz and Nancy Black, and supported by UNIMA and St Ali.* * *
Slamdango! (Mobile, AL)Slamdango! is an evening of puppeteers throughout the Gulf Coast gathering to present new, short-form puppet and object theatre to an adult audience. In addition to providing a forum for puppeteers, we hope that it will reignite an audience interest and appreciation for puppetry geared toward adults.* * *
Sobre La Mesa Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)The puppeteers are presented with an identical object that is the point of departure for the creation of a five minute piece that is presented on a tv dinner table inside a labyrinth of small spaces each of which fits one puppeteer and 6 members of the public. The public rotate and the puppeteers repeat.* * *
Strung Out Puppet Cabaret (Cincinnati, Ohio)Madcap Puppets hosts a series of cabaret style puppet slams in Cincinnati to create a supportive environment for provocative short form puppet performances and films.* * *
Titeretada: Noches de Cabaret Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)Noches de Cabaret are presentations (generally 2 or 3 nights) of adult puppet short pieces within the Titeretada, our yearly celebration of World Puppetry Day. Individuals and groups are invited to create 5-8 minutes pieces; experimentation is encouraged and audience response is overwhelming. These cabaret nights have forged a path for adult puppetry here in Puerto Rico.
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UConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, Connecticut)UConn Puppet Slams bring together working puppeteers from New England and New York with students from UConn’s famed Puppet Arts Program and other disciplines to present new and compelling puppet works. These performances take place in UConn’s School of Fine Arts Studio Theater and are free and open to the public.* * *
Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)This is a night of short form puppetry for adults, and promises to be a fun time had by all. We are very excited about the opportunity to share such a fun and transcendent art form with Asheville. Puppetry is not just for kids, it can be moving, hilarious, risque, heart breaking, taboo, thought provoking, and sincere to any audience.* * *
Winnipeg Puppet Slam (Winnipeg, MB)In the icy and isolated city of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Puppet Slam showcases innovative, eclectic and original short works of adult puppetry. The content can be political, philosophical, raunchy or just plain silly but we always guarantee audiences something they have never seen before. - Sep 05, 11
In preparing for our Puppet Slam Network Presentation at the Puppetry and Postdramatic Performance Conference we gathered together responses to our 2011 Survey Question: How can a Puppet Slam Network could best help you?***Keeping us in contact with other puppeteers so we can present new puppet artists at our slams in San Diego. We can also plan to travel to other regions and participate in their slams.- Adult Puppet Cabaret, Animal Cracker Conspiracy (San Diego, CA)***I want to learn how to use the network and utilize the ways it can help All the Saints Theater Company grow, and connect with other puppeteers and public puppet enthusiasts.- All the Saints Theatre Company Spaghetti Dinner (Richmond, VA)***Want to connect to other Midwest Slams, also try to attract some of the puppeteers from both coasts to come slam with us (we’re not that far away!- Austin Puppet Incident (Austin, TX)***Connecting with puppetry artists and publicizing our events- Band of Puppets Fest (Brooklyn, NY)***It would increase interest in the slams as well as reach folks that haven’t heard about this form of short-form puppetry. Puppetry is mostly seen as a simple art form that speaks only to children, but it’s so much more! I strive to bring that fact to light here in Portland.- Beady Little Eyes Puppet Slam (Portland, OR)***We appreciate being connected to a national network of puppeteers interested in performing at Romps.- Bedlam / Barebones Romp (Minneapolis, MN)***A network to share acts would be of the most assistance. It would also be great to be able to share other resources (travel tips, touring ideas, banding together for additional funding from other sources)- Blood From A Turnip (Providence, RI)***We’re always interested in bringing acts in from the region, and always open to HPD films as well as amateur film work.-Bobbindoctrin’s Annual Puppet Festival (Houston, TX)***It will help to let other artists and curators hear about the work we are presenting here in LA. Conversely, it will help us to know about other artists and curators around the country, and possibly lead to presenting some of these artists in our cabaret. It will also help us in terms of national visibility.- Cabaret Automata (Los Angeles, CA)***No Answer- Café Concret (Montreal, QB)***This could help people outside of the CalArts find out about the Puppet Cabaret.- Calarts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)***Last year we had an audience of 20 people. This year we had over 50 people. I feel that the network helped us achieve a higher number of audience members. We had a raffle for the O’Neill at our August slam and, due to our larger house, we were able to raise $250! In part thanks to the Slam Network.- CoLAB Arts Puppet Slam (New Brunswick, NJ)***Keeping informed of other slams and artists can only help build the Slam Nation and aid in traveling from one city to another with a piece. Carole and Liz have both come from NY to do our slam, and that is something I would love to continue.- Dad's Garage Puppet Slam (Atlanta, GA***Will bring more and better artists out to perform- Dolly Wiggler Cabaret (Calgary, AB)***..I’m glad to see that the project has taken off and that it has grown so large. For the past 3 years I did not know there was a directory, and that it was such a network.- Flock Theatre Puppet Slam (New London, CT***Puppet Slam Network can offer HOBT information and models on how to organize and market puppet slams. HOBT is also available as a venue for other puppet slams- For the Love of Puppets Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)***Full Moon is a puppet-specific cabaret, open to all puppet artists and forms of puppetry. Being part of a network is a great way for us to meet national puppet artists. Also many regular performers at Full Moon tour and appreciate the connection with potential performing opportunities.- Full Moon Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)***One of our major goals at Links Hall is to foster opportunities for work that originates here to have a life beyond it. We believe performance-based artists can best grow both their craft and their art through live performance, particularly before audiences of strangers. We were delighted that Meredith Miller, who was asked to create a new work for our toy theater festival in February, was subsequently asked to bring her work “The Abduction” to Minneapolis’ Open Eye Figure Theater’s puppet festival and to Great Small Work’s International Toy Theater Festival. She had told Links Hall’s director that prior to being asked to be part of the Links Hall festival, she hadn’t created a new work of her own in two years because she had been working so much on other artists’ works. The Puppet Slam Network would be a huge help in identifying places where new work generated here could have further life and create opportunity for artistic exchange between cities.- Nasty, Brutish & Short Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)***Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.- Noches de cabaret (San Juan, PR)***No Response- One Night Slam (Toronto, ON)***It would be good if worthy artists could tour from one slam to another, in a “Slam Circuit.”- Pinocchio’s Puppet Slam (Altamonte Springs, FL)***To open a pathway for a ‘performer trade’ pool and insure that slams that happen in the same region have variety. Also to help other Slam Coordinators plan their dates around one another’s events, so there is little crossover.- The Playhouse Puppetry Slam (Glen Echo, MD)***A Puppet Slam Network could: Help us broaden our artist-base by providing a place to post our artist-invitations beyond our regional mailing lists. Help us broaden our audience-base by providing a place to post our eventannouncements beyond our regional mailing lists. Keep us informed of slams throughout the country. Create a nationwide awareness of the Puppet Slam Movement, generating heightened public interest in such events.- PLOPSLAM! Series (Olympia, WA)***No Answer- PofA Puppet Cabaret (Atlanta, GA)***To get the word out.- Possibilitarian Puppet Theater Cabaret (Cleveland, OH)***Getting the word out that we accept and show video shorts.- The Puckin’ Fuppet Show (Atlanta, GA)***Connecting slam curators with each other. Possibly a slam curator summit!- PUNCH (NYC)***The V4V Festival aims to support and encourage NYC artists who are making work for puppetry. For the Puppet Art Attacks Slam, we like to challenge artists (from anywhere) to create short and succinct works and hope that this exercise advances their artistic growth and maturity. We also want to excite audiences with the breathless variety of form and expression that puppetry has to offer, in one evening of fast paced theatre-- in a decidedly community based environment of mutual support and excitement. We would like to send our participating artists out to other festivals and slams with the work that they bring to our festival-and we would love to afford to bring artists from distant areas to share their work with us—but we can’t help them financially. All we can do is “trumpet” them to the best of our abilities and with the limited resources we have. If a Puppet Slam Network could raise funds to help with expenses of travel and accommodations for a few --who are selected yearly to bring their short works to the wide array of Slams now cropping up—that would benefit us-as presenters--BUT-it would also provide an incredible boost of confidence for those artists who would receive this honor. The return in this investment is more high caliber work from the selected artists in the future, and for the artists who will create work in response to the challenge to be selected for the honor. Competition ensues-but it is important to make sure it is perceived as self competition rather than competition against others. One must make her/his own best work and defeating others has nothing to add to this goal. It would be great if it could help with advertising! If it could help post information to other sites, guilds, list serves, and advertising sources that would be great!- Puppet Art Attacks Slam (NYC)***No Response- Puppet Meltdown (Chicago, IL)***I think that being a part of the network would attract new artists to our evenings and help raise awareness about our evenings which we hope will attract younger and emerging acts as well.- Puppet Parlor (NYC)***Communication is always important. It’s good to have a centralized place to learn about other slams, make sure our schedules don’t conflict, etc. It’s good to have a hub for the community.- Puppet Playlist (NYC)***Referring performers to us, helping to defray costs for travel, helping to support the development of quality new works- Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)***Being in Arizona, we have a limited supply of puppeteers from which to draw; it would be nice if the Network put us in touch with puppeteers who would like to come and perform as Guest Artists (or would like us to come and perform at their Slams).- Puppet Slam - Great Arizona Puppet Theatre (Phoenix, AZ)***The puppet slam would definitely help puppeteers in other cities know about us. In addition, our venue is in a very diverse neighborhood in Southwest Baltimore that is cut off from downtown by an expressway. The neighborhood is underserved by cultural organizations, and the theater has long provided an important service by offering performances. The Slam Series would provide valuable performance programming for the area, and increase foot traffic in the neighborhood at night. Events at Black Cherry generally draw a very socially diverse audience, helping to build community. The slam series will also help to build an audience for puppetry in Baltimore.- Puppet Slamwich (Baltimore, MD)***We would love to meet more puppeteers that could potentially tour to DC. We’d also love to know of more slams where we could tour to.- Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington D.C.)***No Answer- Puppet Uprising (Philadelphia, PA)***Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.- Sobre la mesa (San Jaun, PR)***It is exciting to feel part of a national community of puppetry experimenters. It is also useful to have our events promoted through this network, and to be notified about events happening around the country.- Spaghetti Dinners – Great Small Works (NYC)***Linking to our website? helping us figure out whom to ask to perform at our slams (i.e., suggestions…)- UConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, CT)***We would love to connect and network with other puppeteers from outside of Asheville. This past slam we were fortunate to meet Hannah Miller and Jack Fields from Orlando, who were able to come up to Asheville with support from IBEX (Thank you!). We want to travel and perform at other puppet slams, and we want to support a community and exchange of ideas with other puppet slams around the country. Having a Puppet Slam Network can help facilitate this.-Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)***No Answer- Winnipeg Puppet Slam (Winnipeg MB) - Sep 04, 11
50 Responses to the 2012 Slam Survey Question: How could a Puppet Slam Network help you? Any recommendations for improvement? Any services we could provide outside of our semi-annual grants?* * *Things are on a great track.* * *A guide to getting started and a geographically-arranged list of slams and possible mentors.* * *Perhaps some kind of bulletin board where we could find out who is going on walkabout/ tour/ travel and whether they may be in our vicinity- we want to take an adult piece on tour next year and would love to also hit slams along the way. We are flexible enough to change the date for a traveling puppeteer if we know when they might be around. I like the mystery of a non-homogenized format but it would be great to be inspired - a puppet slam curator’s conference??* * *The Puppet Slam Network could aide me by assisting in purchasing a Mac and a new camera. Simply, my technology holds me back when it comes to documenting and updating ATS information...not just for Puppet Slam Network, but for our own Facebook and website as well. I feel if I had a digital camera I could get such great photos of my spaghetti dinners, and also, keep you updated with digital and inspiring documentation. I use a PC and I have a hard time getting photos where they need to go. However, your funding has already enhanced these needs, and I am very grateful.* * *It has helped tremendously to get the posting of what other slams are doing.
* * *Nothing comes to mind- you guys are doing a great job, and offer vital support.* * *I already appreciate the hard work it’s taking to organize and alert about upcoming slams. I would love to have a more direct way of connecting with people that want to screen their films at slams. Maybe a big Dropbox where permission is granted by the filmmaker(s) to screen when and wherever so long as credit is appropriately given?* * *No recommendations at this time
* * *Travel expense is always a factor in importing acts for the festival. We are working on finding regional puppeteers to participate in the event. Perhaps as part of the network, puppeteers could register the title, description and specs of a slam-worthy show they have at the ready. This would aid curators in finding talent and would help talent find venues.* * *It will help to let other artists and curators hear about the work we are presenting here in LA. conversely, it will help us to know about other artists and curators around the country, and possibly lead to presenting some of these artists in our cabaret. It will also help us in terms of national visiblity, and will help the artists who participate gain more national attention.* * *We would love to have more information about touring puppeteers or companies that are traveling to (or near) Montreal and might want to perform at our cabarets.* * *It could help connect puppetry artists with each other in our respective locations. If there were not only a page about upcoming listings, but where artists could post listings for puppet makers, writers, operators, and those with an interest in helping out with producing a puppetry event in other ways (i.e. tech support, marketing, etc.) it could help knit together puppetry groups within larger communities. The listings could even extend to: “Hey, we need a bright red wig for our show! Anyone in Los Angeles have one?” or “We have a narwhal puppet we no longer need. Would anyone like to purchase it from us?”* * *I’m not sure if this is possible, but it might be helpful include other organizations that would offer grants for projects that the puppet slam network does not. For example, grants for larger projects or festivals.* * *By continuing to recognize us and letting Puppet Slammers know of our monthly presence, and by letting performers around the country and globe be aware we are very open to quality work and puppet artists of all varieties.* * *Help us to find artists to feature at our festival.* * *Certainly it would be great to get more info on how out of country slams (like ours) can apply for grants through partnerships with groups in the U.S. Also it would be great to create a page where we could solicit performances from traveling puppeteers looking for a space to perform and visa versa.* * *hmm – I will think about it!
* * *The calendar that is maintained by the PSN is a great resource. A handbook (physical or virtual) for getting a slam up and running could be a good thing, filled with testimonies and tips from established slams around the country. Assistance in connecting the various slams to each other for the purpose of sharing acts and setting up tours is another recommendation (of course these things might already exist and be unfamiliar to us as newcomers).* * *Maybe we could add to each Slam page a note about how to apply to perform,. The Slam Network could then help disseminate this info to potential performers.* * *We look forward to including the Soirees in this network. Soirees appear to be filling a need in our artistic community, a place where people can share ideas, get feedback, and truly experiment. It would be great if NYC-based puppeteers could find these events through the Slam Network, and bring their developing experiments to show.* * *Shared mailing lists for Slams in the same geographical region? Lighter administrative burden?* * *It would be great to have a directory of puppeteers by region that might also participate in our slam.* * *A suggestion of artists/individuals to contact about inviting to perform or host one of our Slams would be helpful.* * *Not sure yet, since this is our first application and will not have our first slam until Nov 2011. Grant will be a big help.* * *I wish there was a way for artists at the puppet slams/cabarets to play musical chairs a bit in terms of performing on other slams/cabarets in the network (although the issue there is travel expenses). The Network could help by asking the various curators and venues if they would be up for providing housing and presenting an out-of-town artist in their slam/cabaret. Then maybe let all the slams/cabarets who say yes know about each other and see if a touring network can come out of it.* * *No answerThe National Puppet Slam (Atlanta, GA / Multi-City)* * *N/A
* * *To allow (via another webpage perhaps?) the various puppet slams to see and learn from one another’s fundraising techniques, partnerships and alliances.* * *Develop new ideas and artist exchanges.* * *A more user friendly system of connecting with other Slams. Maybe something available just to Slam Captain/Curators. A Dropbox file for video short sharing would be AWESOME!* * *It would be amazing to hold more seminars or conferences where puppet slam organizers could meet. Even an online forum or private group for exchanging ideas and tips. A mentoring program would be cool, too.* * *As artists working with puppetry in the modern era of pastiche continue to make work, we begin to see a need for technical equipment we do not own-- and would be wiser to own than continue to borrow or rent. First on the list would be a video projector that would be available for the Slam artists—as well as serve the Handmade Puppet Dreams showing. A grant for the acquisition of this much needed equipment would be appreciated.
Second, documenting the Slam is also a costly affair, and if I must choose between paying the artists or paying a photographer to document—I always choose to pay the artists. This is a true dilemma when the budget is sorely stretched to cover all the fees of the staff that must be in place to make a successful event, and paying the artists who must be paid because we are not playing at this-we are working in our chosen career path. Documentation Grants which would be intended solely to help pay for that service would be a great help.* * *I anticipate that the Puppet Slam Network will not only provide financial support, an therefore a means of paying for PR material, support staff, equipment rental and spaghetti dinner supplies, but also in truly networking with other regional and national slams, slam organizers, puppet artists, participants and slammers in general.
The PSN could become a wonderful resource for short form puppetry not just as a networking and granting organization – but also as a way to facilitate short form festivals, festival participation such as at this year’s PoA best of national slams, an online resource for slam RFPs, RPQs, publication, marketing and equipment forums all as it relates to the world of short form puppetry.* * *At the moment nothing jumps to mind, but I will think on it and let you know if I come up with something.* * *It takes a great deal of work to coordinate tours with other slams. It would be very helpful if there was a way to document that type of work in the Puppet Slam Survey. I believe it shows that the Puppet Slam Network is working and will help be a measure of who takes advantage of the Networking opportunities.It would be great if there was a list of puppetry friendly venues across the nation. If we were to plan a tour, we could contact those theaters to make arrangements.* * *The Puppet Slam Network has done phenomenal work, keep doing what you are doing! We are not sure if you are interested in this sort of thing, but perhaps the Puppet Slam Network could delve further into publicity & PR: reaching out to journalists/writers, magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc to write articles about specific slams & slams in general. Perhaps look out for PR opportunities for the slam community?* * *Simply to continue to be a network* * *As it is helping develop connections as we plan a “Florida Puppet Slam Tour” in the region - some mechanism could help to track the slammers as they travel the country or even list their work available to tour. We have also been talking to Hannah Miller about how to create a self-sustaining, travel slam network for puppeteers along the East coast without financial strain on either the presenters or the artists themselves. We would welcome your input on this concept.* * *- More promotion to the press, (outside of the puppetry press) would be appreciated.
- Grants for puppeteers to travel to with their shows, or support for commissioning new pieces would also be valuable.
- More online tools for performer recruitment, tour planning, and possibly slam administration would be helpful.
- Recognizing excellence, whether through awards or commendations, could also help encourage quality work and could build morale. Maybe an annual “Slam Hero” award, or some sort of juried competition? It could be a variety of things (Best host? Best slam name?)
- In general, I think there are still things that the PSN does that we are not yet fully taking advantage of at PST; becoming more involved in PSN is a goal for us for the coming year.
* * *The biggest challenge we face is finding new performers and booking enough puppeteers for each slam. This situation has improved as the Slam has gotten more popular and performers have started to make work specifically for the slams, including performers who are new to puppetry. We could take better advantage of the Puppet Slam Network Facebook page to find new performers, I suppose. One service that would be helpful is if you kept a contact list of performers/puppeteers (opt-in only, of course) who are interested in touring an act, so that we could include them in our performer calls. We have cobbled one together, but know there are many performers/puppeteers on the Eastern Seaboard that we are probably not reaching who might be interested in coming to Baltimore.* * *At the moment, what you have going on has provided what we’ve needed! It’s awesome to learn about other slams with your monthly calendars, it’s awesome to be able to have a small budget for each cabaret, and it’s awesome to be connected online to other puppeteers doing similar work.* * *Since we haven’t worked with the Network before, I’m not sure how it could help us, however, being able to reach across the country can only be a huge strength. I saw several acts at the recent National Festival that were amazing - we would love to host our own talent and be able to communicate with other puppet artists across the country through the Network. Also, we would love instruction in recommended promotional methods and publicity calendars.* * *Being connected to the slam network can help us promote Cantastoria as an ancient and important form of puppetry, the root source of many of the more familiar shadow puppet, rod puppet, and street show puppetry traditions.* * *We are looking forward to being the first ever Aussie Slam in the official network! We would love to know that advice from the network is available to us as we embark on this adventure. As this is our first dealing with the slam network, I am unsure of what suggestions we might make, but look forward to seeing what is already available. Joining the Puppet Slam Network will help lift the profile of Australian puppetry internationally. It will link our participants to puppetry organizations and artists in both the US and Canada. It will establish a context within which Australian puppeteers can experiment and develop new forms and content. That context will also provide a forum for discussion and skills exchange.* * *Perhaps a crude “manual?” Also, it would have been helpful if the grant info had been on the home page of the website.* * *NO. You do a great job! We are honoured to be part of the network.* * *We hope to make some new contacts within the Puppet Slam community. Being involved in the Network expands our audience base and allows our actors an opportunity to expand their portfolio.* * *We would love to open our slams to an invited guest each year (from outside Puerto Rico). We never can raise the funds for this …so maybe a small travel fund might be lovely.* * *Your efforts to post a nation-wide calendar are great. Could something be written about the puppet slam phenomenon? A book?* * *I really enjoyed watching slam performances at the National Slam (at the National Festival), and I want to be able to bring some of these artists to Asheville to show their pieces at our slams. We are fortunate to have some overlap with Beau Brown and the Puckin’ Fuppet Show in Atlanta because we are only 3 hours way. But after seeing pieces at the National, I am trying to figure out ways to have performers from New York, Boston, LA, Chicago, and all over to come and perform here. One of the ways to do this is through video, and I would like to see more of an emphasis on video recording slams. This allows us, with help of a projector and the internet, to show clips from other slams across the country, both to fill slams that are lacking in performers, but also to feature work the audience would otherwise never get to see.* * *Perhaps this exists already, but it would very helpful to have a unified list of puppetry artists who are willing to travel to other cities/countries to perform in other puppet slams. - Sep 03, 1150 Responses to the 2012 Slam Survey Question: How has the Puppet Slam Network helped you?Café Concret (Montreal), Egotrip Productions 2011, Photo: Bekky O'Neil* * *It's always great to keep in touch with other puppeteers. Having more resources is always helpful and useful.The 24-Hour Puppet Show Challenge (Atlanta)* * *The PSN has helped us locate performers from other cities and even other states who are interested in sharing their talents and experiments in short-form puppetry with Central Florida. We’re excited to be working with our South Florida friends to establish a circuit of slam performance opportunities in 2012.Action Puppet Force (Orlando, FL)* * *The Puppet Slam Network has inspired us, it has given us a welcome kick in the ass, and it has raised the bar- we are continually improving and learning from our slam. Receiving funding from the PSN has taken the majority of doubt out of our process and made ballast our commitment.Adult Puppet Cabaret (San Diego)* * *It has connected me to other organizers who I have personally contacted and scheduled slam dates based on touring puppet shows that I wanted to showcase at All the Saints’ Slam. It has enabled an interest in learning more about social networks, and since first receiving the Slam Grant, I have made both a Facebook account and put together a You Tube channel. I plan on adding to my You Tube channel, and starting a blog and Facebook account just for All the Saints’ Spaghetti Dinners, highlighting the Puppet Slam Network and its calendar.All The Saints Theater Co's Spaghetti Dinner! (Richmond, VA)* * *It has provided an opportunity to rent a space and bring puppeteers in from out of the region to perform in Austin, which allowed us to expose Austin audiences to kinds of puppetry they haven’t seen here. Also allowed us to perform in a larger venue, and to defray costs for technicians and administration, which allowed us to give a bigger percentage to the O”Neill Alumni Scholarship fund.Austin Puppet Incident (Austin, TX)* * *The Slam Network has helped us greatly with connecting with puppetry artists and publicizing our events.Band of Puppets Fest (Brooklyn, NY)* * *In addition to being awarded the grant last year, the slam network has helped me network and connect with other slam producers around the country. Comparing formulas and exchanging tips has helped me organize and better my puppet slams. I’ve been alerted to other slams happening and occasionally have been able to catch performances unexpectedly while traveling!Beady Little Eyes Puppet Slam (Portland, OR)* * *Grant money has enabled us pay artists, freeing up ticket revenue to print promotional material and pay rentBlood From a Turnip (Providence, RI)* * *Our association with the Network has increased the visibility of our annual exhibition of short adult works of puppetry. We have been contacted by national and international puppeteers expressing an interest in the program. Hopefully soon the travel and date arrangements will synch with one of these puppeteers and they will be able to perform in the event.Bobbindoctrin’s Puppet Slam (Houston, TX)* * *No ResponseCabaret Automata (Los Angeles, CA)* * *The Puppetslam Network has been essential to the continuity of Café Concret. We began receiving Puppetslam grants when a startup Seed Grant from Concordia University ran out. This has allowed for ongoing subsidy of our costs not covered by box office income and the good will of in-kind donations of food and labor. These expenses have primarily gone towards space rental and travel costs for out of town performers, a number of whom come from the thriving puppetry community of nearby Northern New England.Café Concret (Montreal, Quebec)* * *It has helped us maintain visibility both within and outside the CalArts community, kept people apprised of our activities and upcoming events, and raised awareness of our work in the puppetry community at large.CalArts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)* * *The first year, we had a very small house for our slam. Around 20 people. Last year we had over 50 people. This year we had over 65. I feel that the network helped us achieve a higher number of audience members. We had a raffle for the O’Neill at our August slam and, due to our larger house, we were able to raise $175! In part, thanks to the Slam Network.CoLAB Arts Puppet Slam (New Brunswick, NJ)* * *Via advertising our Kabarett and reaching puppeteers and the puppet community beyond our own immediate circle.Das WunderKammer Puppet Kabarett (Brooklyn)* * *The funds are an enormous help, as we pay our artists, as well as cover travel, accommodation, marketing, and venue costs. We really really appreciate the grant!!Dolly Wiggler Cabaret (Calgary, Alberta - Canada)* * *It has increased my awareness of other like-minded individuals hosting similar events across the continent.Feed the Birds Cabaret (Toronto, ON)* * *The funding allowed us to do our cabaret! Thank you! We love that we have been connected with this national movement! You advertised our event on your social media – giving people all over the country an opportunity to here about our puppet theater and our cabaret! Loaned us HMPD 1 that we showed during the day at our Puppet Sale – thank you!!!For the Love of Puppets Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)* * *Through the National Puppet Slam at the National Puppet Festival in Atlanta, GA, July 2011, and through ongoing e-mail conversations, the PSN has inspired members of our Seattle community to organize and hold a puppet slam for the first time in a long time.The Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam (Seattle, WA)* * *The grant has allowed us to pay travel, meal costs & honorariums to performers.Great Arizona Puppet Slam (Phoenix, AZ)* * *Soirees have not yet been part of the Puppet Slam Network.Great Small Works Soiree (Brooklyn, NY)* * *Being part of a broad association of fellow puppeteers and puppetry supporters gives strength to our own efforts. The Network has given credibility to an obscure theater form—the Slam—and has helped to develop audiences for Slams all over the country.Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner (NYC)* * *The grant that was given to Wham Bam Puppet Slam this year helped Lyon Hill go up to Asheville to perform. While there he made contacts with performers who have agreed to come to our puppet slam.Indie Grits Puppet Slam (Columbia, SC)* * *The PSN helped us publicize our first ever slam. Along with this, they have connected us to established slams and their locations.KC Puppet Slam (Kansas City, MO)* * *n/aKing Friday's Dungeon (Portland, ME)
* * *The Puppet Slam Network gave artist Jessica Simon the opportunity to show her work “The Talleys” at Nasty Brutish & Short. She was selected by NB&S co-curator Seth Bockley to perform at Open Eye Figure Theater in Minneapolis and subsequently attended the 2011 National Puppetry Festival. When she returned to Chicago, Jessica took over from Seth Bockley co-curating NB&S at Links Hall with Julia Miller. Her first step as co-curator was to gather Chicago puppet artists to continue the conversations from the national festival and create a strong local community. The Network was really the catalyst for all this by supporting a regular series of cabarets here.Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)* * *The Grants made the show incredible by allowing so many incredible acts not only perform but also attend the festival who never would have been able to otherwiseThe National Puppet Slam (Atlanta, GA / Multi-City)* * *It initially helped us to get a regular slam off the ground, for which we are grateful.Pinocchio’s Puppet Slam (Altamonte Springs, FL)* * *To open a pathway for a ‘performer trade’ pool and insure that slams happening in the same region have more variety.Playhouse Puppetry Slam! (Glen Echo, MD)* * *The Puppet Slam Network has helped us connect to other artists in our region for guest performers at our slams and to better educate us about the broader field of short form adult puppetry nationally. The Puppet Slam website is a very helpful central resource for discovering what other organizations in the form are doing.Professor Willikers Puppet Slam (Arcata, CA)* * *It allows me to fund the many puppet slams here in Atlanta and allows me to provide an environment that is safe to fail in and try again.The Puckin’ Fuppet Show Atlanta, GA)* * *With the Puppet Slam Network’s support we’ve been able to implement the hugely-successful “PUNCH card” program, where we printed cards and gave prizes when audience members got their cards PUNCHed. We wouldn’t have been able to do that without last year’s grant. I also love how they’ve helped us cross-market on Facebook and online in general.PUNCH (NYC)* * *Puppet Slam Network has provided funds which have helped provide fees for technical equipment, Board Ops, Stage Manager and House and Box office staff. Remaining funds have been divided amongst the performers, contributing to a renewed sense that the art we create is a valued effort produced by hard working artists who have earned remuneration for their work. Puppet Slam Network has also helped promote the V4V Slam by providing one more outlet for posting its dates.Puppet Art Attacks Slam (NYC)* * *This is the first time I am applying for funds from the Puppet Slam Network – my past slams were all self-produced, run and organized using personal funds, volunteers and venue donation. I do look forward to the support and networking your organization may supply in aiding with future slams here in Philadelphia.Puppet Manualfesto (Philadelphia, PA)* * *They included us in their look ahead sections and the newsletter for the month of our slam.Puppet Meltdown (Chicago, IL)* * *It has helped me network with other slams across America. The concept of Puppet Pandemic, a collection of works created at the O’Neill Puppetry Conference, has begun to tour and we have hosted other fundraising events in conjunction with The Puppet Co. in Glen Echo, and The Puppet Showplace in Brookline. We were also the premiere puppet slam in Austin Texas, in cooperation with Trouble Puppet and Glass Half Full’s puppet Slam called The Austin Puppet Incident: Puppet Pandemic!
Personally, it has helped me tour “Nothing Compares to you” to the National Puppetry Festival in Atlanta. Without the Puppet Slam Grant I would not have been able to attend the festival. I am fantastically grateful for the additional funding. Thank you again!Puppet Pandemic (New York City, NY)* * *Communication is always important. It’s good to have a centralized place to learn about other slams, make sure our schedules don’t conflict, etc. It’s good to have a hub for the community.
With your help, we’ve been able to expand what we can offer our performers. We have decided to use your donation to do the following:
Guaranteed Stipend: Instead of being depending on sales and tips, we can now guarantee a high stipend to the performers. This officially makes us the highest-paying slam in the city.
Materials Fund: We have created a “Materials Fund” to help defray the costs of puppet builds for the show. Performers can request this money in addition the amount of their stipend.
Video: We will be able to pay our videographer to create the high-quality videos of each act. In
the past, we have had to rely on these being created in his free time, if at all.
Online videos of past shows have quickly become the most popular part of our website, reaching an audience beyond New York and driving traffic to the puppeteers’ individual websites.
Puppeteers are sent a free, high-quality copy of the video, which they can use for their personal reels. This is one of the things we do that generates the most interest among our performers.
Merchandise: We are creating tee shirts (designed by Eric Wright) to help spread the word about the show and provide some additional income to maintain the above improvements beyond the amount of your original donation.
Administrative Costs: We’ll be using some of the funds to defray administrative costs of organizing the slam. These costs cannot be completely covered under the current model, but your backing will help ease the burden.
As Puppet Playlist continues to grow, we hope to find ever more ways to support the puppeteers who perform with us. We are thrilled to be able to implement the items listed above.Puppet Playlist (NYC)* * *Just joining but I hope to get good publicity to attract both audience and performers. In the future to perhaps benefit from a grant.Puppet Pot Pie (Hartford, CT)* * *It has developed our personal and professional awareness of puppet slams across the country. It has assisted in convincing producers, artists and venues about impact of slams and articulating the creativity seen in the Slam movement.Puppet Rampage – The Slam* * *The Puppet Slam Network has increased our awareness of the excellent short-form puppetry being presented around the country, and has inspired us to maintain a high standard of excellence for our own slam. The PSN also brought us recognition from the puppetry press—we were part of the article that appeared in Puppetry International last winter. Through the festival travel grants the PSN also helped us send a performer to the National Puppetry Festival. Through the slam grant process, the PSN puts pressure on us to do a better job documenting and tracking our Puppet Showplace Slam which is definitely a good thing for our organization. Finally, the PSN links us to the online/social media world of American puppet slams and their organizers. We appreciate this opportunity to be part of an online community and ongoing conversation about puppet slams.Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)* * *Since receiving a puppet slam network grant, we have really been able to build the puppetry community in Baltimore. More performers/puppeteers have been able to find us, both through our own online presence and through mention of our slams in Puppet Slam Network e-blasts and online updates. New performers, including folks who performed at the Puppet Playlist in NYC, have contacted us, asking to perform in Baltimore. Local artists have made new work specifically to be presented at the Puppet Slamwich! Younger and less experienced artists have found a supportive and welcoming venue to share their work. Many people who have attended the slams have talked to us about their newfound appreciation of experimental and adult oriented puppetry. Others have recruited puppeteers and performers for their own theatrical and performance events, which means that puppeteers are getting more gigs! The grant money has also made it possible for us to pay our performers for their participation in the slams, which is really important.Puppet Slamwich! at Black Cherry Puppet Theater (Baltimore, MD)* * *It’s been wonderful to have financial support for our cabarets!! It has allowed us to give stipends to performers (which has been especially important for puppeteers who travel from out of town) and to buy some basic lighting and other stage materials that make the cabarets better. We have also learned about slams across the country and grow from the rich relationships and exchanges we have with puppeteers involved in other slams.Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington, DC)* * *So far we haven’t worked with the Network but I think it would be very valuable for us.Puppetzilla Slam (Los Angeles, CA)* * *Here in Puerto Rico, I can attest to the PSN helping to bring together the puppet community. Being on an island can be quite isolating and the sense of the puppeteers being in a wider dialogue with puppeteers from the US I think has helped artists here see a wider variety of work.The Singing Picture Show (New York City)* * *The Puppet Slam Network has been very helpful in motivating and advising us on our first Australian Slam. In being involved with other US slams during my visit, I was able to see the quality of the work that gets produced and the viability of creating our own slam nights. It has so far increased my networks of colleagues around the world, provided easy access to other puppetry events and slam nights around the Americas and increased my knowledge and understanding of puppetry based events. The support and enthusiasm surrounding the idea of creating an Australian Slam has been a positive experience, and the network has been there to help and answer any questions I had about joining. They have also been actively promoting us and our webpage, creating an online buzz about it that surpasses anything I could have created by myself. It has so far been a wonderful working experience.Slam Noir Puppet Slam (Melbourne, Victoria - Australia)* * *The PSN let us know that there was a community of people creating the same type of event that we were interested in creating. It located documentation of similar projects in one place so that we could see how others are doing it. We just became aware of the available grant, and will be applying next year after we have a successful slam under our belts.Slamdango! (Mobile, AL)* * *We have been able to pay performers…this is huge. It is also great to be part of a larger network.Sobre La Mesa (San Juan, PR)* * *We are new to the Puppet Slam network and we look forward to a great partnership.Strung Out Puppet Cabaret (Cincinnati, Ohio)* * *The grant itself has enabled us to pay performers which is much appreciated and it is extremely interesting and helpful to be able to see the work in other puppet slams.Titeretada: Noches de Cabaret Puppet Slam (San Juan, PR)* * *The Puppet Slam Network has made it possible for us to bring in a variety of outside artists that we otherwise could not have afforded. It is also great to be part of a nation-wide network of slams. We appreciate the publicity that the Puppet Slam Network also affords usUConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, Connecticut)* * *The Puppet Slam network has helped us tremendously with the grant we received for this season, with it, we are able to create wonderful events for our community to see adult puppetry and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Also, the Puppet Slam network keeps us abreast of what our peers are doing in other slams throughout the country. Meeting with other slam organizers and potential organizers at the Slam Symposium at the National Puppetry Festival was a unique and wonderful opportunity, both to help new slams get started, and to learn how to make ours better. It’s a great network of people, and I look forward to working more with them.Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)* * *It has helped the Winnipeg Puppet Slam find it's identity, given local puppet artists a sense of participating in something larger than our own community and given us the motivation and inspiration to continue to develop and grow.Winnipeg Puppet Slam (Winnipeg, MB) - Aug 30, 11
SEPTEMBER 2011 SLAM CALENDAR
Phoenix (9/2 & 9/3)
Atlanta (9/4)
NYC (9/8, 9/9 & 9/14)
Kansas City (9/10 & 9/11)
Copenhagen (9/11)
Providence (9/16)
Brookline, MA (9/17)
Storrs, CT (9/17)
Brooklyn, NY (9/23 & 9/24)
Chicago (9/26)
Winnipeg (9/30)
More details here - Aug 22, 11From the Wham! Bam! Puppet Slam! in Asheville, NC -- a sampling from their recent slam at The Magnetic Field. Read a really classy interview and feature on their slam here.
- Jul 21, 11The 2012 Puppet Slam Survey and Directions are now available for download.
First, please download and read the directions (PDF file):
2012 SURVEY DIRECTIONS (PDF)Then download the Survey as a Word Doc and return to puppetslam@mac.com as a Word Doc no later than September 1st, 2011.2012 SLAM SURVEY (DOC)Contact puppetslam@mac.com for any questions well before the deadline. - Jul 19, 11
Unbelievable.In so many words, I will not be able to put down in writing my experience at the National Puppetry Festival this past week. It was my first, and I am hooked for life.
Puppeteers are a very unique type of human. I have met quite a few of them, starting two and a half years ago, with the introduction to my lovely Erin Orr. She opened up this world of people to me, leading me to work with her, Lake Simons, Rima Fand and many other lovely, incredibly talented and generous people on my Wolfy film. But this past week, I got it in a full dose, morning to night, five consecutive days.
Puppeteers like to breath life into any object, animate the simplest of things to the most complex. Yes, I knew that already. I’ve done it all my life without realizing it, and also without any reciprocal action from those around me. I didn’t think anything was wrong with me (I thought something was wrong with them); I just knew that I was different, and that was that. These past five days, I have found that there are others like me, humans who respond to scarf or a simple stuffed puppet, with a genuine spirit of play, awe, tenderness and joy. I was shocked. I mean, we’re talking adults here, and they love it, they add sounds, they look at how it’s made, they’re curious, and they are really attentive people. This bunch is the most supportive, loving and accepting group of individuals (and audience) I have ever met.
Two years ago I performed a short Wolfy piece live at Lake’s living room, in front of eight people. Last week I performed it live, including singing (!!!), for the first time in front of a large audience. Even though I consider myself a filmmaker-puppeteer, I am branching out and I love it. I couldn’t have done it without their support.
I felt at home.
I’ve crossed the ocean with a dream and one suitcase. I have tons of stuff now, and I can finally, finally say, I have found my family.
Make puppets. Play. Share.
Leat Klingman
- Sep 04, 11A special GREAT SMALL WORKS Spaghetti Dinner...
Milk Not Jails * Jenny Romaine* Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner*
Dixon Place Hot! Festival and Gaby Cryan*
invite you to an ice cream social.
Ice Cream Sunday is coming to Dixon Place!
Sunday July 24, 2011 6:30-930
Dixon Place's Hot! Festival of LGBTQ Performance.
$10.00 ice cream, game tickets and the show!
161A Chrystie St. Between Rivington and Delancey www.dixonplace.org
Milk Not Jail's says: “If rural New York’s economic survival depends on my habits,
I’d rather drink their milk than go to their prison.”
Melt your mind with fresh local ice cream and hot queer political desire.
Come to an old fashioned homosexual ice cream social and learn about what milk and jails have to do with one another.
Enjoy ice cream and entertainment
Revel in a garden of glistening glitter cherries, enjoy the milk drunk antics of the Ice cream cone mascot, look exquisite in our photo booth, wander through the flags, the games, the candy stripes, the banners, the costume room,
the hot silk screened patches and zines.
See
Shimmering heavenly MC Killer Sideburns
The Butter Milk Brothers
Copper Henningfield (World's Greatest Magician) in a new stage illusion act by Jenny Romainefeaturing
smooth barbershop tones (Xavier, Sully Ross and siblings)
French Phenomenon NiNi, Lee Free & Jessica Lurie, additional directing by Jennifer Miller
,
Creamy Cavalcade of Stars music by
EmJay: creme de la creme of DJ's
Freezy Frozen photo parlor with Jennifer Miller and Lee Houck
Celebrity swirls and rants by The Sylvia Rivera Law Project crew, Becca Blackwell, J. Dellacave, and YOU in the
Full gender spectrum Dairy Princ/ess pageant
Create a persona, project your mission, win amazing economic and political change (and prizes)
ENTER TODAY!
Lovely, delicious, one delightful dream...
Demand a new urban-rural relationship.
And taste good doing it!
"…As an organization MILK NOT JAILS seeks to mobilize and empower new political leaders for criminal justice and economic development reform. The campaign also expects to develop and test new social change strategies, both in it's focus on overcoming the obstacles to criminal justice reform and in its creation of economic incentives-- in this case a dairy marketing cooperative-- for political alliance building."
WWW.milknotjails.wordpress.com
Milk Not Jails on Facebook
- Jul 15, 11JULY 2011 PUPPET SLAMSPhoenix (7/2. 7/2), Atlanta (7/13, 7/14, 7/23), Brookline, MA (7/23), Richmond, VA (7/23), NYC (7/24)
Great Arizona Puppet Theater
302 West Latham Street
Phoenix AZ 85003
(602) 262-2050
www.azpuppets.org
$8 Advance / $10 Day ofThis ongoing series of puppet shows for grownups brings together cutting-edge puppeteers presenting new short works that range from the outrageous, moving, and bawdy, to controversial.
PofA Puppet CabaretThe Puppet Cabaret features short form puppet acts from the attendees of the National Puppetry Festival. If you wish to perform, email.
Wednesday, July 13th at 10PM
Georgia Tech Student Center Ballroom
350 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, GA 30332-0458
www.nationalpuppetryfestival.org
Tickets included with Festival Registration
The National Puppet Slam
Thursday, July 14th at 10PMGeorgia Tech Student Center Ballroom
350 Ferst Drive,
Atlanta, GA 30332-0458
(678) 778-8881
www.nationalpuppetryfestival.orgTickets included with Festival RegistrationSee the best puppet slam pieces from across the nation as part of the Late Night Entertainment at the 2011 National Puppet Festival.You’re hot and sweaty - but so are the puppeteers! Join Puppet Showplace for the last slam of the season, featuring Lorraine Gilman, Tom Getchell, the graduates of our Giant Puppet Class, and more!
Puppet Showplace Slam
Saturday, July 23rd at 8PM
Puppet Showplace Theatre
32 Station Street
Brookline, MA 02445
617-731-6400
www.puppetshowplace.org
$13/$15All the Saints Theatre Company serves up belly dancers, spaghetti, rock n' roll, and puppet shows with a side of cardboard enthusiasm.
All The Saints Theater Company's Spaghetti Dinner
Saturday, July 23rd at 7PM
The Backyard Theater
1012 W. 49th Street Richmond, VA 23225
(804) 502-131
www.allthesaintstheaterco.com
$8-15
The Puckin’ Fuppet Show
Saturday, July 23rd at 10PM
The Basement Theatre
175 West Wieuca Road Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 277-3071
www.thebasementtheatre.com
$10Do your puppets have what it takes to woo a booze fueled crowd and take home the big money?
PUNCH Rooftop Puppet Party
Sunday, July 24th at 7PM
Venue TBD
Brooklyn, NY
For more details, contact punch@punchpuppetslam.com
www.punchpuppetslam.com
$5 / free if you bring foodDrink cold brews, eat cooked meats, dazzle at the NYC skyline and see some puppets, featuring amazing acts by Drama of Works, Melissa Creighton, Susie Wong and others!The Puppet Slam Café promises an evening of hip, contemporary, adults-only puppetry.
Puppet Slam Café
Thursday, July 28th at 8PM
Cinema Arts Centre - Sky Room
423 Park Avenue Huntington, NY 11743
(631) 423-7611
www.CinemaArtsCentre.org
www.huntingtonarts.org
$25Join Animal Cracker Conspiracy at their secret location for adult puppet mayham, cool beverages, and dancing.
Adult Puppet Cabaret
Friday, July 29th at 7PM
Barrio Warehouse
For location checkpoint RSVP (619) 887-1451
www.animalcrackerconspiracy.com
$8
