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Ye Olde Rumpelstiltskin Society |
PuppFest MidWest 2007 is over but not forgotten. Please read about the 2007 festival, and remember to join us at PuppetFest MidWest 2008!
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PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS
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PuppetFest MidWest An Experience Like No Other Kat Pleviak “Look out for ticks!!!” said the bus driver as we made our way out of the van and into the grassy median on the side of the road. So this is how it begins, stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, miles from the airport and miles from Trenton. For any other group this would be a disastrous and frustrating set back, but let’s not forget we are puppeteers. So instead of moaning and complaining we all began to take the opportunity to socialize and get to know each other. Old friends reunited and new friends made introductions. It set the perfect tone for the conference experience to come. |
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| This is the fourth type of puppetry conference I have been privileged to attend, the others being PofA regionals, PofA Nationals, and The O’Neill Puppetry conference, and it offers a completely different experience than any of the previously listed events. Now what should one expect to get out of a puppetry conference? To me it all boils down to three categories; 1) the practical skills used in puppetry and covered in workshops such as manipulation, design, construction, management, writing etc…2) exposure to different types of puppetry and current trends in the field as experienced by performances and talk backs, and 3) networking and socialization with others who share a similar passion and can help form friendly alliances and a network of professional support. Wow, that’s a lot! Now you definitely get some of all of these things at any conference you choose to attend. But I feel that while other conferences tend to focus on one of these areas, Puppetfest Midwest has combined and balanced all three so each area is well represented. The day begins with breakfast, a time to greet each other with zeal and excitement for the day to come. This energy is assisted of course with 1 to 12 cups of coffee. Then we all adjourn to our various classes |
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I took Manipulation Boot camp with Drew Allison. In his class we covered a wide range of puppet types and worked both on and off camera. I really liked that the workshops are consistent throughout the week so you get to work with the same group of people continuously and really have the opportunity to form relationships with the other participants. Drew did a really great job of fostering an open and positive work environment and I got the impression that this was a shared philosophy of all the workshop leaders. In between the morning and afternoon sessions was a brief coffee break so there was plenty of time to get to know people not in your workshop. Then, after dinner, each night was dedicated to a performance by the various workshop leaders. This year’s line up included the Paul Mesner Puppets, The Cashore Marionettes, Grey Seal Puppets, Nappy’s Puppets, and the Coad Canada Puppets. Oh my god, all that is one week! It’s amazing we all didn’t go batty from too much awesome. After the evening show comes my favorite part, retiring to the Wild Onion for good food, good drinks and good conversation. It was here that I really got to know people and had some of the best laughs of my life. You know when fellow puppeteers are telling you to keep it down that you’re really having a good time. |
So take all this and throw in a wonderful puppetry gallery, a five star raffle, a late night forum for new works, and a bar fight or two and you have yourself one well rounded and unique conference. Thank you to everyone who attended and made this such a wonderful experience and to the committee who granted me the scholarship, which allowed me to attend. Yours Truly, |
| Puppet Fest Midwest 2007 Report By: Matthew McGee Puppetry has been a part of my life since I was an unarticulated, peach fuzzed baby. I grew up going to festivals, and loved it. I built puppets and spent hours; days, weeks in our workshop constructing my newest feat of puppetry. While I built puppets, I never quite pulled them together for a show, nor did I ever get any specific ideas for shows. No bother, I was content improving my skills as a puppet builder. |
| For the past three years my life has been occupied with a two-year mission for my church, and school, leaving very little time to ponder over puppetry. I wanted to do something with this skill that had been left on the shelf collecting dust, but nothing came to mind. Prior to the Puppet Fest Midwest of 2007, I had begun construction for some characters that were to be used for some short films, and oiled up my rusty talent for puppet building, but something was still missing. It was great being able to create again, but that was the extent to what I was doing, nothing more. I don’t think I recognized what I was missing until I got to the festival. |  |
| Within the first twenty-four hours of Puppet Fest Midwest something happened that was so invigorating and refreshing. I had it. There was nothing particularly special about anyone, or anything when left to stand alone, but somehow, combined together: the people; the shows; the workshops; the creative minds swarming around in such a close knit environment like bees whose nectar is the inspiration and creativity desired of by all great performers and artists, it caused a locked gate in my mind to open, sending forth a wave of show ideas, stories, characters, and my personal favorite, hope. I immediately began to sketch out designs and drawings, seeing things played out in my mind. As the week progressed, each performance gave me added insight and inspiration. I felt somehow, capable of accomplishing things I hadn’t even considered for years. Everyday brought new ideas, new sketches, and more planning. Since I have come home I have spent the remaining time I have left of my summer building puppets in my garage where I live now. Still working on accomplishing the projects I have envisioned, which were the results of the festival, I find myself equipped with a greater knowledge and appreciation of what puppets can do, why we use them, and why it is necessary that we continue the art form. |
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In regards to my feelings about the festival, I know I am not alone. Many others, including first-time, amateur puppeteers were equally inspired, awed, and educated. Being sent off with a recharged imagination, motivation, and determination, it’s no wonder why we do this once a year. |
“Personify Everything”
By Patti McKee The maxims of puppetry were at the core of the Manipulation Bootcamp taught by Drew Allison of Grey Seals Puppets. Throughout the course of the week, Drew shared his maxims of puppetry and encouraged us to develop our own maxims and our own philosophy of puppetry. In the class, we worked with rod- and hand-puppets to focus more on the movement of the puppet than on dialogues. I learned that a pause in action and a puppet’s “eye contact” with the audience are as important as the movement of the puppet. Also, in order to make a puppet come alive, one needs to show the puppet’s “thought process.” With the use of these techniques, much can be communicated to the audience without dialogue. As I plan to do puppet shows for bilingual audiences, I found these techniques to be very helpful. |
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Towards the end of the week, we were able to put the maxim of “personify everything” into action. We were to go a scavenger hunt through town to find objects with which to construct a short puppet skit. I thoroughly enjoyed the creativity of my classmates throughout the week, but I especially enjoyed their creativity for these final skits. We did “personify everything,” including old magazines, a used soccer ball, twigs, Styrofoam cups and box, a carrot, raisins, flowers and socks, among other objects. But the week was much more than whatever class one took. Each evening, we were mesmerized by puppet shows of master puppeteers. A sample of the performances included a talking dragon, a box of emotions, twisted fairy tales, talking shadows and life-like marionettes with up to 40 strings. They not only gave us great performances, but also answered questions and showed us the backstage workings of their shows. These master puppeteers taught classes and were available throughout the week for conversation at meal and break times. |
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I also enjoyed meeting student puppeteers from around the U.S., Canada and even Israel. We shared dreams for our own puppetry and lots of laughs. All in all, it was a trip back to my home state that was like none other. My thanks to Deb Lutzky Allen and Peter Allen for sponsoring this grand event, and a special thanks to the scholarship committee for choosing me as a recipient. Thanks to all who made this event possible, and Happy Puppeteering! |
PuppetFest MidWest 2007 Review by Mike Horner Two years ago, I attended a puppet festival for the first time in my life. Like many other first-timers, I became hooked on the idea of spending several days with kindred spirits every summer...it was like summer camp for puppeteers! After that first festival, I learned about PuppetFest Midwest and realized that I could easily get my festival-fix right here in the mid-west. I was unable to attend PuppetFest Midwest in 2006 but was given the opportunity to attend this year as a scholarship recipient. It was definitely worth the wait! |
The North Central Missouri College campus proved to be an ideal location for the festival. The classrooms, dormitory, exhibit room and performance spaces were all within walking distance. As the cafeteria was in the same building as the dorm rooms, it was easy to hop out of bed, into the showers, and down for breakfast before the workshops started. The cafeteria food was...well...cafeteria food. But there were always several options, as well as a great salad bar and a freezer filled with ice cream sandwiches, so it was hard to go hungry. If you didn't get your fill in the cafeteria, the morning and afternoon coffee breaks provided a snack to give you the energy to continue working hard in your workshop. |
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I was impressed with the exhibit, and Phillip Huber did an amazing job as curator. Each festival participant was encouraged to contribute something to the exhibit, and it was fun to see my own puppets rubbing elbows with other people's creations. Since most of the puppets on display were built by people at the festival, I could ask the builders about their techniques, the shows the puppets were built for, etc. |
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I chose Jim Napolitano's Shadow Puppetry workshop. Nappy provided us with tools, materials and expert knowledge, while the 20-hour workshop format gave us the time to learn, experiment, and create. Each participant came with an idea for a short vignette, and Nappy gently guided us in turning the idea into a performance-ready shadow piece. Nappy allowed us to create on our own, but was always there to give a suggestion, lend a hand, or listen to an idea. I hadn't really worked with shadow puppets before, and now I realize that I'd been missing out on an awesome genre of our art. |
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Aside from the chance to take an intensive hands-on workshop, festival goers were treated to terrific performances by some of the best professionals in the business. Almost all of the major styles of puppetry were represented, including shadows, marionettes, hand puppets, rod puppets, mouth puppets, and even ventriloquism. While I had seen a number of these pros in performance before, the intimate nature of the Hoover Theater allowed me to sit closer to the action than I had ever been before. Festival participants had first dibs on the front rows of seats, which allowed us to practically breathe down the necks of the puppeteers while we sat in awe of their artistry. Each performance was followed by a nightly visit to the Wild Onion for cold drinks, incredible food, unbridled laughter and wonderful puppetry conversations. Thanks to Wild Onion owner Pam Infranca for allowing us crazy doll-wigglers to take over her otherwise respectable establishment! |
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Overall, PuppetFest Midwest 2007 was a great experience. I left filled with enough inspiration to keep me going until next summer's Festival, and I look forward to returning next summer for another fix. |
Join us at PuppetFest MidWest 2008!