national puppetry conference

Hand Job with Ronnie Burkett

In Hand Job, we are going to explore the hand ballet; storytelling through bare hands, gloved hands, hands with puppet heads. This is not about idle exercises in form. I’m not going to teach you to be a puppeteer, I expect you to be one already. We will be creating a new theatrical piece, for, with, and about the audience. Characters will interact in a constantly moving series of stories and vignettes with the spectators. We will extend our hands to the audience in silliness, eroticism, intimacy, kindness, sadness, and joy. I am looking for a band of individuals who are already committed to a career and a life in puppetry, with a focus on performers ready to expand their practice, enter the room with unabashed generosity and muscular play, and work as a company in the creation of a new work. We will work all day and night, side hustles are not encouraged in this strand. Tell me about your love of puppetry, your strengths as a performer, and why you need to come join hands with me.

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Into the Shadow: Introduction to the Shadow and Shadow Theatre with Fabrizio Montecchi

“In the last thirty years, the shadow theatre has undergone a remarkable revolution in technique and in language. Some characteristics of this change were the use of pinpoint lamps, the manipulation of the light, the special handling of the screen, the different kinds of shadow puppets, and the projection behind and in front of the screens. For that, the traditional limited space of the shadows, which we can look upon as a system of closed techniques and relationships, has been replaced by an open space, rich and dynamic in possibilities and powers of articulation. In our opinion this new space for the shadows is at the heart of the contemporary shadow theatre.” Fabrizio Montecchi (Italy) offers a practical and theoretical journey in three parts to discover techniques and languages of the contemporary shadow theatre, a language deeply theatrical nature, intangible art with enormous expressive and communicative possibilities.

The first part stimulates a personal approach to the shadow. Essential to our perceptual dimension, omnipresent in our sensory experience, the shadow participates and accompanies us in our journey of discovery of the world. You cannot practice the shadow theatre if the shadow is not known.

The second part offers as complete a vision as possible of the various techniques codified in the shadow theatre. From the characteristics of the projective device, analyze the elements that compose it: light, screen, and body-object. The forms of construction and animation of the silhouettes are also proposed, with traditional and experimental techniques.

The third part will be divided into practical sessions. It will be dedicated to the creation, personal or collective, of small staging studios. That represents the first moment of search/research and exploration of shadow techniques, and, at the same time, the first occasion to face issues related to the planning and writing of a shadow show.

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Marionette Construction with Kurt Hunter

The workshop offers a thorough examination of marionette design, layout, and construction methods for the creation of a new marionette. Participants will have the opportunity to design, build and string a complete marionette working from supplied patterns and materials using wood, rigid foam, and paper mache. The patterns will be modified as necessary for each participant’s design. Basic marionette manipulation will also be covered and additional construction and stringing methods will be demonstrated. Participants should bring black performance clothes. Materials and tools will be supplied, but a list of optional tools to bring will be sent out prior to the Conference.

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Miniature and Grandiose, Transient and Eternal: a visual adventure combining puppetry and architecture with Les Sages Fous

A note from South Miller: Welcome to the world of Les Sages Fous, a company that tames wild puppets and rehabilitates objects of bad life.  Les Sages Fous proposes a visual theater where the gesture prevails over the word. South Miller and members of the company will present their singular vision of working with puppets; how to have a full body engagement as a puppeteer and interact in a world where puppets and humans co-exist. The Sages Fous will also share their secrets of fabrication: patents and wild models and the pleasure of unbridled creation. They will reveal the secrets of the trade: dramaturgy for unconventional spaces, transformation of the space, logistics of a show in the public space and more. In and around the teaching of puppet taming and puppet making, the company will also be experimenting with ideas around an exciting new in situ theatre piece. Participants will be able to participate in the experiments, and- or create their own work around the ideas being developed, guided by the members of the company.

The experimental project: Miniature and grandiose, Transient and Eternal:

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Waking up the soul of an 18th century chapel and monastery on the St Laurence River through puppetry.

a visual adventure combining puppetry and architecture

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This is a preparatory and experimental workshop for the opening performance of the soon to be” Fabrique de Théâtre Insolite” in June 2024. An exciting new venue dedicated to the creative process in puppetry curated by Les Sages Fous.    

Les Sages Fous will be experimenting with: 

The miniature and grandiose - ghosts and angels – light and shadows- monsters and marvels – music and silence

Experimenting in zones both somber and celebratory.

Using a magnificent miniature cardboard maquette of the building, as well as available windows and architectural elements on campus, the project is to play and experiment in miniature and grandiose: constructing objects as needed, found objects, simplicity, flashlights, cardboard and music.  Trying to find that resonating point where one can make visual poetry with a building in order to hear the stones whispering in the wind. 

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Music Composition for Puppetry with Dr. Melissa Dunphy and Matt Dunphy

Over the course of a week, music participants at the conference will dive headfirst into collaborating with individual puppetry artists, supporting their storytelling with music in the creation of brand-new performances. You will be challenged to produce soundtracks, scores, or musical accents—either live or recorded—for multiple original short works as they are developed during the conference. Ideal candidates are composers interested in writing for theater or film, with a strong performance and improvisation background and familiarity with or openness to diverse styles and genres of music. Composers will have opportunities to learn about the process of collaboration with theater artists, try new ways of performing or improvising music live on stage, explore and refine techniques of producing and recording, and network with performers from an international community of puppetry artists and other theater professionals. Music participants will be mentored by composer/performer Melissa Dunphy and electronic musician/audio engineer Matt Dunphy.

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Movement, Exploration, and Weather Systems with Ty Defoe

Together we will work to explore puppet narrative scenes connected to weather systems and how they create concert and chaos impacting the lives of creatures and plant species.  Working with the ideas of two-legged, four-legged, wing’d, rooted, and finned; we will experiment and explore with what inspires us. We will use found objects and create ones developing micro-worlds as we work with each other in collaboration with the environment around us. Participants will asked to do movement. Please bring notebook, and fishing materials (line, D-rings, wood, sinew, a knife). Accessible to all ages and access needs.

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Emerging Artist Strand with Nehprii Amenii and Richard Termine

The Emerging Artist strand identifies participants who are at a critical juncture in their careers as puppet artists; who are at a place in their lives where working intensely on a particular project or aspect of their work could lead to important breakthroughs. Those artists may apply to the program, describing in detail what their work during the Conference is likely to be and how they will work with mentors in writing and directing, as well as other artists from the Conference staff as needed, to achieve their project goals. Emerging Artists are given the option of showing the results of their work during the public performances that conclude the Conference. Please note that only alumni of the National Puppetry Conference are eligible to apply.

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Resident Company

Resident Company members will be supporting the work of the Emerging Artists to develop their projects by working under their direction for the majority of the main conference day. Resident Company Members will also be allowed to create Participant Projects in the evening. While this role takes place during the main conference, you may also attend the pre-conference as a participant