welcome!
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Thank you so much for attending NCPG’s 2nd Virtual Puppetry Festival! We had 239 festival goers from 32 US States, Puerto Rico, and 14 countries including Wales, Kenya, South Africa, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Columbia, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, India, and Canada. Your presence, puppets, performances, participation, perspectives, proficiency, and pleasant smiles made our festival such a memorable event. Without you, this festival would have summed up to be another day in one’s calendar. The festival came and went … but what we still have is the NCPG village who will continue to gather as a community to share, learn, and grow as puppet artists and individuals. Congratulations again to the NCPG Award Recipients: Lifetime Achievement Award – Paul Vincent Davis Spirit of Generosity – Peter Court Creativity in COVID – Genna Beth Davidson. Thank you again to all our festival sponsors (Heather Henson & The Puppet Slam Network, Kwame Alexander & Big Sea Entertainment, Meg DeLoatch and GO Y.O. Worldwide) and our advertisers for helping us to keep the registration cost affordable for our festival participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Please join us for our next membership meeting on Sunday, September 12, 2021, at 1:00pm until 2:30pm ET, where we will have a panel discussion on “What Are You Worth?” |
STORE
LOBBY LINKS!
We collected a chunk of links and goodies shared by YOU in our festival lobby this year, and this is your chance to see what you might have missed while you were attending a class or performance! Download the list here:
| LOBBY LINKS 2021 |
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
THURSDaY, august 19
Festival Opening Night Awards Show Hosted by Yolanda Sampson!
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When: Thurs, August 19 at 7:30pm ET
Age Range: All ages. Dress: Creative Black Tie Description: The opening event of the Festival will be the FIRST EVER National Capital Puppetry Guild Awards Show! Hosted by the inimitable NCPG President Yolanda Sampson, this Awards Show will be an exciting night of celebration and remembrance. Two puppeteers nominated by Guild members will be recognized for the inaugural awards, "Creativity in COVID" and "Generosity of Spirit." There will be an "In Memoriam" program to honor puppeteers in our community who have passed away, and the pièce de résistance will be a Lifetime Achievement Award honoring luminary artist and beloved puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis who, among his many remarkable achievements, was also once a member of the NCPG! We look forward to seeing you at the inaugural NCPG Awards Show! on Thurs, August 19 at 7:30pm ET. Come dressed in Creative Black Tie! |
FRIday, AUGUST 20
Puppetry and Therapy in Education moderated by Judith O’Hare (Panel)
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When: Fri, August 20 from 11am-12:30pm ET
Age Range: Recommended for Artists and Creators Description: How may we emerge from 18 months of COVID protocols and keep our puppetry alive during trying times? How may we plan for educational, therapeutic, or community engagement after 18 months of virtual engagement? In this panel discussion moderated by Judith O'Hare, there will be audience participation in addition to short testimonials from puppeteers and teaching artists and their experience working in the pandemic. In this panel, we will discuss what we learned from working in these diverse and often difficult situations and how these experiences color our work going forward. |
Warm-ups and Theatre Games for Puppeteers with Aretta Baumgartner (Workshop)
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When: Fri, August 20 from 3pm-4:30pm ET
Age Range: Recommended for Artists and Creators Description: By approaching puppetry as a theatre art and applying some “basic theatre know-how,” participants will grow as performers, writers and directors. Theatre games are a fun, inclusive way to introduce the concepts behind puppetry! They can be applied to warm-ups, rehearsals, classes, workshops, and performances. FUN FOR ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS. Come ready to move and play! Notes: Dress comfortably and be ready to move as you are able! |
Diversity in the Puppetry Community with Edna Bland (Workshop)
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When: Fri, August 20 from 5pm-6:30pm ET
Age Range: All are welcome. Description: With the awareness of social justice, the emergence of racial reckoning and a rebirth of a Black artist renaissance, this forum will discuss the state of equity, diversity and inclusion in the world of puppetry arts in America. This workshop will be part presentation followed by a time for open discussion of attendees. Come share stories, ask questions and bring hope to the future. |
The National Capital Puppet Slam (Show)
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When: Fri, August 20 from 8pm-9:00pm ET
Age Range: All ages. Description: The National Capital Puppet Slam is an exciting evening of short-form puppet theater hosted by internationally acclaimed puppet duo and NCPG members, Alex and Olmsted! The National Capital Puppet Slam highlights the excellence of artists in our Guild's region as well as the extraordinary talents of puppeteers from Chicago to and Italy. The Slam will feature: Dirk Joseph's String Theory Theater (Baltimore), Tarish ‘Jeghetto’ Pipkins (Chapel Hill, NC), Linda Wingerter of The Stringpullers (Ithaca, NY), Myra Su (Chicago), Vanessa Valliere (Chicago), Lyon Hill (Columbia, SC), Balder Westein (the Netherlands) and Di Filippo Marionette (Italy). |
SATurday, AUGUST 21
Saturday Morning Puppet Shows (Show)
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When: Sat, August 21 from 9am-10am ET
Age Range: All ages. Description: The National Capital Puppetry Festival presents a FREE program for all ages! Inspired by Saturday cartoons of yore, "Saturday Morning Puppet Shows" is an entertaining program of short-form puppet theater produced by the National Capital Puppetry Guild with support from The Puppet Slam Network and hosted by internationally acclaimed puppet duo and NCPG members, Alex and Olmsted! Featuring the extraordinary talents of: Katherine Fahey & The Lantern Sisters (Baltimore), Schroeder Cherry (Baltimore), Paige O’Malley (D.C.), Kurt Hunter Marionettes (Minneapolis), Tanya Nixon-Silberg (Boston), Jim 'Nappy' Napolitano (Hamden, CT), Mobi Warren (San Antonio, Texas), Linda Wingerter of The Sringpullers (Ithaca, NY), AJ Taysom (Salt Lake City), and International guest artists Lormiga Títeres of Sonora, México. This program is FREE to the public and although Festival registration is highly encouraged, it is not required to attend this event. 
Miniature Marionettes with Jill Kyle Keith (Workshop)
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When: Sat, August 21 from 11am-12:30pm ET
Age Range: Any level; All are welcome Description: Tired of lugging around huge trunks full of heavy puppets? So is Jill of Beale Street Puppets! In this 90-minute, hands-on Zoom class, we will make a tiny four-inch-tall wizard marionette, suitable for instantly conjuring up medieval magic anywhere! Materials: Sculpey, any colors you like (a flesh tone of your choosing if you just want to buy 1 small brick), Acrylic paints (your favorite flesh tone or green or red for an ogre or devil wizard! White, black, and any other colors you’d like; glitter if you want it!), Some tiny brushes (please NOT those crummy plastic craft brushes, size 00,000 or similar sized artist brushes), Cup o’ water, Access to an oven or toaster oven, Bit o’ aluminum foil, bit o’ cereal box or similar cardboard, Some very floaty fabric (an old silk scarf will do, or very thin polyester silk or inner lining; you will not need much, less than ¼ yard, just make it fun!), Slightly heavier fabric (thin felt will do, or a piece of anything heavier than the floaty stuff; this will be for the body), Two needles: a thin needle and a very fat one for sculpting clay, Sculpting tools (can be anything tiny, like the end of a metal nail file, a toothpick, a sharp pencil, a fat embroidery needle, etc), Sewing thread (any color), Black thread (slightly heavier carpet thread is best but anything will do), Two wooden coffee stirrers (might we recommend a trip to 7/11 for these?), Scissors, Hot glue, and hot glue gun (even Elmer’s will do!) |
Reignite your Creative Spark with Madeleine Regina (Workshop)
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When: Sat, August 21 from 1pm-2:30pm ET
Age Range: Any level; All are welcome Description: What does it take to live a creative life? What do you do when you encounter creative blocks, or when you feel uninspired? For so many of us creativity is our life blood, it’s how we connect to the world and experience true connection. Some of us don’t even realize how starved we become when we don’t exercise our creativity because it’s been trained out of us at a young age, or slipped away from us slowly over time. This workshop provides hands-on experiences meant to break us out of old patterns, get out of our own way, and re-ignite our creative spark. Materials: Pen/pencil/markers, paper |
Puppetry Through A Therapist’s Lens:
An Early Childhood Introspective Model with Sandy Kerns (Workshop)
An Early Childhood Introspective Model with Sandy Kerns (Workshop)
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When: Sat, August 21 from 3pm-4:30pm ET
Age Range: Any level; All are welcome Description: Puppetry and storytelling is a doorway fostering children’s emotional and social learning. Introspective stories featuring imaginary characters sharing experiences of creating stability, taking risks, being alone without being lonely, problem-solving and honoring intuition help children identify with others and promote childhood resiliency. Join me for a show and tell workshop highlighting an introspective story model for early childhood puppetry. |
Virtual Field Trip! Black Cherry Puppet Theater in Baltimore (Film & Interview)
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Potpourri (Open Mic) Hosted by Alex and Olmsted
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When: Sat, August 21 from 8pm-9pm ET
Age Range: All ages (Performers: please keep the material family friendly) Description: The Potpourri is an open mic for puppetry for short puppet acts 3 minutes or less. You don't need to perform to attend! For material: It can be new, it can be old, just make sure it's family friendly and under 3 minutes. If you don't have an act, but you have a puppet you'd like to share, Alex and Olmsted are ready to give your puppet an interview! If you're registered for the festival, Sign up for a spot HERE. |
SUNday, AUGUST 22
Intro to Paper Pop-ups for Puppeteers with Peter Court (Workshop)
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 9am-10:30am ET
Age Range: Any level; All are welcome Description: Join Peter Court for pop-up show & tell plus a short “make-along.” We will explore Pop-up Toy Theatre, basic Pop-Ups, and Flexagons for ‘Good old-fashioned Storytelling,’ to create new and interesting forms of visual theatre. Materials: Supplies required for the make-along: Thick paper (200g+) or some thin Cardstock; paper glue; pencil & ruler; scissors & your imagination! Permanent marker pens are also a 'Nice-To-Have.' |
"The Body as Landscape"
Contemporary Puppet Theory in Practice with Maggie Winston (Workshop)
Contemporary Puppet Theory in Practice with Maggie Winston (Workshop)
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 11am-12:30pm ET
Age Range: Professional/Advanced Description: Contemporary puppetry is in a constant state of realization and transformation as artists and educators of puppetry arts discover what it is and how to define it. As a recent graduate of the DESS en théâtre des marionnettes contemporain at l’UQAM in Montreal, Quebec, I had the opportunity to learn new concepts in performance and puppetry. In this workshop we'll be introduced to contemporary performance concepts such as: 1. Body as landscape, architecture, or 'castelet' (frame): using parts of the body as a surface for puppets or objects to perform. For example, a leg can become a road for tiny people to walk on, the spaces created between parts of the body can act as a frame for the puppet to perform within. 2. Body mask or prosthesis: Puppets, mask, molds and copies of our own bodies can be used to create extensions or repetitions of forms to be worn and manipulated by the performer and manipulator We will look at the works of Ilka Schonbein (Germany), Duda Paiva (Netherlands), Lone Wolf Tribe (New York), and Livsmedlet (Finland) as examples of these practices in contemporary puppetry. Materials: We will use found objects, materials, and quick created puppets and objects to physically explore the concepts of this workshop. If you have puppets or objects that you would like to explore manipulating in new ways, you can have them ready for the workshop. Notes: Dress comfortably and be ready to move as you are able! |
Silicone Applications on Foam Puppets with Eric Weiss (Workshop)
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 1pm-2:30pm ET
Age Range: Any level; All are welcome Description: Want to learn a really great way to create a skin for your foam puppets? I am going to teach you a new way to use silicone that you can easily get from the hardware store to do this. Silicone is easy to use, non-toxic, can be any color or colors you want, very flexible, heat resistant, and will not leave any seems like fleece can. This skill will give you just boundless new ways to texture the outside of your foam puppets. Tools: Caulking Gun, Disposable Cups, Popsicle Sticks, Spray Bottle, Sifter or Fine Mesh Strainer*, Make-Up Brushes*, Texturing Tools* Materials: Clear Silicone #1 (GE Brand), Upholstery Foam, Odorless Silicone Solvent (OSS)-Silicone Art Materials* (Optional but highly recommended), Silicone Pigments- Silicone Art Materials*, Finishing Powder- Silicone Art Materials*, Mica Powders, Silicone Pigments, or Chalk Pastels, Isopropyl Alcohol, Cornstarch* *Optional items that you may need depending on what you want to do. |
28 Hand Puppet Techniques with Chad Williams (Workshop)
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 3pm - 4:30pm ET
Age Range: Any level Description: Build your own 'quick puppet' and learn 28 techniques for Mister Rogers-style hand puppets. Great for beginners or puppeteers looking to brush up their skills. Materials: Toilet paper tube, 2 sheets of paper, tape, marker |
Judy Saves the Day! by Sarah Nolen of Puppet Motion (Show)
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 5pm-6pm ET
Age Range: All ages. Description: After being pushed around for over 400 years, the famous hand puppet heroine Judy has had enough! Cheer her on as she goes on a quest for respect, justice, and a well-deserved nap. This modern interpretation of the traditional "Punch and Judy" show is a hilarious, timely, hand-crafted farce that the whole family will enjoy! |
The Puppet Ice Cream Social
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When: Sunday, August 22 from 7pm-8pm ET
Age Range: All ages. Description: As part of the National Capital Puppetry Festival we're hosting a Puppet Ice Cream Social! Bring your puppets and match up with professional puppeteers to brush up on skills and have some fun. Notes: Bring your own puppet! |