NATIONAL CAPITAL PUPPETRY FESTIVAL
Thank you!
The National Capital Puppetry Festival was a great success, and it wouldn't have been the same without attendees like you! Until then, you can still join the Guild to attend our bi-monthly meetings, workshops, and be part of a supportive community of artists and puppetry lovers!
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21ST
Friday, Aug 21st: 3-4:30pm ET
Justin Laughter: Protecting Your Content - Basics of Copyright Law
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for Artists and Creators
Copyright protects original works of authorship fixed in a tangible form. In other words, copyright protects content (e.g., puppets, photographs, writings, code, paintings, music, video, etc.). Learn the basics of copyright creation, ownership, duration, protection, licensing, and enforcement. In particular, we will discuss copyright in the context of live streaming and online usage.
Friday, Aug 21st: 5-6pm ET
Marketing Panel with panelists: Art Gruenberger, Brenda Huggins, Kat Pleviak, Adam Kreutinger, and Heidi Rugg.
(PANEL)
Recommended for Artists and Creators
Have marketing questions? So do we! Join with our Panelists to discuss the challenges and solutions for marketing strategies during this time of crisis.
Friday, Aug 21st: 8-9pm ET
The National Capital Puppet Slam
(SHOW)
Recommended for All Ages
An exciting evening of short-form puppet theater produced by the National Capital Puppetry Guild with support from The Puppet Slam Network. 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 New York and Mexico. The Slam will feature: Dirk Joseph's String Theory Theater (Baltimore), Schroeder Cherry (Baltimore), Michael Lamason (Baltimore), Matt-a-Magical (Takoma Park, MD), Marianne Ross (Bethesda, MD), Emily Schubert (Baltimore), The Stringpullers (Ithaca, NY), and Paradox Teatro (Mexico).
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22nd
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 9-10am ET
Saturday Morning Puppet Shows!
(SHOW)
Recommended for All Ages
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 hosted by internationally acclaimed puppet duo and NCPG members, Alex and Olmsted!
Featuring the extraordinary talents of the Guild's region: String Theory Theater (Baltimore), Schroeder Cherry (Baltimore), Kathy Fahey (Baltimore), Valeska Maria Populoh (Baltimore), Beech Tree Puppets (Greenbelt, MD), and Alex and Olmsted (Takoma Park, MD) . Tuning in from across the US and beyond are Hobey Ford (North Carolina) and David Stephens (Atlanta) and International guest artists Paradox Teatro (Mexico) with their piece “La Aventura del Pingüino.”
This program is FREE to the public and although Festival registration is highly encouraged, it is not required to attend this event.
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 11am-12:30pm ET
Mindy Early: A Window into Trauma, the Brain, and Beliefs
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for Ages 15+
Any artist working in community settings will encounter young people who have been impacted by trauma. Now more than ever, it is important for artists working with youth to have a sound understanding of how trauma effects learning. In this workshop, we will introduce you to the neuroscience of the relationship between trauma and learning.
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 1-2:30pm ET
Fagner Gastaldon: Teatro Lambe Lambe "Theatre for one"
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for Ages 12+
A unique and detailed talk and demonstration about the Brazilian puppetry art form of Teatro Lambe Lambe including the history of this modern puppetry movement, primary techniques of performance and tips on making micro puppets and performing in Lambe Lambe shows, especially pertinent today because they are small, sustainable, and easily transported.
Teatro Lambe Lambe is essentially a form of puppetry or shape animation originating from Brazil, that takes place inside a confined but easily transportable space, usually a box placed on a tripod that normally one spectator would watch at a time. Each play or show is traditionally short, usually two to three minutes in length and a whole variety of techniques and tricks are used within these miniature theatres to offer spectators the full variety of puppet art, just on a smaller scale.
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 3-4:30pm ET
Puppetry 101: A Puppetry Playshop with Aretta Baumgartner (Workshop)
Recommended for All Ages
Puppets have been used to tell stories since theatre began, and can be found everywhere from stage to screen. Puppetry celebrates all aspects of our craft and is a “must-have” skill on every resume! Learn about puppets from all over the world, dive into actor-to-puppeteer exercises and discover the basics needed to bring ANY puppet to life! NOTE: this session is a great example of how to transition from live teaching to videoconferencing/online teaching: to present in an engaging and vibrant way that avoids the static "taking head" syndrome!
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 4:30-6pm ET
Symposium on Puppetry and Social Justice #1:
Healing Our Brands. Honoring Mr. Bruce Cannon
VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP (PANEL)
All Ages are Welcome, but This is More of an Adult Conversation
Suggested donations of $25.00 (plus service and transaction fees) will support diversity and inclusion in the field of puppetry. Your tax-deductible donations will fund memberships in Puppeteers of America and UNIMA-USA, scholarships to attend regional and national festivals, as well as professional development and training workshops.
The “Healing Our Brands” symposium will feature BIPOC panelists and puppeteers. Panelists will:
· examine the role the arts can play in healing trauma
· offer practical strategies for puppeteers to promote and market their own personal brands, and
· provide tools for educators to present puppetry as a celebration of Black image and culture.
The symposium will conclude by celebrating the life and career of Bruce Cannon who has served as the Artistic
Director of the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater since 1997.
Starting from the literal branding in the flesh that marked enslaved Africans as commodity objects rather than human beings, African Americans were systematically stripped of the power to control their own image. From the mid-nineteenth through the mid-twentieth century, blackface material characters such as lawn jockeys, mechanical Jolly N banks, and Aunt Jemima cookie jars perpetuated the negative branding of Black people as performing objects. The one distinct element of all African American object performance is the drive to heal this trauma by animating positive and authentic avatars of Black experience. The first symposium in our series on Puppetry and Social Justice will therefore focus on healing psychological wounds and social stigmas through puppetry.
Saturday, Aug 22nd: 8-9pm ET
Potpourri: OPEN MIC NIGHT!
Recommended for All Ages
The Potpourri is an open mic for puppeteers to share 1-2 minutes of material. It can be new, it can be old, it can be fun, it can be bold! However, we do request that the material stay family-friendly. You must sign up ahead of time!
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23RD
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 9-10am ET
Re-Run of Saturday Morning Puppet Shows!
Recommended for All Ages
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 hosted by internationally acclaimed puppet duo and NCPG members, Alex and Olmsted!
Featuring the extraordinary talents of the Guild's region: String Theory Theater (Baltimore), Schroeder Cherry (Baltimore), Kathy Fahey (Baltimore), Valeska Maria Populoh (Baltimore), Beech Tree Puppets (Greenbelt, MD), and Alex and Olmsted (Takoma Park, MD) . Tuning in from across the US and beyond are Hobey Ford (North Carolina) and David Stephens (Atlanta) and International guest artists Paradox Teatro (Mexico) with their piece “La Aventura del Pingüino.”
This program is FREE to the public and although Festival registration is highly encouraged, it is not required to attend this event.
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 11am-12:30pm ET
Conni Mulligan: Green Screen in Miniature (Tabletop)
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for All Ages
Traditional Green Screen Movie Making can be overwhelming involving setup, equipment and even software. Thanks to the iPad, we can bring this editing process down to a manageable size for use in the classroom. The smaller scale also provides for quick and easy setup/breakdown of equipment and supplies when you have multiple classes or limited space in your classroom.
For more information check out Conni's site HERE
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 1-2:30pm ET
Katherine Fahey of The Lantern Sisters: Pocket Crankies!
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for Adults. May include Kids with Adult Supervision
I will demonstrate and guide participants through making matchbox crankies and crankies from household items in a limited space. This includes making the housing (or box), proscenium, and scroll. Students will leave with a basic knowledge of how crankies are made. This fundamental, small scale project can stand on it's own or be a prototype for a larger crankie or moving drop. Handout will include information on crankie resources, materials, and websites.
Supplies needed:
Small matchbox
3 sheets of 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper
Glue for use on paper (glue stick or yes paste dry fast)
Card stock or a cereal box ( 4x4 inches is plenty)
A pencil, markers, pens, and or colored pencils
A craft knife (X-acto or other brand)
Scissors
Optional- a short story, poem, limerick, haiku, or song you like
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 3-4:30pm ET
Kat Pleviak: Constructing a Multipart Shadow Puppet
(WORKSHOP)
Recommended for Ages 13+
Make a shadow puppet of your favorite cryptozoological creature.
Participants will learn to make a jointed puppet constructed for easy & fluid movement.
Don’t rely on grainy, out of focus, photos to prove what you saw in the wilderness. Show people what’s what with a shadow puppet of that mythical monster. I’m sorry, I mean that very real animal you know exists. This class will teach participants how to construct a durable, multi-part puppet that exhibits smooth, deliberate, & engaging movement.
Students will be provided a PDF pattern & materials list. Everything you need can be found at a craft/office supply store or on amazon. You probably have most of it already at home. The class will be recorded & video made available to participants, so if you don’t have everything you need you can make it later.
Supplies needed:
Black poster board
Brads (paper fasteners)
Xacto knife/blades & cutting mat
Clear tape
Craft wire
Wire cutters
2 wire coat hangers or bamboo skewers.
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 5-6pm ET
The Perils of Mr. Punch by Modern Times Theater
(Show)
Recommended for All Ages
This updated classic follows the troubles and travails of puppetry’s favorite
loudmouth, Mr. Punch. Nothing ever goes right– his dog looks suspiciously like a skunk, his baby doesn’t behave, and crocodiles appear around every corner. Currently Mr. Punch is being harassed by a sneezing virus! The skillfully operated hand puppets are made of garbage and up-cycled material, and are chock full of surprises and tricks, as is the elaborate stage.
The show is rounded out with live music played on a variety of instruments, from the cornet to the bicycle pump. It’s a low-tech old-time spectacle, entertaining to children of all ages: from one to one hundred.
Sunday, Aug 23rd: 7-8pm ET
Puppet Ice Cream Social!
Recommended for All Ages
As part of the National Capital Puppetry Festival we are hosting a Puppet Ice Cream Social! Bring your puppets and match up with professional puppeteers to brush up on skills and have some fun.