11/28/2023 0 Comments Black puppeteers![]() ![]() That said, given the enormous amount of work involved, we vowed not to undertake another Halloween project until we had a proper sponsor. Even with a shoestring budget, the piece was a unique delight for all who attended. About 30 performers, designers, and alumni from our adult classes took part. In 2011, we created “Spooky Story Station,” a fantastical walk-through experience at the theater designed to enchant young Trick-or-Treaters. While we mostly focused on developing his solo touring shows and workshops over those years, we often found ourselves scheming about bigger creative projects that could tap into Brad’s talents as builder/designer and my experiences as a theatrical stage director. We also wanted to create employment opportunities for local puppeteers who were highly skilled but who weren’t necessarily interested in creating puppet shows on their own.īrad and I each had a thing for Halloween, and for highly interactive puppetry experiences. When I started at Puppet Showplace in 2010, puppeteer Brad Shur had just begun what would become an 8-year tenure. One of the highlights of my job has been working in support of our resident artists. Thank you to everyone who helped make these collaborations possible… grazie, merci, gracias, danke, תודה, and 谢谢 !īuilding Fantastical Worlds with Resident Artists (and Friends!) ![]() I hope that international collaborations continue, perhaps with new and exciting virtual formats, as they did this year for World Puppetry Day, when puppeteers from Mexico, Canada, and Japan all performed live in our virtual puppet slam. In 2018, we also hosted a month-long cross-cultural artist residency with Montreal’s Casteliers Festival, sending Boston-based artist Veronica Barron to Montreal while welcoming Montreal’s Caroline Bernier-Dionne to our theater. Since then, we’ve presented five additional companies from Québec ( Le Théâtre de Deux Mains, Des mots d'la dynamite, Puzzle Theater, Lost & Found Puppet Co., and most recently Théâtre des Petites Âmes, who performed Ogo in 2019). My first international presentation was in 2013, when Les Sages Fous (Québec) graced our stage with the magnificent Orphan Circus. Luckily, we have had many partners, including fellow cultural organizations and diplomats, who have helped make these presentations possible. At the same time, we participate in cultural ambassadorship by welcoming guest artists from around the world.Īs a relatively small organization, undertaking international presentations is incredibly daunting, made more difficult each year as visa requirements and travel expenses become more onerous. As New England’s puppetry center, we typically focus on showcasing work by artists from our region. While Puppet Showplace historically had only worked with performers who had completed full-length shows, I saw an acute need for us to support and invest in new works by local and emerging artists. Several extraordinary puppeteers were nearing retirement, but years of underinvestment in public arts funding, stagnant municipal budgets, and shrinking opportunities for in-school performances meant fewer artists were entering the field. When I started at Puppet Showplace, I realized that the theater had an impending “supply chain” problem. While every creative encounter made an impact on me, I wanted to share with you some of the projects and initiatives that have been most challenging, memorable, and definitive of my time at Puppet Showplace. I’m immensely proud of all that we’ve done together, of the connections we’ve made and the artistic expression we’ve enabled. After that, I hope to remain a friend, fan, and supporter for many years to come. My last official day at the theater will be June 30, 2021. After 11+ wonderful years as Puppet Showplace Theater’s Artistic Director, the time has come for me to pass the top hat to someone new. ![]()
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