Pro puppet builders will discuss the various types of mouth-plate construction with methods and benefits of each. (That's the bit that the puppeteer holds onto inside a puppet.) Ask questions!
Play around with other puppeteers on-camera & get in some practice doing improv & camera work in a group-setting. Come to play or just to watch the fun, it's up to you! Bring a puppet!
Description:
Extra time goofing around with an audience & watching seasoned pros perform is one of the best learning opportunities--but even if you're not interested in learning, it's great fun to watch puppeteers improvise with puppets on camera. Whether you choose to watch from the audience, or get up on stage alongside seasoned professionals, you won't regret spending your evening at Monitor playtime! Bring your own puppets or use ours. Bring a puppet!
Come connect with puppeteers from your area and around the country. Plus you can bring an unwanted puppet-themed item for the unwanted-puppet-stuff giveaway!
Description:
We can't wait to reunite with our puppetry fam & meet new people at this year's puppeteer social! This is a time for human puppeteers & those interested in the art of puppetry to socialize, talk shop, & connect. Feel free to bring any current work you want to talk about & we'll do our ever popular, unwanted-puppet-stuff giveaway!
Learn how to use puppets with professional puppeteer, Stacey Gordon! Have fun making your own practice puppet and then learn how to bring it to life in this super fun and interactive workshop!
Description:
This workshop is especially designed for kids and teens to learn how to puppeteer moving-mouth style puppets. Stacey Gordon has made & performed puppets for Mayfair Games, Etsy, The Phoenix Coyotes, and Barenaked Ladies (the band). Stacey has the honor of performing Julia on Sesame Street, and now she’s ready to teach and perform with you! Skills required: cutting paper with scissors, coloring, using tape and glue, holding your arm up for extended periods of time, isolating thumb movements (moving thumb separately from fingers)
Come sit and listen and let your imagination explore the wonder of some amazing stories. Professional voice actor Z. Briggs will read out loud some wonderful books making them fun and interactive!
Description:
Z. Briggs, the voice of Foley from the Sesame Street Podcast with Foley and Friends on Audible will read some amazing stories, making them fun and interactive. A wonderful family-friendly activity for your whole family to enjoy.
Learn to draw expressive characters from basic shapes to make dynamic and fun drawings! Draw along with Steve Troop & learn to bring this skill into puppetry design, cartoon illustration, or comics.
Description:
Professional cartoonist, Steve Troop, will lead you through drawing basic shapes and transforming them into dynamic characters for illustration, puppetry, and beyond! Draw along with Steve for your Saturday Morning Cartoons!
Silly Voices: Creating Characters in Puppetry & Animation
Summary:
In this delightfully goofy workshop, vocal artist Victor Yerrid will help you create memorable characters. You’ll talk, squawk, slurp, chirp, & sing, AND stretch your vocal cords to the max. Let’s go!
Description:
Creating rich, three-dimensional characters is a huge part of being a successful puppeteer and developing strong character voices is key. What starts as just a sound, phrase, or imitation can evolve into a beloved character that you will perform for years to come. Oftentimes, the only thing holding us back is ourselves. Our own inhibitions can keep us from reaching our full goofball potential or FGP, an acronym I made up while typing this sentence. And where better to let down your guard and find your FGP, than in a room full of cuckoo heads just like yourself. So come one, come all. Come puppeteers, voice performers, ice cream eaters, horse thieves, and anyone who loves to laugh. Let’s do some silly voices together and then go take over the world!
Puppeteer like the pros. Master Puppeteer Victor Yerrid will teach the essentials of monitor-style puppetry – lip-sync, eye focus, rod work, & full body movement. Highly interactive, limited spots!
Description:
From newbies to experienced-bies, everyone can learn to puppeteer like the pros. Have you ever wanted to learn to puppeteer? Guess what? You totally can! Performing puppets is a blast and it is my true belief that anyone can learn to do it. Remember Chef Auguste Gusteau’s best selling book Anyone Can Cook? From Ratatouille? OF COURSE you do! Well, this workshop is just like that except instead of making food you will be making delightful puppet shows. Also, there won’t be any rats on your head pulling your hair. Not real rats anyway. I can’t make any promises about puppet rats. So come have some FUN with us. Puppetry can be hard work at times, but if you aren’t having a good time then you are definitely doing something wrong. Let’s grab some puppets and goof around together. You know you wanna!
Puppeteer like the pros. Master Puppeteer Victor Yerrid will teach the essentials of monitor-style puppetry – lip-sync, eye focus, rod work, & full body movement. Highly interactive, limited spots!
Description:
From newbies to experienced-bies, everyone can learn to puppeteer like the pros. Have you ever wanted to learn to puppeteer? Guess what? You totally can! Performing puppets is a blast and it is my true belief that anyone can learn to do it. Remember Chef Auguste Gusteau’s best selling book Anyone Can Cook? From Ratatouille? OF COURSE you do! Well, this workshop is just like that except instead of making food you will be making delightful puppet shows. Also, there won’t be any rats on your head pulling your hair. Not real rats anyway. I can’t make any promises about puppet rats. So come have some FUN with us. Puppetry can be hard work at times, but if you aren’t having a good time then you are definitely doing something wrong. Let’s grab some puppets and goof around together. You know you wanna!
Z. Briggs of WonderSpark Puppets will teach an introductory course about hand puppetry technique. Each participant will receive their own puppet to take home!
Description:
Hand puppets can be an amazing tool for storytelling. Learn the basics of excellent hand puppet manipulation and performance from Z. Briggs of WonderSpark Puppets. Z. and her husband Chad Williams have been performing throughout New York City for over 12 years. For those interested in learning about puppetry, or honing their puppetry skills. All skill levels welcome. Each participant will receive their own customized puppet to take home!