This message comes from fellow SFBAPG members, Talib and Olivia Huff:

Here is information on the workshop that Talib and I have attended
for two years in lovely Morinesio, Italy.

>
>4th Annual Pageant Puppetry Workshop in Northern Italy!
>June 18-26, 2005
>Morinesio's Midsummer Pageant
>
>Join us for a one-week workshop in pageant puppetry, culminating in
>a community procession for the Summer Solstice and the Feast of St.
>John the Baptist. Collaborate with international participants and
>local residents to enact age-old traditions of ritual celebration in
>Morinesio, a remote village in the Piedmont region of the Italian >
>Alps.
>
>Master Puppeteers Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles will guide you
>through the production of the pageant. As a group, we will draw
>inspiration from the lives, history, and folktales of the village as
>we design and construct giant puppets, lanterns and musical
>instruments. At the end of the week, local villagers will join in
>helping bring our creations to life, for two events - an illuminated
>Midsummer's Night procession and a Pageant of the Solstice the
>following day.
>
>The workshop will be hosted by Christa Gaebler at Casa dei Fiori, a
>newly restored complex of traditional stone houses. An international
>chef, Christa will introduce participants to the delicate tastes of
>Italian summer cuisine, with gourmet meals prepared daily with
>fresh, local herbs, produce, and mountain cheeses.
>
>The workshop runs from Saturday June 18th to Sunday June 26th.
>The cost per person for the week is 1350 - 1850 Euros (depending on
>accommodations), and includes the following:
>
> * Workshop tuition and materials
> * Transfer from Bus/ Train station in Cuneo
> * Apartment in Casa dei Fiori or shared rooms w/shared bath
>in adjacent B&B * Daily traditional breakfast, lunch and
>dinner
> * Guided tour of local cheese farm
> * Bread-baking day at the village's communal oven
>
>*For current exchange rates from Euros to US Dollars, go to
>http://www.xe.com/ucc/
>
>*** Sign up by February 15th and get a 10% discount! ***
>
>
>For more information or to make a reservation, contact:
>
>Pia Petruzzi
>(212) 3five2.nine598
>pia superiorconcept dot org
>or visit our website (and see pictures of past workshops):
>www.superiorconcept.org/Morinesio