The April Newsletter for the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild is available for download on the guild website. http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter/archives/000332.html#more

Not to be missed items in the new Newsletter:
2 reviews/commentaries on the Black Light Theatre show at Marin Civic Center
Puppet shows for Elephants (article)
National (and Guild) Day of Puppetry (schedule of events)
Summer puppet events (three fun puppet festivals you can plan for now)
Upcoming guild meetings
Calendar of events
Color photos
AND DON'T FORGET TO SCROLL ALL THE WAY TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

This message comes from fellow SFBAPG members, Nick and Rose Barone:

Hello SFBAPG members,

Rose and Nick Barone are gathering puppetry related items for the
raffle at this year's Day of Puppetry on Saturday, April 23 at the San Leandro Library.

If you have a puppetry related item or items that you would like to donate,
please contact Nick and Rose Barone at 65O-365-8O7O or send an email to
nick nbpuppets dot com.

Your generous donations are greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Nick and Rose Barone

This message comes from former SFBAPG President, Sean Johnson:

Greetings Friends,

I will be performing on American Idol on FOX this Wednesday! I'm not
kidding - I was a suit performer and puppeteer for a music video/Ford
commercial that will play during the show. The video was shot this
Sunday at Paramount Studios, and it features large costumed characters
designed to look like the remaining contestants. I hope you can all
tune in for my network television debut!

Sean

P.S. This is unrelated to the Naked TV project I'm working on for FOX
Broadcasting which coincidentally has an American Idol theme.

http://www.swazzle.com Bringing Live Puppetry to You.

This messsage comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Tim Giugni:

Goldie Award winning puppeteer Liebe Wetzel will offer a workshop in her unique style of object manipulation on April 9 & 10, 2005 (10 - 4pm on Sat; noon - 4pm on Sun)

Limited public slots @ $150 public, $100 Dell'Arte & Circus Center alumni

Contact Chris at Circus Center 415-759-eight123 X811 or chris circuscenter dot org to reserve your place in this exciting workshop!

This message comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Lettie Schubert:

Opening at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco:

"Shadows, Masks, and Music: Aspects of the Performing Arts in Asia"
April 23, 2005 through January 22, 2006

The Museum's sampling of artworks and objects related to drama, dance and music. Instruments, masks and shadow puppets highlight both the entertaining and the transformative aspects of performing arts in Asia.

Hours - Tuesdays through Sundays - 10:00 am - 5 pm Thursday evenings until 9:00 pm. Admission $10 adults; $7 Seniors: $6 youths 12-17 and college; free to children under 12 and SFUSD students. Free to members. Located at 200 Larkin Street in San Francisco's Civic Center.

This message comes from the Director of the upcoming National Festival for the Puppeteers of America, Kurt Hunter:

___________________________________

PUPPET FEST 2005

July 24 - 30, 2005

St. Paul, Minnesota

If you haven't checked the website for the Puppeteers of America's 2005 national festival for a while, it's time to have a look at www.PuppetFest2005.org to see the latest exciting plans that are brewing.

Of special interest to aspiring (and experienced) writers is an intensive writing workshop led by Jerry Juhl, long time head writer for The Muppets. The details are below. Note that the submission deadline is April 22.

- Kurt Hunter, Festival Director

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY:

INTENSIVE WRITING FOR PUPPETS WORKSHOP WITH JERRY JUHL

"I've worked with genius performers. Sometimes they created great work with a bad script... but not often. Play it safe: write well."

-Jerry Juhl, writer for The Muppets

Join one of the leading talents behind decades of Muppet television specials, series and feature-length movies in a five-session intensive writing workshop. Focusing on helping writers with their current projects, Juhl will cover topics including: character, plot, theme, dialogue, spectacle and humor. Each participant will submit a work-in-progress that the group will discuss to identify specific strengths, problems and possible solutions. Juhl will select 10-12 participants based on the overall quality of the individual scripts and how the combination of scripts provide a diverse range of aspects for group discussion.

Submission Guidelines:

Please submit: Your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address; a 10-page typed excerpt of a script; a two- page description of your plans, hopes and goals for the finished piece, including any specific questions or problems you are having; a short bio paragraph discussing general experience.

Note: All levels of experience are encouraged to apply as the ideal final selection will include a mix of professionals, hobbyists, old hands and newcomers.

Submission deadline: We must receive your application and script by April 22, 2005. Participants will be notified by June 15, 2005.

Workshop Directors workshops alt="at"> puppetfest2005.org

(e-mail preferred)

or Shari Aronson, Workshop Coordinator, 3132-16th Ave. So., Minneapolis, MN 55407

Questions? Contact Shari Aronson workshops alt="at"> puppetfest2005 dot org

This message comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Herbert Lange:

Hi everybody,

I am writing you today because I might need your help - please see "thirdly"
for that. The next message, I promise, will be short enough again. Thanks
for your understanding.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to see the National Black Light Theatre
puppeteers from Prague this upcoming Saturday in San Rafael (3 p.m., Marin
Veterans' Memorial Auditorium) ...so sad about it, this theatre must be
great!!!
Would like to sell my ticket to anybody that is interested, so please e-mail
me or call at (415) 566-O416 (home) or (415) 37O-42O3.
First come, first serve.

Secondly, I need to cancel my "Little Red Riding Hood" puppet show that was
scheduled for April 6 at the Bernal Heights Library Branch in SF.
Sorry, will be in Germany for a couple of days.
Thirdly, hope that you can all make it to THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS at the
"Live Worms" (cool name, right?) art gallery, 1345 Grant Avenue, San
Francisco, on Sunday, April 17, 2005, at 3 p.m.
In addition to the puppets, the audience will enjoy a drummer and his
stories. This event is a tsunami-fundraiser, so please spread the word.
And here comes my "cry for help":
I need to go to Germany to take care of some very important and superurgent
personal business...in case I need to stay longer than April 16 (worst case
scenario), would there be any puppeteer willing and ready to fill in on
April 17?
Hope, this is not going to happen.

Will know for sure on April 7.

Please contact me, if some of you could set up "an emergency show" for the
good cause.
Thanks in advance for your great support.
Cheers for now in spite of all the rain!

Herbert

Hello SFBAPG members,

Another person in our group needs to sell her ticket to the Black Light Theatre of Prague. She has a great seat. The show is this Saturday at the Marin Center. 3 PM

Email me if you want a single ticket. Great seat!

Mary Decker
marydeck earthlink dot net

This message comes from Michael Nelson, SFBAPG Newsletter Editor:

Since we have to leave for Utah on the 29th, I want to get the newsletter done before I go (so basically FINISH it the Sunday after the guild meeting.) So I am ready for:

Calendar listings
Upcoming Guild meeting writeups
Presidents' messages
Responses to Guild newsletter forum: Puppet Violence: Have Times Changed? (from the March newsletter)
Guild classifieds
Puppet Horror Stories (or fantastic stories)
Articles & Reviews
Commentaries
Any guild business that needs sharing
Letters to the Editor

Thanks, Michael

Dear SFBAPG members,

If you are going to see the National Black Theater of Prague show on Saturday, March 26, and if you want to join the group for dinner afterwards, please email me and let me know that you want a dinner reservation. I need to submit a head count to the restaurant.

Black Light Performance: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Performers talk to us: 5:15-ish to ??
Dinner: 6:30 to whenever

We will be eating at Strawberry Joe's Cafe, located 1.1 miles north of the Marin Center. We have a semi-private room and dinner prices are relatively inexpensive. In order to get the discounted group rate on dinners (and to make the job easier for the restaurant), Strawberry Joe's is offering us a choice of five entrees -- fish, beef, two pastas (one vegetarian, one meat), and chicken. Mixed vegetables, a good-sized salad, and dessert will be included. (Dessert -- Did you hear that?! Tiramisu, cheesecake....)

The price range for a complete (COMPLETE) dinner will be approximately $12 if you want the pasta to $16 if you want the beef -- plus drink, tax and tip.

PLEASE let me know right away if you are planning to come to dinner. After I get your dinner reservation, I will email you the exact menu, exact prices, and take your entree order.

Email me now about dinner!

Thanks,

Mary Decker
marydeck earthlink dot net

This message comes from fellow SFBAPG member (and webmaster), Matt Baume:

Hello,
A local filmmaker posted on tribe.net that they're looking for a puppeteer to create a wolf character. Seemed like the sort of thing that someone in the guild might be able to help out with:

http://sanfrancisco.tribe.net/listing/3f77db39-509e-4c54-9445-9fdaa4dbc484?tribeid=969b8502-e2a6-45a9-864c-4121c26b90bd

John Rackham of Rogues Yarn will be coming in from England bringing
his Fringe Festival show with him.

John has translated and adapted a French story called The Werewolf by
Boris Vian. It's the story of a wolf who is bitten by a werewolf (in
human form) and on the full moon spends the day as a human man.

John is interested in portraying the wolf in puppet form. The size of
an actual wolf, locomotion would be by an actor in blacks. (himself or
the puppet maker)

He is looking for an inexpensive way to make this work. Your ideas,
requirements, cost, can be sent to John directly at
johnrackham roguesyarn dot com

There isn't a large budget for this. Supplies would be paid for and a
cut of the door.

If you are a Puppeteer and would like to impart your wisdom or are
interested in being cast, John would like to discuss ways to make this
work.

We will be casting other roles for this production in San Francisco.
Roles and dates to be posted. There will also be an extension of this
production after the Fringe Festival at The Dark room Theatre. Length
of extension to be determined. Head shots and stats can be sent
directly to John.

John Rackham
johnrackham roguesyarn dot com

Ty Mckenzie
ty darkroomsf dot com

This message comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Elisheva Hart:

"The Draft," an original theatre piece describing one man's experiences with the draft and combat in Vietnam, opens Wednesday, March 16, at Sonoma State University. The play, performed in complete silence, is a collaborative effort of the actors, designers and technical students at the university and guest director Liebe Wetzel, and examines themes of loss, duty and patriotism.

It will be presented at 7:30 p.m. nightly through March 20 at the Evert B. Person Theatre. Tickets art $8 general, $6 for faculty, alumni and staff, and $4 for students and seniors. The Evert B. Person Theatre is on the Sonoma State university campus in Rohnert Park. Call 707-664-2353.

The photo shows a pair of army trousers ending in a pair of combat boots, marching up steps, followed by a smaller figure of a poncho, combat boots and an army helmet. The caption reads, PUPPETRY IN MOTION: Sonoma State University presents "Draft," one man's experience told through puppets and household items.

This announcement comes from the Vice President of Puppeteers of America, Karen Backes:

Puppeteers of America has a new Membership Director, Monica Leo, who plans to serve until the summer national festival. We will be advertising for a permanent person to take over, and details will be in the Playboard and Puppetry Journal. MEMBERSHIP OFFICER Monica Leo PO Box 330 West Liberty, IA 52776 (888) 56eight-6235 membership puppeteers dot org

This comes from Shae Uisna, a Puppeteers of America member who lives in Portland, OR:
3 Performers Wanted for "Three from Elee: An Underwater Shadow Puppet Ballet"

Male: Shadow Puppeteer, plus ensemble bunraku-style (masked) puppetry, audio/visual skills, Spanish, Italian or Greek accent required for character.

Female: Shadow Puppeteer, plus ensemble bunraku-style (masked) puppetry, a/v skills.

Female: Dancer (some Balinese Dance helpful), plus ensemble bunraku-style (masked) puppetry, a/v skills.

Performers must be able to move/think quickly, work well with others, be able to perform several tasks in quick succession, and assist with technical aspects of the performance (i.e. pitch in and run/move lights, cue cd-player, etc.)

INTEREST, ENTHUSIASM AND A WILLINGNESS TO PLAY/EXPERIMENT are more important than experience.
All serious inquiries welcome!
Title of Performance: "Three from Elee: An Underwater Shadow Puppet Ballet"
What/Where: Performance will be a part of the Art Beat Festival at the Sylvania Campus, Portland Community College
When: 4 Rehearsals on weekends + 1 final tech/dress rehearsal, schedule to be announced. Performance & Talkback on Tuesday, May 10th, 10:00 - 11:00 am.
$: Paid honorarium.
Description: "In Indonesian tradition, the important events and transitions of life are celebrated within the wayang: a highly sophisticated puppet theatre. In the tradition of wayang, director/designer Shae Uisna uses Indonesian-inspired shadow puppetry and masked dance to tell a story about death, memory, and the psychic and mythic forces that dwell within our pain."
Artist Bio:
Shae Uisna ("Wish-na"), a former Fulbright Scholar to Indonesia and graduate student in theatre from the University of California at Santa Cruz, directs Shadow Dancer Studios out of Portland, OR. Uisna has been a frequent guest lecturer in Indonesian Wayang Golek (puppet theater) and Topeng (masked dance) at universities in Oregon and California. Last spring, Uisna taught a class entitled "The Secret Life of Puppets" at the University of Portland and, in the summer of 2004, she received a fellowship through the "Emerging Artists Program" at the Eugene OíNeill Puppetry Conference in Waterford, CT, to direct "Songs from the Three-Penny Opera."

Contact: Shae Uisna, Director Shadow Dancer Studios:
dancer ateliergallery dot com
5O3-286-4nine59

The SFBAPG's annual Day of Puppetry will be held at the San Leandro Main Library on April 23. There will be workshops, performances, a raffle and..... tah dah..... a PUPPETRY STORE.

Please contact Mary Decker if you are interested in selling your puppet-related wares through the Store. Email: marydeck earthlink dot net . Phone: 650-36one-131O. You will need to fill out an inventory submission form in advance. Preference is for NEW items, but old or used stuff will be considered.

Keep in mind that this Store will cater to a few puppeteers and librarians, but mostly to families from the public.

As of now, the Store inventory includes:

Folkmanis puppets (lots of 'em)
Peepers
Tons of really cheap finger puppets and other puppet kitsch from the
Oriental Trading Company
Festival t-shirts
Small number of puppet videos & DVDs
Books from the PofA Puppetry Store

Come Early! Stay Late!

Here are special events which will take place right before and after the Puppeteers of America national festival which runs July 24 through July 30 in St. Paul, Minnesota. How to sign up: Send the Festival Registrar the name of the event(s) and the names of those who will be attending. Full payment must be made by June 1st.

Saturday Evening July 23
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

By a happy coincidence, the touring company of the Little Shop of Horrors will be in the Twin Cities, finishing its run just before the Festival begins.

We've reserved a block of tickets. Cost will be $80 per person, which includes transportation to the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis.

This event is open to Festival registrants, on a first come/first served basis.

You should plan your arrival on campus so your registration process can be completed in time to leave for the theater. The show is at 8 PM, and the buses will leave Concordia about 7 PM. You will need to opt for an extra night of lodging at Concordia - July 23.

Saturday, July 30
DAY TRIP TO BAIRD EXHIBIT

Take a short trip to Mason City, Iowa to see the MacNider Museum's permanent display of Baird Marionettes. Bil Baird called Mason City one of his home towns, and arranged for the Museum to have more than 300 of his marionettes, including the original puppets used in The Sound of Music.

Travel will be by chartered bus (about 2 1/2 hours each way). Cost: $35. Includes transportation and a lunch in Mason City.

This event is open to Festival registrants, on a first come/ first served basis.

Planning tip: We expect the bus to be back to Concordia University by 6 PM. If you wish to take this day trip, you will be able to extend your stay in the dorm through Saturday night, July 30.

Go to the festival web site http://www.puppetfest2005.org to get more information and to register.

The next SFBAPG meeting is Saturday, March 26. We will attend the National Black Light Theatre of Prague performance at 3:00 p.m. and meet the performers. The Guild will gather as a group afterwards for dinner and discussion. Stay tuned for the location of our afterglow meeting! Call or email Mary Decker if you have questions: 650-361-131O or marydeck earthlink dot net.

There are still good tickets available in the Dress Circle: $32 & $28 for adults. $18 for students.

* * * * *

National Black Light Theatre of Prague
Fantasy Travellers
Saturday, March 26, 3 p.m.

Seeing is not necessarily believing when it comes to "black light" theatre, but the National Black Light Theatre of Prague elevates the art to such heights that you will question what is real and what is illusion. In their premiere Marin Center performance and only Bay Area appearance, the National Black Light Theatre of Prague brings their all-new production of Fantasy Travellers, inspired loosely by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Jonathon Swift's Gulliver's Travels. Using black-on-black tricks to fool the human eye, actors appear to fly, shrink or even disappear in full view of the audience. The actors' performances are linked to widescreen projections, oversized puppets, black light animation, computer generated effects and fantastic magical tricks. Perfect for the entire family!

Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium
$32, $28, (Students 18 & Under $18)
To purchase tickets call the Marin Center Box Office 415.499.6800
Order tickets online from Ticketmaster.com, if you enjoy getting a 300% markup

This comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Mary Decker:

Watch Gonzo fly! This game is fun. Click on the dials until you get familiar with it and then go to town.

http://muppets.go.com/games/muppets-flyinggonzo.html

This message comes from Debbie Lutzky Allen, one of the coordinators for the PuppetFest MidWest:

Every year, for one week in July, a group of puppeteers get together to share their expertise and their passion for live puppet theatre. PuppetFest MidWest (July 12 - 17, 2005 in Trenton, Missouri) is an independent annual puppetry festival that is presented, organized and financially supported by puppeteers as a gift to other puppeteers in the hope that it will inspire, strengthen and renew our commitment to Puppet Theatre. Wouldn't you like to join us? We have workshops every day and performances every night. Everyone spends a total of twenty hours (during the week) studying one aspect of live puppet theatre. At the end of the week, we have a "show and tell" recital where everyone performs or displays what they have created during these intensive sessions. This year's workshops include:

"POLYFOAM PUPPETS THE FOAM BOOK WAY" with Drew Allison of Grey Seal Puppets, North Carolina
Design, build and learn to manipulate your own polyfoam hand and rod puppet.

"THE PLOT THICKENS" with Luman Coad of Coad Canada Puppets, British Columbia, Canada
Learn the basics of dramatic structure as you write and revise your own script.

"NEEDLE FELTED HAND PUPPETS" with Pam Corcoran, Wisconsin
Create your own needle felted hand puppet and work in a group to present a number of short vignettes by the end of the week using your newly constructed hand puppets.

"MARIONETTE DESIGN ON PAPER" with Phillip Huber of The Huber Marionettes, Tennessee
Cover the basics of marionette design including body structure, jointing and stringing. Take your concept for your marionette character from initial idea and mental visualization to a complete drafted drawing with patterns.

"TABLETOP BUNRAKU" with Lynne Jennings, California
Make a simple tabletop puppet and create a series of short performance pieces, ready to perform by the end of the week.

"ROD PUPPETRY" with Paul Mesner of Paul Mesner Puppets, Missouri
Build your own rod puppets, learn to manipulate them and create a short performance piece, ready to perform by the end of the week.

"SHADOW PUPPETRY" with Jim Napolitano of Nappy's Puppets, Connecticut
Construct your own shadow screen, shadow puppets and short performance pieces that will be ready to perform by the end of the week.

Contact information:
PuppetFest MidWest Directors, Peter Allen & Debbie Lutzky Allen
PO Box 14, Jamesport, MO 64648
Phone (66O) 684-6825
www.puppetfestival.org

Hear ye! Hear ye! Ladies and Gentlemen of the SFBAPG!

Your March 2005 newsletter is now on line and waiting for you to print! Let's hear it for Michael Nelson, our illustrious newsletter editor, and Matt Baume, our fabulous web master!! Three cheers!

Hip hip HOORAY! Hip hip HOORAY! Hip hip HOORAY!

Please go to http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter/archives/000289.html#more and check it out! After you click on March newsletter and download it, just print the seven pages and you're ready to face the challenges of the puppet world for the month of March.

Let's hear it for saving trees and stamps and volunteer labor! Yeah!

-Mary Decker

keywords: champagne, party blowers, little pointy party hats, salvation, relief

This comes from fellow SFBAPG member, Tim Giugni:

Goldie Award winning puppeteer Liebe Wetzel will offer a workshop in her unique style of object manipulation on April 9 & 10, 2005 (10am to 4pm on Sat; noon to 4pm on Sun)

Limited public slots @ $150 public, $100 Dell'Arte & Circus Center alumni.

Contact Chris at Circus Center 415-759-8123 X811 or chris circuscenter dot org to reserve your place in this exciting workshop!