Next SFBAPG meeting is Saturday, June 25, 2005 at 4PM

A special tour of "Puppets from Around the World" at the S.F. Museum
of Craft and Folk Art, conducted by none other than the legendary
puppet collector himself, Alan Cook. This fascinating exhibit
features over 60 puppets from the Alan Cook Collection in Los
Angeles. Following the museum tour, we will walk across the passenger
bridge to Building C, Room 205 where Alan will present a 35-minute
slide survey of more of his vast collection, and he will talk briefly
about the Conservatory of Puppetry Arts (COPA) in Pasadena.

We will gather at the Museum at 4 PM and begin the tour at 4:15. If
you cannot come for the tour, you're welcome to join us at 5:30 PM in
Building C, Room 205 for Alan's slide presentation.

This is a reception for Alan Cook, as well as a Guild meeting! Also,
hopefully there will be some newcomers who have discovered the event
through the newspapers. Please BRING SNACKS or DINNER-TYPE FOODS!
Let's make this a party! (Drinks will be provided.)

Location: Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco's Fort Mason
Center, Bldg. A (next door to Green's Restaurant)
The entrance to Fort Mason is at the intersection of Marina Boulevard
and Buchanan Street, in the Marina District.

*********

Driving Directions
From East Bay
Bay Bridge to Fremont Street Exit; on Fremont (100 yards north) take
first right on Howard; left on Embarcadero and go 2 miles; left on
Bay and go 2 miles; right on Buchanan. Cross Marina Boulevard and
turn sharp right into Fort Mason Center.

From North Bay
Golden Gate Bridge (US 101) to Marina Exit; Marina Boulevard (1.5
miles) to Buchanan and turn left into Fort Mason Center.

From Peninsula/South Bay
US 101 North to 9th Street Exit; 9th across Market and left on Hayes;
right on Franklin; left on Bay; right on Buchanan. Cross Marina
Boulevard and sharp right into Fort Mason Center. An alternative
route, usually with less traffic: US 280 onto 19th Street; go through
Golden Gate Park; take Marina exit; drive along the Marina Green;
turn left into Fort Mason Center (across from Safeway).

Muni Lines To or Near Fort Mason Center
#10 Townsend, #22 Fillmore, #28 - 19th Avenue, #30 Stockton, #47 Van
Ness, #49 Van Ness/Mission, #82x Presidio/Wharves Express.

August 1-7, the final week of KO FESTIVAL OF PERFORMANCE in Amherst,
Massachusetts, U.S.A. will be devoted to WORLD PUPPET WEEK!

WORKSHOP
August 1-6
SHADOW PUPPETRY: bringing shadows into the light
with Arlyn Award winner WENDY MORTON
This workshop explores dramatic storytelling through shadows and
light projections. Shadow theatre has changed dramatically since the
days before electricity. Advanced technology has given us lighting
that can project sharp shadows on a screen in large scale. The
performer must coordinate three elements: the light, the puppet and
the space from the screen. We will practice traditional shadow
puppetry movement to find subtlety and simplicity in expression. We
will take a look at our own shadows, exploring how good and evil are
viewed in our culture and how those values are reflected in our
stories. To create stories on the screen we will employ modern film
techniques and explore theatrical shadow images through
improvisation. Workshop participants should bring a poem or song
containing shadow imagery. Wendy Morton is a master puppeteer based
in San Francisco whose work has been funded by the Jim Henson
Foundation. She has been a frequent collaborator with Larry Reed's
ShadowLight Productions.

PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY, August 5th at 8 p.m. ONE NIGHT ONLY!
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE by Bertolt Brecht
Ralph Lee's Mettawee River Company of New York
A visit from our annual favorites with their new abridged version of
Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE, which was based on a
13th century Chinese play. They both contain echoes of King Solomon's
demonstration of wisdom in devising a test to determine the true
mother of a contested baby. In Brecht's play a peasant girl rescues
an abandoned child of noble parents in a time of upheaval. The girl
protects the child through many serious and comic adventures. When
the noble mother tries to reclaim the child in order to gain an
inheritance, the resulting dispute is brought before an eccentric
judge, who manages to hand down an outrageous but just decision.
There will be a company of six actors playing multiple roles. The
production will incorporate masks, puppetry and costumes, with a live
original musical score composed by Neal Kirkwood. Ralph Lee will
design and direct the production, with costumes by Casey Compton.

An all-ages event, outdoors on the Amherst College Observatory Lawn
off of Snell Street. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and insect
repellant, but leave the pets at home.
Adults $6.00, Children $4.00 No reservations necessary.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 6-7 at 1 p.m. and 3p.m.
at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
BOY IN A BARREL
Devised and directed by Miguel Romero, freely based on Alexander
Pushkin's Russian fairy tale The Tale of Tsar Saltan
A swan with magic powers, a vengeful bumblebee, a golden hero, and a
lady pirate share the puppet stage in Boy in a Barrel, a rollicking
fairy tale for all ages. The story tells of love, betrayal, and
good-natured revenge when the King marries one of two sisters before
going off to war. The Queen's evil sister switches letters and leads
the King to believe that the Queen and their baby son have died. In
fact, the jealous sister has cast a spell that turns her sister into
a swan and spirited the baby boy, destined to be the Kingdom's hero,
into a barrel that is dumped into the sea. Swan and boy end up on an
island where they hilariously turn the tables on the evil sister, who
has determined to marry the King herself.

The production features table-top, rod, and shadow puppets in
colorful Russian costumes and will accompanied by rousing music and
mock Russian sea chanties.

Adults: $7:00 Children $5:00.

THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A DISPLAY ON PUPPETS AROUND
THE WORLD, INCLUDING MATERIALS FROM EGYPT AND GREECE. IF YOU WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE YOU WORK CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION, PLEASE CONTACT
SABRINA HAMILTON AT Sabrina kofest dot com

FOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER WORKSHOPS ON "BIOGRAPHICAL THEATRE,"
"STORYTELLING," OR "CLOWNING" OR FOR OUR OTHER PRODUCTION LISTINGS
VISIT WWW.KOFEST.COM or call (413) 427-6147.

THE BOX OFFICE FOR ALL PRODUCTIONS OPENS JULY 11. (413) 542-2277

[From Moderator: Please note that this is an independent festival.]

Could you post the updated schedual with direction? Thank you, Fredricka

Lost Coast Puppet Feast
May 27th, 28th, and 29th Petrolia and Eureka CA.

A weekend retreat for puppeteers, puppet watchers, puppet lovers, and
the puppet obsessed. A one-of-a-kind opportunity to see puppet
performances, learn about puppetry, and enjoy great food and camping
in the beautiful Mattole River valley.

See a contemporary adaptation of "Dr. Faustis" in the style of Greek
shadow comedy (with a Humboldt twist). See the world's premier ukulele
playing ventriloquist puppet and his unique form of new vaudeville.
See celebrity puppets in embarrassing situations. See yourself having
a great time. See incredible works of art made out of garbage. Be
ready for some surprises too.

Schedule:

Fri. May 27th at A.W. Way Campground

Meet and greet at the campground

Sat. May 28th at the Mattole Valley Grange (right next to the campground)

10am-3pm Workshops:
Puppet Construction: Casting, Cardboard, Soft-Sculpture, Foam-Patterning
How to Make a Living as a Puppeteer
Writing for the Puppet Theatre

3pm Family Puppet Making Workshop FREE!
4pm Family Show
Shoe Box Puppets: Cucko and Grandma
JJ Trinket's Double Jointed Festival Series: Love Sick Sea Tale I
The Bobby Burns with Binky the Chicken

6pm PUPPET FEAST (eating food not puppets).
8pm Adult Puppet Performances
Humboldt Shadows: epic shadow comedy
JJ Trinket's Double Jointed Festival Series: Love Sick Sea Tale II
Fight of the Century
Mr. Mojo's Magical Puppet Troupe

Sun. May 29th

9am Breakfast at the grange
Round table discussion on the future of puppetry
10am-noon workshops continue
Enjoy nature
See the Kinetic Sculpture Race
7pm Puppet Cabaret:
at the Soma Olam art space in Eureka
(W. 3rd St. Between A St. and Commercial).
Skeleton Woman
Bruce Marrs: Puppet Pantomime
Jane Chen: The Chinese Clown Cabaret
Cookies and Yogurt
The Naked Puppeteers: The Consultation
JJ Trinket's Double Jointed Festival Series: Dr. Chain's Magic Show
Mumblesticks

Weekend pass(includes all shows, workshops and food!) $65.

From 101 take Honey Dew Exit, go west on Mattole Rd. through Humboldt
Redwood St. Park. At Honey Dew Go to your Right on Mattole Rd. Towards
Petrolia. A. W. Way Camp Ground and Mattole Grange will be on your
left.

Questions call Fredrika Lamphere (707) 445-58five3 or
email her at firecircus hotmail dot com

Was surfing television stations on Friday evening May 20th when I happened upon Disney Muppet's Wizard of Oz in progress. A very different version from any other I have seen, but I thought is was mostly fun and great to see favorite Muppets. It would be enjoyed by Muppet fans, but perhaps not by admirers of L. Frank Baum. One quick shot of an audience of humans caught Dave Goelz sitting laughing. Gonzo was the tin man, Fozzie Bear was the cowardly Lion, Ashanti the singer was a human Dorothy. Toto was no longer a dog, but was played by Animal as a semi-human; the Scarecrow was no one else but Kermit. Dorothy's uncle and aunt were humans played by Latifah and David Alan Grier. The Munchkins were played by the Muppet Rats, and Statler and Waldorf were nasty villains. Wish I'd known about this earlier, but how would we have found out? Only if some member is an avid Muppet fan who checks all the online listings and lets us know.. Wonder if
it will be shown again. Various websites only gave the 20th as the ABC
Disney showing. It was shown at a Tribeca film festival. It will probably be available on DVD soon but is not available at the moment. Also wonder if it will play movie houses. Reviews were mixed.

Lettie

August 1-7, the final week of KO FESTIVAL OF PERFORMANCE in Amherst,
Massachusetts, U.S.A. will be devoted to WORLD PUPPET WEEK!

WORKSHOP
August 1-6
SHADOW PUPPETRY: bringing shadows into the light
with Arlyn Award winner WENDY MORTON
This workshop explores dramatic storytelling through shadows and
light projections. Shadow theatre has changed dramatically since the
days before electricity. Advanced technology has given us lighting
that can project sharp shadows on a screen in large scale. The
performer must coordinate three elements: the light, the puppet and
the space from the screen. We will practice traditional shadow
puppetry movement to find subtlety and simplicity in expression. We
will take a look at our own shadows, exploring how good and evil are
viewed in our culture and how those values are reflected in our
stories. To create stories on the screen we will employ modern film
techniques and explore theatrical shadow images through
improvisation. Workshop participants should bring a poem or song
containing shadow imagery. Wendy Morton is a master puppeteer based
in San Francisco whose work has been funded by the Jim Henson
Foundation. She has been a frequent collaborator with Larry Reed's
ShadowLight Productions.

PERFORMANCES
FRIDAY, August 5th at 8 p.m. ONE NIGHT ONLY!
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE by Bertolt Brecht
Ralph Lee's Mettawee River Company of New York
A visit from our annual favorites with their new abridged version of
Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE, which was based on a
13th century Chinese play. They both contain echoes of King Solomon's
demonstration of wisdom in devising a test to determine the true
mother of a contested baby. In Brecht's play a peasant girl rescues
an abandoned child of noble parents in a time of upheaval. The girl
protects the child through many serious and comic adventures. When
the noble mother tries to reclaim the child in order to gain an
inheritance, the resulting dispute is brought before an eccentric
judge, who manages to hand down an outrageous but just decision.
There will be a company of six actors playing multiple roles. The
production will incorporate masks, puppetry and costumes, with a live
original musical score composed by Neal Kirkwood. Ralph Lee will
design and direct the production, with costumes by Casey Compton.

An all-ages event, outdoors on the Amherst College Observatory Lawn
off of Snell Street. Bring blankets, lawn chairs and insect
repellant, but leave the pets at home.
Adults $6.00, Children $4.00 No reservations necessary.

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 6-7 at 1 p.m. and 3p.m.
at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
BOY IN A BARREL
Devised and directed by Miguel Romero, freely based on Alexander
Pushkin's Russian fairy tale The Tale of Tsar Saltan
A swan with magic powers, a vengeful bumblebee, a golden hero, and a
lady pirate share the puppet stage in Boy in a Barrel, a rollicking
fairy tale for all ages. The story tells of love, betrayal, and
good-natured revenge when the King marries one of two sisters before
going off to war. The Queen's evil sister switches letters and leads
the King to believe that the Queen and their baby son have died. In
fact, the jealous sister has cast a spell that turns her sister into
a swan and spirited the baby boy, destined to be the Kingdom's hero,
into a barrel that is dumped into the sea. Swan and boy end up on an
island where they hilariously turn the tables on the evil sister, who
has determined to marry the King herself.

The production features table-top, rod, and shadow puppets in
colorful Russian costumes and will accompanied by rousing music and
mock Russian sea chanties.

Adults: $7:00 Children $5:00.

THIS PRODUCTION WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A DISPLAY ON PUPPETS AROUND
THE WORLD, INCLUDING MATERIALS FROM EGYPT AND GREECE. IF YOU WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE YOU WORK CONSIDERED FOR INCLUSION, PLEASE CONTACT
SABRINA HAMILTON AT Sabrina kofest.com

FOR INFORMATION ON OUR OTHER WORKSHOPS ON "BIOGRAPHICAL THEATRE,"
"STORYTELLING," OR "CLOWNING" OR FOR OUR OTHER PRODUCTION LISTINGS
VISIT WWW.KOFEST.COM or call (413) 427-6one47.

THE BOX OFFICE FOR ALL PRODUCTIONS OPENS JULY 11. (413) 5four2-2277

This message comes from a puppet person who lives in L.A.

Hi there,
My name is MJ Torres-Rupprecht.
My husband Anton Rupprecht was a puppeteer for many, many years. Anton
passed on March 27th 2005. The support I have received from the Puppeteer community has been enormous. I just need to know if I can post a quick thank you for the people that helped me through this very difficult time.
thank you,
MJ Torres-Rupprecht

Leader Wanted for Puppet-Making Workshop

Montalvo Arts Center's upcoming Missoula Children's Theatre:
Performing Arts Day Camp.

Held from Monday, June 27 - Friday, July 1

The camp offers children ages 5-15 the opportunity to rehearse and
perform a full-scale musical for a live public audience in Montalvo's
Garden Theatre. Throughout the week, students will also participate
in various enrichment workshops, often theme-based. This year's
performance of Pinocchio provides a ready theme for our camp
workshops.

We are currently searching for experienced puppet makers to introduce
our campers to puppetry and puppet-making techniques. We are
somewhat flexible with the schedule, but currently have reserved
Tuesday 6/28 afternoon from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. and Thursday afternoon,
also from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Workshops are broken into groups of 15 -
30 students, and will be age appropriate to 5-7 year olds, 8-11 year
olds, and 12 - 15 year olds. We are particularly interested in
marionette puppet workshops, but understand that these might be more
complicated and require more than the allotted times - We are open to
ideas and discussion regarding the types of puppets for each age
group. (Your concept of creating multiple types & characters with
the youngest group was also appealing.) Compensation for the
workshops ranges from $25 to $50 per contact hour, depending on
experience. All materials fees will be reimbursed.

Any interested parties should contact me by Wednesday, June 1, at
(408) 961-5eight18 or kbontrager montalvoarts dot org

Kirsten Bontrager
Education Programs Coordinator
Montalvo Arts Center
tel: 408.96one.5818
KBontrager montalvoarts dot org
http://www.montalvoarts.org

This message comes from Elise Handelman, a puppeteer in NYC. The air time she
mentions may be different on the west coast.

*****

>Dear Friends & Family,
> Friends at the Center for Puppetry Arts asked me to pass this news on!
>
>
>NEWS FLASH!
>
>There's a television show called "Blue Collar TV" and they filmed at the
>Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta recently. To see
>puppeteers/puppets on this
>program, tune into the WB Channel on Thursday, May 19th @ 8pm.
>
>Have fun watching!
>elise handelman

Ramona McGary 51O.41eight.788O is looking for performers to donate their time for the 2005 SF Aloha Festival AUGUST 6TH AND 7TH at the Presidio Parade Grounds. This two-day arts festival is the largest gathering ofPacific Islanders in Northern California. Please contact her if you are interested.

Your SFBAPG May 2005 newsletter is on the Guild website ready to download.
If you have a slow dialup connection (like yours truly) it may take a few
minutes to download onto your computer, but it is still so much quicker than
getting it through the mail! (AND IT'S IN COLOR ONLINE!) Here is your
link: http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter/archives/000372.html#more
Your Newsletter Editor,
Michael Nelson
MAY NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS:
DAY OF PUPPETRY: Reports with great color photos by Sharon Clay
MAY PUPPET HORROR STORY: Things occasionally go wrong. Here you can read
about and share the best (or worst!)
BAY AREA PUPPETRY IN FILM AND TV: A new column telling you what's going
on in local puppetry in the media.
GUILD ELECTIONS COMING UP: Find out when and how to run/vote.
A HISTORY OF RADIAL PUPPETRY: Part 1 of a fascinating article by K. Ruby.
PLUS PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE, UPCOMING GUILD MEETINGS, CALENDAR, CLASSIFIEDS,
AND MORE!

This message comes from the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art:

FREE PUPPET SHOW!

*
presented by
the Museum of Craft & Folk Art
and Shulte Grants for the Arts,
Fort Mason Foundation.
*

Join us for
Vaudeville Follies
a family-friendly puppet show performed by the wildly entertaining group,
The Fratello Marionettes
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
before or after the show, come next door to the Museum of Craft &
Folk Art for the related exhibition

"Puppets from Around the World" - Youth under 18 are FREE!
puppets come alive at
11:00 a.m.
Saturday, May 28
Conference Center, Building A,
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA
*

FREE PARKING!

Questions? Contact MOCFA, 415/775-0991, x107 www.mocfa.org

By Steven Shukor
BBC News website

Dr Jones says the children make a connection with the puppets
Lynne Jones could see that the brightly coloured bird puppet in her
hand had the silent Indonesian girl captivated.

The six-year-old had not spoken since the 26 December Indian Ocean
tsunami swept away her village of Lamno, on Aceh province's west
coast, taking her mother with it.

Rosie survived only by clinging onto a palm tree, and was rescued
after two days, crying for her mother.

Her grandmother brought her to Dr Jones, a child psychiatrist with
the International Medical Corps (IMC), a humanitarian organisation
providing mental health assistance to the tsunami-hit region.

With 15 years experience working with children in disaster zones from
Kosovo to Indonesia, Dr Jones has found "play", including puppetry,
to be an effective means of communication.

Puppets are one step away from being human and so there is distance
but at the same time we can identify with them
Dr Lynne Jones
She admits to never leaving home without her bag of toys which
contains among other playthings, a menagerie of finger-puppets and
hand puppets, including tigers, birds, turtles, monkeys and crows.

In the wake of the Asian tsunami, she discovered that many young
survivors were ignorant of what had befallen them and she started
information workshops using puppets to explain the tsunami.

"The puppets are all animals. They are all culturally neutral and
they can take on different roles," she says.

"Puppets are one step away from being human and so there's distance
but at the same time we can identify with them."

She has taken care not to include puppets of humans, pigs or dogs -
taboo for Muslims in Aceh.

She uses the puppets to explain the tsunami - its causes and effects
-, how to avoid getting caught up in one in the future and to help
the youngsters deal with their loss.

Play therapy

She also uses the puppets for child therapy. With the support of an
interpreter, she created a simple scenario based on Rosie's own
experience but set in a different context.

She had gleaned information about Rosie's story from speaking to her
grand-mother and other family members.

She laid out several puppets on the mat before the little girl.

"She was very interested," says Dr Jones. "She chose the little bird.
We gave the little bird the girl's name."

[The children] see that somebody is acknowledging the painful
thoughts and feelings they have
Dr Jones
Dr Jones made up a story of a young bird living in a tree with her mother.

"The wind came and blew all the birds in the forest away. The little
bird clung on and managed to survive but her mother had gone."

Dr Jones expressed this by throwing the mother-bird puppet away from her hand.

"People who see me do this asked me: 'How can you do this? It's too
shocking for them'.

"But it is not shocking to the children because they are thinking
about it all the time.

"They see that somebody is acknowledging the painful thoughts and
feelings they have."

The stranded little bird is eventually rescued by a monkey who takes
her to meet other members of her family who survived.

"After a very long time the little bird started to feel better and
wanted to sing again," Dr Jones told Rosie.

At the end of the session, Dr Jones said the little girl wanted to
take the bird home with her.

She came back the following week and brought her cousin whose parents
had died, who also wanted a story.

Although the healing process will be a long one, Dr Jones says the
girl has since started speaking again and is making new relationships
with surviving family members.

In the days following the tsunami, the IMC sent teams of doctors and
nurses to provide emergency medical relief in Aceh as well as Sri
Lanka.

Outsiders can listen. It is as simple as that. People want to feel
that what has happened to them is significant
Dr Jones
That work has now evolved into a variety of programmes including one
to develop long-term community-based mental health services, which
involves training primary health care staff.

Dr Jones has found that being an outsider is a real benefit in
helping survivors of mass disasters.

"In normal circumstances if a loss occurs your neighbours and friends
will rally round and support you.

"But when everyone is affected, everyone protects everyone else by
not talking in order not to burden them, and there is a feeling that
one's own individual losses are somehow without meaning in the larger
catastrophe.

"Outsiders can listen. It is as simple as that. People want to feel
that what has happened to them is significant," she said.