Do you build full-body puppets? Doug Nolan is 6'3" and 190 lbs, and
he needs someone to build him a full-body horse puppet.

Doug Nolan
Rock Steady Juggling
P.O. Box 370972
Montara, CA 94037
Tel: 650-568-688O
Fax: 650-240-177O
http://www.rocksteadyjuggling.com

EMAIL: doug rocksteadyjuggling dot com

Dear Friends,
The April 2006 Guild Newsletter is online and ready to be downloaded and viewed or printed (allow a little time if you have a slower dial up connection.) To go directly to the download page: http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter/archives/000586.html

In this month's newsletter:

a.. Lettie Schubert remembered (and more to come in the May newsletter)
b.. Next Guild meeting on April 23rd at Images in Motion Studio in Sonoma
c.. Calendar of events

We've added a new workshop to the lineup for this year's
PuppetFest MidWest.

HANDS UP! with Luman Coad, Coad Canada Puppets
Participants will create a comfortable, durable, and
performable hand puppet with a papier-mache head. Design elements
will be emphasized. Part of the workshop will be devoted to
manipulating your new puppet.
Participants will be able to take their modeling stand and
plasticine clay home with them so that they can continue to build
their cast of puppets.
More details at our website at http://puppetfestival.org/.
Don't forget that we offer up to four scholarships every year
to PuppetFest MidWest. The deadline for applying for a scholarship is
Monday, May 1st, 2006. You can find that information on the website
as well.
We hope to see you at this year's PuppetFest MidWest. Please
let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks, Debbie

p.s. If you would like to share information about this festival with
others, here is a brief description. Please help us to spread the
word!

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 11 - 16, 2006 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.
PERFORMANCES AND WORKSHOPS
The performers/workshop leaders include:
* Drew Allison of Grey Seal Puppets, North Carolina
* Nick Barone of Nick Barone Puppets, California
* Luman Coad of Coad Canada Puppets, BC, Canada
* Pam Corcoran, Wisconsin
* Phillip Huber & The Huber Marionettes, Tennessee
* Lynne Jennings of the Puppetry Center of San Diego , California
* Jim Napolitano of Nappy's Puppets, Connecticut
* Paul Mesner of Mesner Puppets, Missouri
Contact Information:
PuppetFest MidWest
Festival Directors,
Peter Allen & Debbie Lutzky Allen
P.O. Box 14
Jamesport MO 64648
Phone: (660) 684-68two5
email: dlpallen http://puppetfestival.org/

On Sunday, April 2, Magical Moonshine Theatre will present the hilarious original play "The Bear Flag Show" at Sonoma Community Center at 3:00. This show has not been out of storage in 6 years and this is the ONLY public performance scheduled this year for this real-life drama based on the historical raising of the Calfornia Bear Flag.

THE BEAR FLAG SHOW
Sunday, April 2 at 3:00 pm.
Tickets are $13.00 ($10 for seniors, students and Sonoma Community Center members)
Box office: 938-4626 x 1
Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa Street, Sonoma

recommended for school aged children and adults-
For pictures and an online e-flyer to to http://magicalmoonshine.org/bearinvite.htm

SEE KIT CARSON AND JOHN FREMONT LOST IN THE CALIFORNIAN WILDERNESS!!!

WATCH AS A GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TAKE OVER MEXICAN CALIFORNIA AND ELECT THEIR OWN PRESIDENT AND MAKE THEIR OWN BEAR FLAG!!!

SHUDDER AS MEXICAN GENERAL MARIANO VALLEJO IS ESCORTED OFF TO JAIL!!!

THRILL AS ZEKE MERRITT ALMOST SINGLE HANDEDLY DEFEATS A HUGE ARMY (WELL, A COUPLE ANYWAY) OF MEXICAN SOLDIERS!!!

GASP AS OUR INTREPID PATRIOTS NEARLY BLOW UP THEIR FELLOW AMERICANS WITH A CANNON!!!

PONDER SUCH ISSUES AS: WOULD A GIANT WALL BETWEEN MEXICAN CALIFORNIA AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE STOPPED MANIFEST DESTINY?

ALL THIS AND MORE IN "THE BEAR FLAG SHOW!" DON'T MISS IT!

I have written a poem in honor of our Lettie. Please share it with
our guild members and Lettie's family. I won't fly to the mainland
for the memorial service. But my thoughts and prayers are with all of
you at this very sad time.

poem in honor of our Lettie

L oved everyone.
E ncouraged all. Truly she was our SFBAPg's Fairy Godmother.
T truly loved puppetry and everything about this art.
T ime and again she was there to help new talents blossom.
I loved her. I will miss her. This shall be said by many people.
E njoyed life, family, friends, and puppetry.

That was our Lettie. May her memory be of comfort to us all.

With aloha and love,
Gale S. Warshawsky
The Hawai'i member of our SFBAPG.

Profoundly sad news has come to the puppet world
today. The wonderful Mother of the SFBAPG, Lettie
Schubert, has passed away. Lettie died on
Tuesday, March 21. The following email was
written by David Schubert, Lettie's son, a short
time before she died... Oh Lettie... We will miss
you so much!

This message is from David Schubert, Lettie's
son. She asked me to go into her Email and send
along a message to friends that are in her Email
address book.

***************

Lettie Schubert is currently resting comfortably
at her home in Mill Valley. Her husband Gage,
daughter Becky and son David are with her.

Lettie began experiencing abdominal discomfort
in the fall of 2005, and went through a
comprehensive series of tests throughout the
fall and winter. In late February 2006 she
underwent surgery to remove ovarian cysts and
came home to begin her recovery. Although she
made significant progress during her first week
home, something wasn't right and she was
re-admitted to UCSF on March 14th. During tests
over the next day or two it was determined that
she had very serious problems with her liver and
it was beginning to fail.

On Friday March 17th she returned to her home in
Mill Valley to be with her family and is in
hospice care for her failing liver. She is
happy to be home and is receiving wonderful,
gentle comfort care from the aides, hospice
team, her physician and family.

As of Monday evening, the 20th she is
comfortable and peaceful, though quite weak, and
has asked not to receive any visitors outside
the immediate family.

She wanted us to thank all of her friends and
family who have been so supportive over the
years and during her recent illness. She
knows that all of your thoughts, prayers and
good wishes are with her at this time and she
has expressed great happiness and appreciation
for the time she spent with each of you.

Gage, Becky and I would also like to thank all
of you for your support during this difficult
time. We know it is very difficult for you
too.

David Schubert, on behalf of Lettie, Becky and Gage

Dear Members of the Puppet Guild,

Please find the attached for your information a very unique and exciting event for all friends of puppet production, their use as communication media to bridge cultures, as well as to celebrate the puppets via means of processions -- and for sure to enjoy the Italian way of life and the celebration at the end of the workshop “the feste” with the local Italian villagers in a breath taking location.

If you are interested please let us know asap.

We’d also appreciate if you find it important to communicate this to your members.

This has become a world wide event now over the last 4 years with participants from Australia, the US, Japan, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Belgium….. and many more. For further details see the attached or the stated websites.

Thanks for giving this your attention and kind regards

Christa Gaebler, Frz. Morinesio 89, I-12020 Stroppo, CN

Fon: +39-0171-999303 Fax: +39-0171-999807 email casadeifiori dot com

------------------------------------

Pageant Puppetry WORKSHOP in the mountains of Northern Italy June 17 - 25, 2006

Morinesio’s 5th Annual Midsummer Pageant

Join us for a one-week workshop in pageant puppetry, culminating in a community celebration of Midsummer and the Feast of Saint John the Baptist. Collaborate with international participants and local residents to create an event grounded in the ritual traditions of Morinesio, a remote village in the Piedmont region of the Italian Alps.

Master Puppetmakers Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles (designers for New York’s Village Halloween Parade) will lead the workshop, drawing inspiration directly from the folklore and oral histories of the village. No previous experience is necessary. Participants will learn how to design and construct giant puppets, masks, banners, lanterns and musical instruments. Working collaboratively, we will develop and perform ritual processions inspired by traditional observance of the Summer Solstice (or the Feast of St. John the Baptist), in tandem with regional musicians and other local residents.

The workshop will be hosted by Christa Gaebler at Casa dei Fiori, a newly restored complex of traditional stone houses. Christa, an international chef, will introduce participants to the tastes of Northern Italian summer, with daily gourmet meals prepared from local produce and cheeses.

The workshop runs from Saturday June 17 to Sunday June 25. The fee per person is 1450 to 1950 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 room in nearby B&B

• Daily regional breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Guided tour of local cheese farm

• Bread-baking day at the village’s communal oven

For more information or to make reservations, contact

In Europe: Christa Gaebler (+39)0171.999303

email casadeifiori dot com

In U.S.: Pia Petruzzi: (203)756-2five17

virtualpia earthlink dot net

or visit our websites: www.superiorconcept.org or www.casadeifiori.com

*10% discount for registration before April 1, 2006

A message from the staffers of the Puppeteers of America bi-regional festival:

THE MEDIEVAL MARKET PLACE

Hear ye! One of the high points of any festival is the market place where expert craftsmen doth display their wares. Rare manuscripts (puppetry books)! Exotic carvings (puppet parts)! Knickknacks (?????)! So ye merchants, gather up thy chattel*, pack up thy saddle bags and wend thy way to the MUCH ADO ABOUT
PUPPETS market place.

Shouldst thou be confined to thy castle and not be able to attend, send thy goods to

Jeanine Bartelt
1525 24th S.E.
Auburn, WA 98002-7837

Craftsmen, thou shalt find a market for the fruits of thy labors.
Seekers and shoppers, thou shalt find thy hearts' desires.

*Chattel: Anything that is not nailed down

**************************************************************

Check out the festival web site for recent updates! www.muchadoaboutpuppets.org

Much Ado About Puppets
August 4-7
University of Puget Sound

Contemporary Asian Theater Scene (CATS), in cooperation with Japanese
American Museum of San Jose (JAMsj) presents Lunatique Fantastique's
production of EO 9066

Executive Order 9066
One Family's Journey Through the Japanese Internment

March 17, 2006 8:00 PM through March 18, 2006 8:00 PM
Young children are encouraged to attend our Saturday, 2pm matinee.

Location San Jose Stage Company Theater
490 South First Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Info Line 408 298-2287
Website http://www.asiantheater.org

Contact: catstheater gmail dot com

Through amazing and magical artistry, EO 9066, is an object theater
production (puppetry for the 21st century) that will capitivate your
visual senses!

EO 9066 presents the story that the world should know in an object
media-friendly manner which is appropriate for audiences, young and
old. (Note: there is one short battle scene).

Using a Japanese tea set, table cloth, sand, brown paper, and old
suitcase, the ensemble creates the poignant and moving story of one
family's forced evacuation from their home in Berkeley to Topaz, Utah
during WWII and their return at the end of the war.

Following the show will be a Q&A with CATS, JAMsj, JACL, NOC and
the puppeteers.

Seeing is believing. To see a short video clip. go to
www.lunfan.com/shows/2003_eo9066.html

"Leibe Wetzel's EO 9066 (is) serious stuff...timely...a reflection on
the erosion of civil liberties in times of national
crisis...performed (with) the Wetzel ensemble's usual, often
astonishly creative use of found objects." SF Chronicle

"In a nearly silent 60-minute puppet show, Liebe Wetzel and her crew
create more emotion and eloquence than most dialogue-filled plays can
produce in two hours...one stirring image after another. " Oakland
Tribune

This production is made possible by grants from Applied Materials,
Arts Council Silicon Valley, CM Capital, Community Foundation Silicon
Valley, Packard Foundation and the wonderful members of CATS.

Notes
General Seating is $20, Students (with Valid ID) $15, and VIP Seating
is the first few rows in the center section. Please arrive up to 1
hour before show time as General Seating is first come, first served.

Puppeteers needed

This assignment would be ideal for those who:
--would like to gain more practice of their craft in front of an audience
--would like to book potential clients from appearing at the festival
(over 30,000 people from all
over the Bay Area come to this annual festival)
--would love to come enjoy the aloha and learn about Polynesian
culture, crafts, dancing and food!

We are looking for performers (adult and youth) to perform puppet
shows (if possible, with an Aloha theme/plot) in the Ohana Korner.
This is the family/kids' area of the festival. We would set the
shows up according to how ever much time you can spare/which days
(both would be great!) you'd like to come. For example, you can
perform a show, go enjoy the dancing/singing at the main stage and
eat some cultural food, then return to the Ohana Korner and do one
more show for the day.

MORE INFO:
www.sanfranciscoalohafestival.org OR pica-org.org
What: Annual Aloha Festival---the Ohana Korner
Where: San Francisco Presidio Parade Grounds
When: Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6, 2006 10am-5pm
Contact: Ramona McGary, PICA Coordinator macramona hotmail dot com
OR (510) 418-788O

**If you can't make it in 2006, please contact me for possible
involvement with the festival in 2007.

Hey there!

So as many of you know I won that trip to New York to see Avenue Q and meet the cast an maybe be in it. I went for an extra 5 days (total 7) so we could see New York for as long as possible. It was amazing! I saw 8 shows in 7 days. I saw Doubt, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (with Norbert Leo Butz and Jonathon Pryce), the adult AND normal version of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (which was unbelievable BOTH times!!), Chicago , Measure for Pleasure (with Wayne Knight who played Newman in 'Seinfeld'), the mind blowing revival of Sweeney Todd (with Patti LaPone and Michael Cerveris - who creeped the hell out of me! I met Michael too!) and Avenue Q!

On top of all of that, I got my BROADWAY DEBUT in Avenue Q!!!!! My puppet, Maurice, and I both got to go onstage in the March 10th performance and appear in Avenue Q with the cast! It was the best time I have EVER had! I (with Maurice in hand) played a bartender in the 'Around the Clock Cafe' scene and sang the opening number with the cast back stage and got a bow. The best part, however, was being backstage to see the madness that ensues. Christian Anderson (who plays Nicky, Trekkie Monster and Bad Idea Bear 1) and I made fast friends! He and other cast member Jennifer Barnhardt were so great to hang out with. Jennifer, who is a professionally trained puppeteer and the only of 2 original cast members from the 2003 Tony award winning show still in it, taught me a short puppetry 'workshop' with Maurice and I got to play with their amazingly built puppets from the show. I'm still remembering hilarious moments that will stay with me forever!

Thank you so much for your support and votes! I know some of you posted my story on your Blogs! Please pass my well wishes on to your readers! Thank you so much for helping a fellow puppet lover have the best night of his life to date! I owe you all so much!

Below is a link to an article at BroadwayWorld.com that has pictures of me and Maurice onstage with the cast and the other 2 trip winners who did not make their debuts.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=8175


Also, when I get my computer at home working well enough to download my pictures, I'll be posting them on my blog eventuallyclever.blogspot.com


Thank you all so much, again!


ANDREW MACDONALD-SMITH & MAURICE TIPO

Presenting: A Performance Workshop at Studio Arts, Napa

Paper Theatre Undressed; a Theatre Workshop

-Watch a full paper theatre production and then stay as we strip away the layers and show just how a professional paper theatre works!

Saturday, April 8, 2006 (curtain at 8:00, doors open at 7:40 for refreshments), Cost: $20.00

-:-:-:-: 40% DISCOUNT for SFBAPG members = $12.00 :-:-:-:-:-

Location: Studio Arts, 2931 Solano Ave. Napa (for directions see e-flyer)

To reserve a spot (limited seating, call asap) or for more info: Call Michael or Valerie at 707-257-8OO7

E-FLYER (INCLUDING PHOTOS) AT http://magicalmoonshine.org/blueinvite.htm

What is paper theatre? Paper Theatre or Toy Theatre is a small stage complete with actors, sets, scenery all traditionally made out of paper. In the mid 1800s these printed theatre reproductions were popular as a parlor entertainment in Europe. There is currently a revival of paper theatre going on and the art form has caught the fancy of theatre professionals who have taken it from the realm of the amateur and brought it to new levels of miniature theatre. Michael and Valerie Nelson bring over 50 years of combined theatrical experience to Little Blue Moon Theatre, and, even though Little Blue Moon is only 3 years old, their works have been featured in the international press and they have headlined at theatre festivals in New York, Germany & France (coming in May, 2006) as well as recent performances in Phoenix and San Diego in addition to their underground following in the Bay Area.

How the event will work: Essentially a performance and a back stage tour, participants will watch a full production of Little Blue Moon Theatre's newest and most ambitious production to date, Dracula del Lobo (approximately 55 minutes), then after an intermission (for wine or beverages and desserts or snacks) Napa Valley Artist Michael Nelson will "undress" the show, revealing the scenes and effects and how they are created. Consider it an evening of theatre, a date or a workshop...come and have a great time!

After returning from performances at the Preetz Paper Theatre Festival in Germany last September, Michael was excited about trying some new staging techniques, including back lighting through the scenery. This workshop will highlight this technique, as well as how he builds the layers to create the beautiful depth of the scenes, and uses manipulated digital images to create the gem-like settings and the characters.

Little Blue Moon Theatre's take on Dracula: Dracula del Lobo
...Set in Argentina in the mid 1920's we find two young women sent to spend the summer on an isolated plantation (where one of the women's uncle grows coca for an American soft drink company). The goal is to protect the youth from the dangers of their own sexual awakening, but it turns out an even greater danger lurks next door to the plantation, Francisco Pizzaro's "Mano de Sangre," Count Dracula del Lobo. Creepy, beautiful, erotic and dramatically tense, this new work for paper theatre is a "don't miss." Contains nudity, mature themes, stake driving and beheading, blood, and a simmering lustful admosphere...just what you would expect from the world's favorite monster. (ADULTS ONLY, PLEASE)

WHAT TO BRING: Pot Luck Refreshments: Bring your favorite wine or beverage to share and/or a finger food item. We will have glasses, plates and napkins.
To learn more about Little Blue Moon Theatre: http://magicalmoonshine.org/bluewelcome.htm

Directions to Studio Arts Napa Valley (Napa's newest arts facility): From the Trancas/Redwood exit off of Hwy 29 in Napa, head to the west and immediately get on the frontage road of the freeway heading south (this is Solano Ave. The Vallergas shopping center is on the corner, but I believe it has a new name now-it is currently under some renovation). Studio Arts is on the right at 2931 Solano (freeway is on your left) a few blocks down, right between the Green Lantern Bar and Napa Glass.