Puppet Power! The SFBAPG invites you to put a smile on an Iraqi kid's face!

This year, the SFBAPG Holiday Party will host a new kind of Gift
Exchange. Open up your closets and your wallets and bring out those
puppets!! They will be mailed to Peace through Puppets, a non-profit
organization that was started by Army 1st Sergeant Bruce Reges who is
stationed in Iraq, and his mother, Jean Reges Burn, a long-time
member of Puppeteers of America.

1st Sergeant Bruce Reges says that they can take anything, including
stuffed animals, puppets, and marionettes of almost any type or size.
Just no depictions of people or pigs, please. Iraqi culture doesn't
accept those. New puppets are good. Used puppets are good too, as
long as they are clean.

Small hand puppets fit in the soldiers' pockets and are particularly
effective. Sergeant Reges started his program by giving the soldiers
small hand puppets to distribute to Iraqi kids. He says the power of
the puppet has been amazing in how it has transcended language and
cultural barriers.

The program suffered a big set back not too long ago, and has had to
modify its course a bit. Although many soldiers are still allowed
one-on-one contact with the Iraqi children, at this point many groups
of soldiers have more restrictions. This change came after three
Iraqi kids were gathered around three U.S. soldiers, asking for candy
and toys, when a suicide bomber killed all six people. Sergeant Reges
says that now he is relying more and more on his Iraqi contacts to
drop off boxes of puppets at the schools; and then the teachers
distribute the puppets to the children.

For photos and more information, go to http://www.peacethroughpuppets.com

Let's make the SFBAPG the model for other guilds to follow. Maybe we
can make a difference in an Iraqi kid's life. Bring those donations
on January 12!

The Puppeteers of America is looking for an Online Communications
Coordinator. It is basically a volunteer job, but there is a stipend
of $1000 per year. If you are interested in the position, or just
have questions, please feel free to contact PofA Trustees Don Kruszka
(emptyspace at peoplepc.com) or Mary Decker (marydeck57 at
sbcglobal.net).

Detailed description:

The Puppeteers of America is currently looking for a Web and Online
Communications Coordinator. The person in this position should
perform the following tasks:
* Chair the Web and Online Communications Committee. This
committee reviews current Puppeteers of America online resources,
advises the Board of Trustees on the future direction of the P of A
web presence, sets priorities for that presence, and assists in
recruiting volunteers as needed.
* Supervise the P of A webmaster.
* Gather, organize, and provide content for the P of A webmaster.
* Serve as liaison between the P of A webmaster and:
Publications editors, Puppetry Store director, Membership officer,
A-V librarian, National and regional festival directors, Other P of A
officers as directed by the P of A Board of Trustees.
* Prepare an annual budget and report for the Board of Trustees.
* Create and send P of A email communications to the
membership. Understand and follow P of A email guidelines. Work with
the membership officer to ensure accurate email contact information
for P of A members.

Qualified candidates should have excellent organization and written
communication skills, as well as an understanding of current web
technology. Understanding budgetary organization is helpful. Those
with knowledge of P of A procedures will be given preference.
Membership in the P of A is required. Stipend offered. Interested
parties should submit resumes to Don Kruszka, P of A Web and Online
Communications liaison, at emptyspace at peoplepc.com no later than
January 31, 2008.

Hello Guild Members, and Happy New Year.
Your January 2008 Newsletter is online and ready to download at
http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter.htm
NOTE THAT THIS MONTH THERE ARE 2 FILES TO DOWNLOAD INSTEAD OF 1. (Sorry
about that. Sometimes my pdf printer will not make the newsletter into one
file. I don't know why.)
In the newsletter find articles on:
Guild President's State of the Guild Address
Iraq Puppet Program, how you can help
Berkeley Rep's Argonautica Review
Antique Puppets for Sale in Petaluma
New ShadowLight DVD Release
Independent Eye Artist Collaboration
NEXT GUILD MEETING AND HOLIDAY PARTY ON JANUARY 12, 2008
AND THE YEAR IN REVIEW IN PHOTOS

Enjoy,
Yours,
Michael Nelson
Newsletter Ed.

Visual Artists/Designers (or if you're not one, please forward)-

This is an extremely strange offer, I know, since the last
thing artists want is an invitation to do something for free.
Nevertheless...

I'm looking for talented visual artists to spend a couple of
hours of your life tossing out design ideas - sets, costumes, or
puppets - which you then need have no further responsibility for. A
tiny bit of involvement, or a lot. This is an experiment.

In May, The Independent Eye is producing (in Sebastopol, CA)
a puppet/mask adaptation of the Sumerian "Inanna" myths entitled
DESCENT OF THE GODDESS INANNA, TRENTON, NJ, 5:42 P.M. It jumps
between myth and present-day reality- Well, I'll tell you more if
you're interested. To get the story on us, visit
.

I'm directing, designing and building the piece. What I'd
welcome enormously is input from other visual artists, stage
designers, costumers, or puppeteers as part of the evolution of this
work over the span of January and February, when it needs to start
taking form.

As a director, I've worked for the past 39 years with a
collaborative ensemble process, the actors offering vast input. As a
designer, it's a much lonelier road, and that's why I'm reaching out.
You might offer just an hour of brainstorming, a few quick sketches,
or a more ongoing dialogue - whatever you're moved to. Often, even
the most off-the-wall ideas bear good fruit, or sometimes it's just a
matter of someone saying the overlooked obvious. I have strong ideas
of my own, so i find lots of amps are generated by other insights
cutting across my own magnetic field. No obligation involved, just
creative juice.

What I can offer is a dvd of the final production, program
acknowledgement, and an interesting experience. I can also
reciprocate, for what it's worth, if you might find a similar
dialogue useful at some point. Sorry we can pay nothing: entire
budget is for equipment, materials, & promotion, with actors
receiving a small % of the gate. The production will run in
Sebastopol May 9-24, and we expect to tour it thereafter.

If you'd like to consider this:

1. First, visit our website. Check out who we are - the
chronicle history'll tell you more than you ever wanted to know -
then go to http://www.independenteye.org/plays/inanna.html. This has
info on our previous staging: the text, the audio version we did for
public radio, and photos from the 1999 staging - though the new piece
will be entirely redesigned.

2. Drop me a note, including something about your own work.
I'll then send you a short summary of our production parameters, and
we can decide how to interface. If you're long distance, by email or
Skype; if you're in the Bay Area, could be face-to-face.

As I said, this is an experiment.

Peace & joy-

Conrad Bishop
The Independent Eye, Ltd.

Hi All,
Since it is seasonal and puppet, here is a link to an interesting and rare
Richard Teschner short (maybe 10 minutes) film telling the Christmas story
(Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wisemen, etc) that you can watch on your
computer. It was restored and posted by Dutch paper theatre enthusiast
Harry Oudekerk (tho is it not paper theatre, but rather rod puppets, very
exquisitely manipulated to a lovely musical sound track, no text.)

http://www.vischmarktpapierentheater.nl/Christmas.
mp4
For those PC users who are unable to see the movie because they cannot play
mp4.
movies here is an alternative in a slightly less quality ( and larger file
size)

http://www.vischmarktpapierentheater.nl/Christmas.
mov

--
Michael

Hi, all-

Please send me your listings for public events in January.

Cheers-
Conrad

Hello Guild,
Due to holiday travels, your newsletter editor is requesting early
submissions to the guild January newsletter. Normally the deadline is the
25th of each month, but if you could aim for the 22nd or 23rd that would be
helpful. If you have something coming that will be later than that, it will
help me to know about it and about when you think it might be coming.
Thanks for your help and understanding. I could not do this newsletter
without all of your help. Send photos, articles, reviews, reports on your
holiday shows, stories, classifieds, letters to the editor, etc. to
mail magicalmoonshine dot org -
I hope you are all having a productive and busy holiday season.
Best to all,
Michael Nelson
Newsletter editor

Hello Fellow Guild Members,
> Your December 2007 Newsletter, including articles on Folkmanis puppets,
> using puppets in speech therapy, book review of PUPPET HEROES from Around
> the World, report on Halloween Follies, last meeting minutes, HOLIDAY PUPPET
> SHOW CALENDAR and more is online and ready for downloading for viewing or
> printing. You may find it on our great guild website at
> http://sfbapg.org/ (go to the newsletter link on the right, and don't
> forget to check out all the other great stuff on our website!)
> Or you can jump right to the download page at
> http://www.sfbapg.org/newsletter/archives/000978.html#more
> Happy Holidays from your newsletter editor,
> Michael
> PS: Special thanks to all of our great newsletter contributors who send
> in articles, photos, reviews, and calendar listings, and to our new Calendar
> Editor, Conrad Bishop. Without you all, our newsletter would be very
> sparse! Keep up the good work, and if you have not sent in your submission
> for a while, start the new year off by sending in your articles, etc.
> I think a great addition to the newsletter would be a "gossip" column that
> reports what various guild members are working on. Anyone want to be the
> guild member news columnist? ("Gossip" sometimes has a negative
> connotation, but I have heard that it is the foundation of civilization (or
> something like that!))

Hello Guild,
Several guild members have contacted me over the last couple of months with
the problem that the newsletter when downloaded shows the format and
pictures just fine but the text is all strange symbols. I believe that at
least some guild members have solved this problem by updating their
computer's Adobe Acrobat Reader (updates are free and available many places
on the Internet...as to which place is best to get it from, I will leave
that advice to more Internet savvy guild members...Suggestions anyone?)
If you have had this problem and found a solution to it, please share it
with the guild email list at sfbapg -- at -- yahoogroups dot com -
I hope this is helpful.
Your Newsletter Editor,
Michael
By the way, you can write your puppetry related questions, tips, etc., to
the yahoo group and get the benefit of the conglomerate years of experience
of most of your guild members (I say "most" because not all guild members
have Internet.) Just email your query or comment to the yahoogroup address
above.