Professional Classes

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The Joy of Puppet Mechanisms - Mail-Order Kit + Video Classes

Mike Oleon

roughhousetheater.com/store-2/p/mechanisms

Create your own mechanized puppet with this kit and online class. Whether you're a maker, a crafter, or a puppeteer, the Joy of Puppet Mechanisms will show you how delightfully easy it is to use simple "mechs" to make a magically moving puppet. When you purchase this class, we will mail you a puppet kit that includes a link to a class library of videos to help you build your puppet and show you the ropes of basic puppet mechanisms. Plus, we offer email support for any mechanistic questions you may have! We’ll mail you hand-crafted puppet kit that has nearly everything you need to *literally* make a new friend! Stream lessons online to complete at your own pace. We’ll take you through the assembly of the puppet as well the principles behind the techniques.

$150


Explore Puppetry Series

Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for Puppetry Arts
1404 Spring St NW
Atlanta, GA
puppet.org/programs/education/education-programming/
404-873-3391

The Explore Puppetry Series offers courses for adults ages 18+ who want to learn more about puppetry. Different classes are offered throughout the year.


Professional Training Internship

WonderSpark Puppets

Photo by: WonderSpark Puppets

The Jim Henson Carriage House, NYC
225 E 67th St
New York, NY
wondersparkpuppets.com/puppet-workshops-adults

Are you interested in a hands-on deep dive into the world of puppetry? WonderSpark Puppets offers a customizable internship program that can enhance your puppetry skills. Our program has been the first professional training many newcomers received on their journey to become skilled working puppeteers. The program runs 2-3 months and classes meet once per week, with homework on the side. Interns engage through structured learning with performance and building. Interns are provided with the support of a skilled mentor to assist and enhance critical hands-on learning. We offer a university-recognized internship credit to be issued at the completion of the program and comply with New York State laws regarding internships - you will not be doing unpaid labor. The program runs seasonally and seats are limited.

January 1 - December 31, 2024
Ongoing, seasonal

Free


What A Puppet Can Do - Applied Puppetry in Theory and Practice - ONLINE

UNIMA

Zoom
unima.org/en/asdfadfwhat-a-puppet-can-do-applied-puppetry-in-theory-and-practice-news/

Organised by the UNIMA Education, Development and Therapy Commission, the series will feature online lectures, workshops, exchange of ideas, and examples of good practice in all three fields: education, development and therapy. A number of themes are already being considered: the benefits of using puppets in education, specific means of expression in puppetry, the development of a scientific/theoretical basis for therapeutic puppetry, social and emotional learning with puppets, puppet play as a tool for self-expression, the possible role of puppets in education, the puppet approach to ethics, etc. The webinars will be held once every two months, in English, Spanish or French (the official UNIMA languages). Duration: 40 to 45 minutes plus 20 to 40 minutes for Q&A and sharing experiences with participants. Maximum duration: 90 minutes.

February 26 - April 29, 2024
Webinar No. 1
Livija Kroflin: The Language of Puppets
Monday, February 26

Webinar No. 2
Cariad Astles: Puppetry Healing Stories in Hospital Care
Monday, April 29


Puppet Building 101: Jointed Rod Puppet with Sara Burmenko - ONLINE

Center for Puppetry Arts

Zoom
puppet.org/programs/puppet-building-101jointed-rod-puppet/

Learn about traditional Japanese Bunraku-style rod puppets by examining puppets and replicas from the Center’s global museum collection. Observe how teamwork is required to bring these puppets to life through video excerpts of master puppeteers at work. Then build your jointed rod puppet using nothing but recycled newspaper, masking tape, and craft sticks.

March 19, 2024
7:00pm

$35


Puppeteers' Happy Hour: 'Hand & Rod'

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers

Mayo Street Arts
10 Mayo Street
Portland, ME
tickettailor.com/events/mayostreetarts/1121121?/r/jim

Puppeteers' Happy Hour is a recurring informal gathering for puppet artists and enthusiasts to share their work and ideas, catch up on the latest puppet dirt, and hang out. Following their 'The Legend of the Banana Kid' performance, Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers will lead a hands-on puppet manipulation workshop focusing on hand and rod techniques used during the show. The hand and rod puppets used by Frogtown—a felted, “muppet” style design—is a form that appeals to many puppeteers, particularly those who work in childhood education. Visit, share work, find collaborators, and enjoy hands-on opportunities for emerging and experienced artists alike.

March 23, 2024
Saturday, March 23 at 3:30 PM, approximately 90 minutes.

Free


Los Angeles One-Day Puppet Making Workshop

Puppetry Plus

Photo by: Roberto Ferreira

Puppetry Plus West Hollywood Campus
8581 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA
PuppetryPlus.com/store

Spend a day at Puppetry Plus making your own puppet. In this 7-hour class, you will cut, glue, and sew your own version of our monster pattern. Our simple and easy-to-follow design allows for nearly unlimited customization, so the character you create is really up to you and your glue gun. At the end of class, bring your puppet to life by performing on-camera. (Warning: once you take this class, you may catch the puppetry bug. When you start registering for all of our other courses, could you not say we didn't warn you.)?

March 30, 2024
10 AM to 5 PM

250


Toy Theater I - Roberto Rossi

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - ONLINE
chicagopuppetfest.org/spring-2024-workshops/

Toy Theater 1 (Level 1) is an introduction to the form and the basic skills concluding with a showing. Make your first toy theater stage using recyclable materials. Learn conceptual and design approaches in building an original work. Build basic jointed 2D puppets and moveable set pieces and discover the unique theatrical language of the Toy Theater.

April 1 - 7, 2024
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun:
7-9pm CDT

$250


Realizing Your Puppet Slam Act (All Levels) - Vanessa Valliere

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, IN-PERSON Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Ave., 4th Fl
Chicago, IL
chicagopuppetfest.org/spring-2024-workshops/

Realizing Your Puppet Slam Act (All Levels) is for people who want to make a short solo act with puppets. We will explore a wide range of options for generating, writing, directing and performing your own work; students will be encouraged to try all of their best and worst ideas. We will incorporate elements of clown to further our understanding of stage presence and tackle some of the common obstacles that get in the way of making new work. Over the course of six classes, students will create a three to five minute piece that will be suitable for presentation, or will simply be the stepping stone to longer work. Most importantly, there will be an emphasis on pursuing the elements of the work that bring you joy.

April 3 - 20, 2024
6 sessions over 3 weeks:
Wednesdays 6:30-8:30pm CDT
Saturdays 12-2pm CDT

$300


Principles of Puppetry - ONLINE

Pam Severns

Zoom
events.humanitix.com/principles-of-puppetry

This four-week workshop gives performers the foundational skills and techniques that you will need to create your own material with the puppet of your choice. Each week, we will focus on a different movement and motivation for your puppets. In between each session, you will make a short video to share for review in-class. We will also cover the basics of storytelling with puppetry and what goes into becoming a puppeteer for television and film. Glove puppets, hand-and-rod (aka Muppet style), live hand, and tabletop puppets are welcome! Voicing puppets is optional, as we will focus on emoting with our puppets through movement and breath. This workshop is open to beginners and performers with experience in puppetry.

April 6 - 27, 2024
Saturdays, April 6 - 27 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

$250 / Early Bird Registration Fee $225


Toy Theater II - Roberto Rossi

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - ONLINE
chicagopuppetfest.org/spring-2024-workshops/

Toy Theater 2 (Level 2) will be an opportunity for participants to further develop their shows. We will be exploring different ways of articulating and mounting puppets and of enhancing the illusion of depth through stage design and lighting. We will also look at the dramaturgy of the miniature spectacle and isolate the compositional elements of this highly visual theater form as participants prepare for an informal—yet always exciting—showing on the last day.

April 8 - 14, 2024
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun
7 – 9pm CDT

$250


Shadow Puppetry I - Chinese Theatre Works

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - ONLINE
chicagopuppetfest.org/spring-2024-workshops/

Shadow Puppetry 1 (Level 1) is an introduction to the form for the beginning puppeteer. Students will create a desktop shadow theater, build and create basic shadow figures and environments and devise their own short pieces with music or text. An overview of world shadow puppetry traditions is included as well as an introduction to light sources and fabrication. The course makes use of basic materials including home recyclables.

April 15 - 21, 2024
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat, and Sun:
7-9pm CDT

$250


Shadow Puppetry II - Linda Wingerter

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival

Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival - ONLINE
chicagopuppetfest.org/spring-2024-workshops/

Shadow Puppetry 2 (Level 2) focuses on the introduction of different mechanism for shadow puppets beyond the basic jointed puppet. The realization of ideas in shadow puppet form stem from concepts and design.

April 24 - May 3, 2024
5 sessions over 2 weeks
Wed, Thurs, and Fri: 7 – 9pm CDT

$250


An Exploration of Marionettes

Madison J. Cripps

Puppet Showplace Theater
32 Station St
Brookline, MA
puppetshowplace.org/calendar/2024/05/18/an-exploration-in-marionettes-workshop-with-madison-j-cripps

How do you make a marionette move? What connects its parts and pieces? Can you (yes, you!) make your very first marionette in an hour? Learn all this and more in an afternoon workshop with the incomparable Madison J. Cripps! In this workshop you will make a simple marionette, and also have the opportunity to use the puppets from A Slice of Crazy Pie to explore the relationships of gravity, pendular momentum, and active and passive movement. All those interested in exploring the construction and manipulation of string marionettes are welcome in this workshop!

Registration Deadline: May 11

May 18, 2024
1:00pm - 4:00pm

$75 / sliding scale $60 & $90


MASS MoCA Wood Carving and Puppet Design Residency

David Lane

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
1040 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams, MA
assetsforartists.org/workshops-in-residence

The wood carving puppet laboratory returns for another edition in residence at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. This edition, we’ll dig deep into traditional European-style carving techniques and create beautiful, inspired puppets together. Topics include: Character design, technical drawings, band-saw rough outs, knife technique, controls, joints, Fettig mechanisms, painting, and simple costume patterning.

June 6 - 10, 2024
Formal instruction and demonstrations begin each day at 9 am and run until dinner. The evenings will include open studio and specialized programming such as a show-and-tell, and puppet-film night.

$950 USD, Includes materials, single room with shared bath, access to kitchen, lunches, and dinner on the first night.


Marionette Carving Workshop

Puppets in Prague

Puppets in Prague
Holandska 20, Prague, Czech Republic
puppetsinprague.eu

Learn the art and craft of creating a marionette from Czech artisans. Students work under many puppet masters to learn techniques of designing puppets, making technical drawings, woodcarving, painting, and designing a puppet costume, plus how to manipulate puppets and Czech puppet history. You will also see Czech puppet shows, festivals and exhibitions and visit puppet studios. Each student will go home with an original hand-carved marionette - plus the skills to make more. All in a beautiful European city with a rich puppet tradition still very much alive.

June 12 - 28, 2024


2024 New England Puppet Intensive — Design Edition

New England Puppet Arts

Historic Eclipse Mill
243 Union St.
North Adams, MA
newenglandpuppet.org

Immerse yourself in the ultimate studio experience with NEPI’s fully stocked puppet-making lab set against the backdrop of the beautiful Berkshires. Alongside studio activity, we engage in a mindful and physical practice — providing participants time for reflection, and the opportunity to explore creative impulses that dovetail with expressive design. Curriculum includes: Character Design; Technical Drawing, Sculpting & Casting, Painting, Controls, Joints, Costuming, Lantern Puppets, and more!

July 12 - 22, 2024
Daily training and studio instruction begins at 9 am and continues into the evening.

$1450 USD (includes materials, family style lunches & dinners). Artist-friendly priced accommodations available around the corner at MCLA (not included).


Sandglass Theater's Summer Intensive Puppetry Training

Sandglass Theater

Sandglass Theater
17 Kimball Hill
Putney, VT
sandglasstheater.org/workshops/summer-intensive

Sandglass teaches a method of puppet performance that has been developed over 30 years of workshops around the world. This year’s Summer Intensive training will pilot a new training model allowing for participants to choose a focused track of Puppet Construction (with Ines Zeller Bass), Puppetry Performance (with Shoshana Bass) or Directing for Puppet Theater (with Eric Bass). Classes are scheduled five and a half days per week. Participants will have evening access to work spaces. Applicants must select a first choice and second choice for the afternoon track. We will do our best to accommodate your first choice.

This year Sandglass is able to offer three scholarships for US-based BIPOC participants (inclusive of tuition, housing and community dinners). Scholarships are distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Applications open March 1, 2024. Final application is due in our office on Wednesday, May 1st, 2024. (If sending via USPS, please allow at least 7 working days for the mail to arrive in our office on time). Applications accepted via email as well. Please visit sandglasstheater.org for more information.

July 14 - 17, 2024
Two week program

Tuition and Expenses Course Fee: $1450 Housing: $500 Communal evening meals: $155 Monday – Friday (10 days) Participants are responsible for all travel, other food and incidental costs.


Marionette Carving and Performance Summer Workshop

Puppets in Prague

Puppets in Prague
Holandska 20, Prague, Czech Republic
Prague
puppetsinprague.eu

Immerse yourself in puppetry this summer - all in the magical city of Prague, where marionettes are an integral part of the culture. The first part of the workshop lasts 15 days (including 3 days off):
you go through the whole process of making the wire marionette, learning design, technical drawings, woodcarving, painting, assembly, costume, controller, stringing. In the second part you work with a professional puppeteer, rehearsing an original show and then performing for 2 days at the Letni Letna New Circus and Theatre Festival. During this second half, you learn how to manipulate their marionette and the principles of creating an original show for children. You also get the chance to see many other professional children's theatre performances at the festival. Puppets in Prague has been teaching hundreds of students since 2000.

August 8 - 30, 2024


Distance Learning, The Center for Puppetry Arts - ONLINE

Center for Puppetry Arts

Center for Puppetry Arts, ONLINE
puppet.org/programs/?type=digital-learning-workshop

The Center for Puppetry Arts uses the latest technology to offer nationwide Distance Learning programs for PreK-adult through videoconferencing, webinars, and streamed content. Arts-infused workshops are conducted via videoconferencing and are tailored to specific classroom topics and curriculum for K-12 groups. For K-5, hands-on puppet building integrates with science, social studies, language arts and other disciplines to create a dynamic, interactive virtual classroom for a virtual field trip experience. Middle School/High School programs are discussion based. Programs complement national curriculum standards in language arts, social studies, science, math and other areas. The Center provides a comprehensive study guide and materials list for most programs. Webinars (both live and streamed) and streamed workshops and lectures are available for teachers seeking demos and professional development (also available via videoconferencing). Streamed workshops are also ideal for anyone interested in learning about puppetry.


Puppets in Prague - Online & In-Person Courses

New Workshops!

Puppets in Prague
puppetsinprague.eu

Choose from our wide range of top-quality long-term classes. With us you can turn your dreams into a reality, plus become a part of the flourishing Puppets in Prague community.
Table Top Puppet - February 3, 2024
Miniature Theatre - February-June 2024
Stomper Marionette - March 16, 2024
Toy Theatre & Puppets Online - March-June 2024
Marionette Carving In-Person - June 2024
Marionette Carving & Performance In-Person - August 2024


National Puppetry Conference

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

Photo by: Richard Termine / Eugene O'Neill Theater Center

Eugene O'Neill Theater Center
305 Great Neck Road
Waterford, CT
www.theoneill.org/pup
860-443-5378

The National Puppetry Conference provides a meeting and creating ground for master artisans to pass their craft and ingenuity to new artists in the field of puppetry. Participants gather from across the globe to create works that defy the bounds of contemporary theater and the imagination. Applications for the 2023 National Puppetry Conference are due by January 31, 2023.

May 29 - June 11, 2023