Monday, November 4, 2013

Take your shadow puppets to the next level!

ADULT CLASSES AT PUPPET SHOWPLACE

As the center for puppetry arts in New England, Puppet Showplace attracts puppet enthusiasts interested in diving deeper into the exciting world of puppetry.  Our teaching artists are all working puppeteers excited to share their craft with a new generation of puppeteers. Puppet Showplace artist in residence, Brad Shur teaches a variety of hands-on classes where students try their skills at making puppets come to life.


Students creating original shadow puppet characters at Puppet Showplace
Next on the fall class calendar is "Shadow Puppetry Production Lab" where students learn exciting building techniques and methods to create their own completed shadow puppet show from beginning to end.

Shadow Puppetry Production Lab

Instructor: Brad Shur, Artist in Residence
Six sessions, November 4 - December 9
Mondays, 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Cost: $200 + $20 materials fee
Members save 10% on registration!


About the workshop:  Learn to build and perform a complete shadow puppet show in this rigorous and supportive class. Participants will explore advanced mechanisms and building techniques using hinges, rivets, springs and slides crafted from durable materials to create professional quality shadow puppets. Then participants will focus on performance skills and visual storytelling to create an original short piece. 

This is an advanced-level class: "Introduction to Shadow Puppetry" or equivalent experience is recommended. Participants will be expected to work on projects outside of class time.


About the artist: Brad Shur is the Artist in Residence at Puppet Showplace. In addition to performing regularly in Brookline for audiences of all ages, Shur also presents shows on tour throughout the New England region, bringing puppetry to hundreds of schools, libraries, camps, and community centers each year. After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Shur toured the country as a performer with Big Nazo (Rhode Island), Wood & Strings Theatre (Tennessee) and The PuppeTree (Vermont). As a builder, Shur has designed and fabricated puppets for American Idol, Dollywood, The USS Constitution Museum, and theaters from Austin to Boston. 

Brad teaching "Introduction to Shadow Puppetry" at Puppet Showplace
In addition to his active performance schedule, Shur is a sought-after teaching artist. At Puppet Showplace he has designed and taught classes for after school programs, summer camps, and numerous classes for adults. His courses include “Introduction to Puppetry Arts,” “Shadow Puppetry Production Lab,” “Glove Puppetry Boot Camp,” and “Puppet Building 101.” Shur has also conducted extended puppetry residencies and teacher trainings for students of all ages at the Cambridge Ellis School, the Gifford School, Thompson Elementary School, the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, and Boston College. 

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