Summer Starts June 1st at PST

THIS SUMMER AT PST
New Schedule! Show times for the months of June, July, and August:
Wednesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays 10:30am and 1:00pm
Check out the calendar!

SUMMER SATURDAY WORKSHOPS

Playing With Light: The Magical Art Of Shadow Puppetry
June 4th 10:30-12:30

Big Stories: Paul Bunyan and Participatory Puppet Theater
July 2nd 10:30-12:30

Junk Puppets! A Hands-On Recycled Materials Puppet Building Extravaganza
August 6th 10:30-12:30
Make a reservation.

THIS WEEK
"Turtle's New Home" by Deborah Costine
June 1 & 2 | Wed & Thurs | 10:30 am & 1pm

About This Show: Blanding is an endangered turtle in search of a new habitat. Each spring she leaves her wetland and travels to a nearby sandy hill where she lays her eggs. When a new road is ... built between the wetland and the hill, what will she do? With the help from her friend Castor the Beaver she may just be able to fix her problems!

About the Performer: When Debbie was 10 years old, she made her first puppet. She had no idea how to go about it, but she made a paper mache puppet which sits in her puppet studio today!
Debbie designs and performs shows for young audiences, and was recently awarded an UNIMA Citation of Excellence for her show “Cinderella, A Woodland Fairy Princess”. The UNIMA Citation of Excellence is the highest honor in American puppetry.
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"Little Superheroes" by Talking Hands Theatre

THIS WEEK AT PST!

"Little Superheroes" by Talking Hands Theatre

May 25 & 26 | Wed & Thurs | 10:30am

About the show: Kids can change the world! Ruby Raccoon and Benny Bunny are little superheroes in training. In order to win their superpowers, they'll have to prove that they're super fearless, super helpful, and want to save the world. This show includes information about ways kids can help protect our environment, such as planting a tree and recycling. Appropriate for ages 2-8.

About the performer: Talking Hands Theatre is committed to entertaining children with puppetsby engaging their minds and their imaginations as well as their senses of humor. We perform in schools, libraries, day care centers, parks, theatres, hospitals, and homes throughout New England. Our 5' wide black curtain stage fits easily in any space. We bring our own sound equipment, depending on the size of the audience. The puppets are all handmade rod and hand puppets. Cultural awareness, environmentalism, and generosity are just a few of our themes.Based in Shutesbury, MA, we are one of the only children's puppet troupes serving the Western Massachusetts area that will come to YOU! Whether you are looking for children's party ideas or just a treat for a good classroom, consider a puppet show. More Info.

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The Egyptian Oracle: Virtual Reality Puppet Experience!

THIS FRI AT PST
The Egyptian Oracle by Public VR
Friday, May 20th, 7PM

About the performance: "The Egyptian Oracle" is an immersive educational experience that recreates an important religious event from the Ptolemaic Period. By projecting a Virtual Egyptian Temple onto a wall real space merges with virtual space, creating a shared continuum for audience and actors. The star is a virtual High Priest, controlled by a human puppeteer (PST Artist in Residence Brad Shur) interacting with a live actor (PST staff member Brenda Huggins) and the audience, who role-play as the Egyptian populace. The high priest queries the spirit of the temple god which is embodied in a ceremonial boat carried by eight assistants. Fortunes will be told, judgments made, and blessings given. We will film the event, ask audience members what they learned, and have a general discussion afterward, all totaling 90 minutes. This experimental work was made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the performance venues in Boston and Pittsburgh. More information at http://publicvr.org.

About Public VR: PublicVR is dedicated to the advancement of virtual reality in education, the arts, and human factors research. They produce free software, supporting materials, and conduct research studies reported in scholarly publications. They also support installations in museums, art galleries, and research facilities. PublicVR is a non-profit (501c3) corporation funded by grants, donations, and volunteer efforts.

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Elephant Tango at Incubator This Week!

THIS TUES NIGHT AT PST

Incubator!

May 17 | 7pm to 9pm

About Incubator: Every other Tuesday, PST hots a "drop-in" session where emerging artists, veteran puppeteers, teachers, and puppet enthusiasts gather to discuss and develop creative ideas in a casual, informal environment.

Here artists of all media and genres, experienced or not, can experiment with new puppetry ideas, materials and styles. It's a place where knowledge is shared, constructive critiques is the norm, and collaborations are born. This event is a free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5.

What's happening this week: Don't miss the chance to see a preview performance of "Elephant Tango Tales" by the Elephant Tango Ensemble! This PST premiere features old stories and new creations that fill an exciting hour of puppetry & music! With Aesop's Fables (Mice in Council, Mountain In Labor & The Lion's Paw), The Couch (an original story of a child's imaginative adventures by Jill Gibson), and a series of delightful vignettes by the adorable Baby Zombie. All shadow puppetry, ball & scarf puppetry, projector puppetry and hand puppetry is accompanied by a live music ensemble!

About the performer: Founded in August of 2008, the Elephant Tango Ensemble is a collective of musicians, actors, puppeteers, designers and dancers striving for creative excellence through making puppets, composing music, and preserving story time.

The Elephant Tango has performed at the Cloud Club, Brookline Music School, Club Oberon, Perishable Theatre, Puppet Showplace Theatre, Boston Playwright's Theatre, and is available for entertainment and educational events in New England. More info.

Also this week: This is the final Incubator before the Adult Puppet Showplace SLAM! and we are looking forward to seeing many of our SLAM performers there. Emcee Jon Little and PST Artist in Residence Brad Shur will be on site to help give feedback on everyone's work.

Adult Puppet Showplace SLAM! Saturday, May 21st at 8pm.

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"Singing Turtle" By Brad Shur

THIS WEEK AT PST!

Sat & Sun | May 14 & 15 | 1 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Wed & Thurs | May 18 & 19 | 10:30 a.m.

About the show:
A young, hard working farm boy, Taro, is desperate to earn money to buy medicine for his mother. He is helped by an amazing turtle in this Japanese folk tale.
Hand puppets. Ages 3 & up.


About the performer:
Brad has been professionally involved in puppetry for nearly 10 years. He first began as a performer with the Providence puppet and mask company Big Nazo while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design and has toured nationally with Wood & Strings Theatre, a marionette company out of Tennessee. Brad recently finished working with the Vermont PuppetTree as a freelance puppet designer and performer.

He has experience in teaching workshops and classes for students of all ages and hopes to be known in the future as an Arts Educator. Brad has a passion for performance and describes his style as “carnival barker” driven by interactive audience dialogue.

Brad is thrilled to be here as the Artist in Residence of the Puppet Showplace Theatre!

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PST Summer Workshops and Classes

REGISTER NOW FOR CLASSES AT PST!
Coming this spring and summer, PST has brand new education programming for youth, families, and adults alike! Classes will fill up fast, so grab your spot today!

All classes and workshops will be taught by Brad Shur, our artist in residence.

Youth Class:

Think Big! Giant Puppet Construction and Performance Class
July 18 - July 23
Monday through Friday, 3:30 to 5:30 pm
At the Puppet Showplace Theatre
Public performance Saturday July 23, at 8:00 pm

Join us in July for a week of bringing giants to life! Students will learn how to dream big and work with others to make their visions a reality. In addition to acquiring technical construction and performance skills, students will learn the basics of project planning and how to work as a team. Their work will be presented for our audiences at the July 23rd adult Puppet Showplace Slam (8:00 pm on July 23rd)!

Only $125 per participant! Ages 8 and up
Click here to register online, or call the Box office at 617-731-6400


Family Workshop Series:
Our "Summer Saturday" family workshop series takes place on the first Saturday of each summer month (June, July, and August).
These are participatory workshops where adults and children work together to build and perform with puppets.

Space for these workshops is limited, so pre-registration is STRONGLY encouraged.
Call the box office at 617-731-6400 today to reserve your space!

Cost: $15/adult, $10/child (Member price $13/adult, $8/child).

Family Workshops Offered:

Playing with Light: the magical art of shadow puppetry
June 4 | 10:30 – 12:30
Shadow puppetry is a fun, inexpensive way for families to create magical worlds and tell stories together. In this workshop, participants will see live and video demonstrations of the centuries-old history of shadow puppets and learn about their amazing variety across cultures. Then, everyone will make their own shadow puppets and learn the basic techniques of bringing them to life. This is a hands-on workshop, where everyone will have a chance to be a shadow puppeteer!
Register Online

Big Stories: Paul Bunyan and participatory puppet theater
July 2 |10:30 – 12:30
Did you ever wonder how puppeteers tell such big stories with such small characters? Celebrate American Independence by bringing to life the classic American Folk Tale, Paul Bunyan! Families will learn how puppeteers use movement and sound to bring multiple styles of puppets to life. All participants will get to practice manipulation exercises with simple puppets provided by the instructor. Then, together we will put on a show! Junk Puppets!
Register Online

A Hands-On Recycled Materials Puppet Building Extravaganza
August 6 | 10:30 – 12:30
Puppets can bring junk back to life! Participants will begin by learning what a puppet is and some of the basic skills of puppet construction. Then, everyone will create their own puppet using recycled materials. We’ll have plenty on hand, and participants are welcome to bring their own materials as well (water bottles, toilet paper tubes, etc). Our artist in residence will guide the creative process and assist with construction. Once the puppets are complete, we’ll get a crash course in making them come to life with voice, movement and story-telling techniques.
Register Online



Adult Classes:

Introduction to Puppetry Arts
Four Thursday Evenings
May 19 - June 9 | 7PM - 9PM
Ages 16 and up
What makes a great puppet show? Participants will be introduced to the exciting and multifaceted world of puppetry through hands-on exploration of the materials and performance methods used by professional puppeteers. The class will study and discuss the work of great including Richard Bradshaw, Burr Tillstrom, and Sergey Obraztsov, and learn what core elements unite traditional Punch and Judy shows with the Muppets and the giant puppets of Royale de Luxe. Participants will survey basic construction methods and will build their own puppets and make them come to life.

This is an adult workshop; ages 16 and up.

Introduction to Puppetry Arts Registration info

Introduction to Glove Puppetry
Four Thursday Evenings
July 28 - August 14 | 7PM - 9PM
Ages 16 and up
How does a puppeteer bring a character to life? Glove puppetry is an immensely creative and challenging art form that has been practiced for centuries around the world as a way to bring stories to life. Students will examine the history of glove puppet performance from Punch and Judy to Mr. Rogers. Starting with basic exercises for manual dexterity and expressiveness and progressing to 2-character interactions, students will build a vocabulary of movement that will allow them to express almost any emotion or action. Finally, participants will learn a durable method for creating their own glove puppets from scratch.

This is an adult workshop; ages 16 and up.

Introduction to Glove Puppetry Registration info

Questions? Feel free to contact our box office for more details about these and other upcoming events at 617-731-6400.

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"Little Red Riding Hood" by WonderSpark Puppets

THIS WEEK AT PST!

Wed & Thurs |May 11 & 12 | 10:30 a.m.

About the show:
Little Red is sent into the big woods to deliver a basket of goodies to her sick Grandmother, but is hounded by a hungry wolf who wants the basket for himself. Will Little Red be able to outsmart the wolf and save her Grandmother? The wolf is not overly scary, but children under 3 may be too young for this tale.
Little Red & The Wolf uses hand-held puppets on 3 tables, and is great for larger spaces like schools and theaters. The show is 45 minutes long and is fun for ages 4 and up.

About the performer:
Located in New York City, WonderSpark Puppets performs award-winning puppet theater in all sorts of venues. Theaters, schools, libraries, children's museums, and even your living room, you never know where WonderSpark Puppets will be appearing next.
Founded by husband and wife team Chad Williams and Lindsey "Z." Briggs, WonderSpark Puppets infuse fun and whimsy into all their performances. WonderSpark is happy to perform puppet shows for kids and adults alike.

WonderSpark Puppets Website
WonderSpark Puppets Facebook

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