Yarr! Thar be Pirates at PST!

THIS WEEK AT PST

Sat & Sun | Apr 28 & 29 | 1pm & 3pm

Arr! These pirates be coming to PST with plenty-a tales! Romper Rhythm and Puppets be presenting the story with hand and shadow puppets!

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About the show: Pirate Long John Silver and his parrot, Flint, find a sea chest full of stories: “How the Whale Got His Throat,” “A Little Mermaid,” and “Ocean Born Mary.” Tales are told with a twist, silly and not scary, with lots of laughs, sing-a-longs, audience participation, and yo ho ho!

Recommended for ages 3 & up.

About the performer: Diane Kordas has been performing music for children and families since 1992, and puppet shows since 1998. Her classic and original stories with puppets, music, humor and audience participation are enjoyed by children and families at libraries, schools, outdoor events, parties, daycares and preschools throughout New England.

Diane Kordas is a member of Puppeteers of America, Children’s Music Network, and the Boston Area Puppet Guild. After her successful children’s music recording, Hello, How Are You?!, she recorded a second CD entitled Dinosaur Stomp which went on to win the 2005 Children's Music Web Award for Best Recording for Younger Children ages 5 to 8, and Best Educational Seasonal or Religious Recording for Younger Children ages 5 to 8.

The Ballads and Crankies of PST!

ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Tuesday, April 24
7:30pm

"Ballads and Crankies: A Night of Traditional Music, Collected Stories, and New Illustrations" combines the talents of old time fiddler Anna Roberts-Gevalt, ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle and shadow puppeteer Katherine Fahey.

Experience mountain stories and music through the magic of illustrated scrolls called "crankies." Reminiscent of shadow puppetry, these artists bring their stories to life with quilted cloth, ink and linoleum prints, and candlelit paper cuts.

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About the performers: Baltimore artist Katherine Fahey is a shadow puppeteer, singer, and printmaker, whose recent collaborations have brought shadow puppetry to the independent music scene, most notably her music video for music duo Wye Oak.

Anna & Elizabeth, from Virginia, present sparsely arranged ballads, hymns, lullabies and rousing fiddle and banjo tunes that are deeply rooted in the stories and kitchen music of the mountains they call home. They have spent the past year collecting songs and stories of music and the mountains, which they have been sharing across Virginia and the US, recently focusing on the stories and music of ballad singers Addie Graham of East Kentucky and Texas Gladden of Virginia.

OPEN TO ALL KIDS between the ages of 7-12!

This summer, PST partners with the Brookline Recreation Department to bring exciting summer camps to the Brookline community! Currently, the camps are open to all kids aged 7-12! (You don't have to be a Brookline resident!)

Monster Makers
Puppet Building & Design Camp
with Brad Shur, PST Artist-in-Residence



Date: 6/25 through 6/29, 8:30am to 4:00pm
Age: 7-12
Location: Puppet Showplace Theatre

REGISTER ONLINE
Activity Number 108006

About the Camp: Can you imagine the world’s craziest monster? Do you like making stuff by hand? Then Puppet Showplace Theatre wants YOU for Monster Makers! In this new one-week summer camp kids will experience the process of puppet design, resulting in the creation of original hand-crafted monster puppets. Led by PST’s Artist in Residence, students will explore the materials and mechanisms used by professional puppet builders to create the creatures that only exist in their imaginations.

Students will also take on mini-projects that exercise core artistic skills such as drawing and sculpting. Craftsmanship, attention to detail, and project-planning skills will also be learned along the way. In addition to puppetry activities, campers also will enjoy fun recreational outings led by counselors from the Brookline Recreation Department.

About the Instructor: Brad Shur is the Artist in Residence at PST where he regularly performs for family and adult audiences. He is a graduate of RISD, and has taught puppetry classes of students of all ages across the country.

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Talk to the Hand
Puppetry and Performance Skills Camp
with Jacek Zuzanski of Dream Tale Puppets



Date: 8/20 through 8/24, 8:30am to 4:00pm
Age: 7-12
Location: Puppet Showplace Theatre

REGISTER ONLINE
Activity Number 108008

About the Camp: Puppeteers can bring entire worlds to life using just the tips of their fingers. Want to know their secrets? Now is your chance! In this new one-week summer camp students will explore the manipulation techniques used to bring different styles of puppets to life.

In a typical day, students will spend a morning session working with a professional performer (actors and puppeteers) to learn tools for expressing themselves ranging from voice acting to storytelling to hand puppet techniques and team puppetry. In the afternoons, students will devise, rehearse, and perform an original play, using the puppetry and performance skills they have acquired. In addition to puppetry activities, campers also will enjoy fun recreational outings led by counselors from the Brookline Recreation Department.

About the Instructor: Jacek Zuzanski has a Master of Art degree from The State Puppetry Institute in Wrocław, Poland, and The Ministry for Art and Culture’s Stage Directing Certificate. Jacek currently teaches acting and puppetry at the Cape Cod Conservatory and at the Falmouth Academy.

Are you ready for the Amazing Gnip Gnop Circus? PST is!

APRIL VACATION WEEK AT PST!

Thu & Fri | April 19 & 20 | 10:30am & 1pm
Sat & Sun | April 21 & 22 | 1pm & 3pm

You haven't seen a circus until you've seen the Amazing Gnip Gnop Circus by Z. Puppets Rosenschnoz at PST!

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About the show: Step right up and be astounded by this magnificent glow-in-the-dark Ping Pong ball circus spectacular. Acrobats! Tightrope Walkers! Clowns! Wild Animals! All 100% authentic Ping Pong Ball performers, guaranteed to glow in the dark! We promise you will never look at table tennis the same way again. Featuring the performers of Z. Puppets Rosenschnoz, visiting all the way from Minnesota!

About the performer: Z Puppets Rosenschnoz delights children and their adults with feats of imagination, mixing hand-crafted puppetry, zany comedy with live music. Z Puppets artists Shari Aronson & Chris Griffith have earned many awards, including support from the Jim Henson Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts and the Puppeteers of America. Based in Minneapolis, Z Puppets tour their family-friendly comedies across the country. Appearances have included the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, the National Puppetry Festival, the Walker Art Center and Boston’s Puppet Showplace Theatre.

Silly Adults! PST Workshops are for YOU!

ADULT WORKSHOPS AT PST!

We're so happy our monster-building workshop was a success - good thing we're having another workshop! If you loved monster-building and are itching for another class or you missed out and want to try something new at PST, check out our new workshop for May!

Fundamentals of Silly Voices

A fun, creative vocal technique class
for actors and puppeteers!

Instructor: Brenda Huggins
Four sessions, May 7 - 28
Monday nights, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Cost: $95 (PST members save 10%!)

Register Online!

Puppeteers are known for their vocal versatility. Want to learn their secrets? Whether you're a singer or actor, comedian or magician, a politician or a puppeteer, this foundational skills class will give you everything you need for excellent and creative vocal performance.

Students will explore their own vocal range while learning techniques for proper breath support, projection, and good vocal health. The class will cover the basics of vocal techniques and philosophies such as Linklater, Laban, Alexander, and Bel Canto. Building from these core ideas, the class will then explore connections between voice, character, and storytelling. Puppetry performance exercises, such as discovering voices in found objects and voicing multiple puppet characters in one scene, will be incorporated throughout the class. Participants will be encouraged to learn from each other while practicing their newly-acquired skills in a fun, safe, and supportive environment.

Kick off PST's April Vacation Week with Jack and the Beanstalk!

APRIL VACATION WEEK AT PST!

Mon - Wed | Apr 16 - 18 | 10:30am & 1pm

First in the line up during the week for April vacation at PST is the classic tale of Jack and the Beanstalk - with puppets! And a few other fun surprises from Dream Tale Puppets.

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About the show: Sent to the market to sell his old cow, Jack returns home with a measly handful of beans. Jack is in disgrace until. . . the beans become a beanstalk, the beanstalk leads to adventure, and Jack has a chance at fame and fortune. All he has to do is outwit a very hungry giant! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre's hilarious retelling of the tallest of tales is full of fun and loaded with laughs. Colorful scenery, exciting puppetry and a delightful musical score combine to create a giant-sized entertainment for all ages.

Recommended for ages 3 & up.

About the performer: Dream Tale Puppets is a continuation of the Story and Puppet Time project which began at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in April 2003. It consists of accomplished puppeteers Jacek Zuzanski & Norina Reif.

Jacek Zuzanski has a Master of Art degree from The State Puppetry Institute in Wrocław, Poland, and The Ministry for Art and Culture’s Stage Directing Certificate. Jacek currently teaches acting and puppetry at the Cape Cod Conservatory and at the Falmouth Academy.

Norina Reif leads Toddler Story time at Falmouth Library and she is also a playgroup coordinator specializing in early childhood development. She also performs with Falmouth Theatre Guild and Cotuit Center for the Arts.

"Magic Soup" returns to PST!

THIS WEEK AT PST!

Wed & Thurs | Apr 11 & 12 | 10:30am
Fri | Apr 13 | 3:30pm (After School Program)
Sat & Sun | Apr 14 & 15 | 1pm & 3pm

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Drink up PST's artist-in-residence Brad Shur's imaginative puppeteering of traditional Jewish tales!

About the show: Uncle Murray is coming over for dinner, but there's no food in sight! A young man's search for a family recipe ends up bringing folk tales to life...in his kitchen. Based on a collection of traditional Yiddish stories, "The Magic Soup" teaches that it is those with wit, humor and imagination who have the best chance of filling their bellies -- and fulfilling their dreams.

Performed with mixed styles of puppetry, including rod, shadow and tabletop.

Recommended for ages 4 and up.

About the performer: Brad Shur is currently the artist-in-residence at PST. He has been active in the professional puppeteering world for over a decade, ever since he was studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. Brad performs with all forms of puppetry, from rod puppets and shadow puppets to Japanese bunraku puppets and marionettes. In 2007, Brad built and designed puppets of the 10 American Idol finalists for a Ford commercial which you can view here.

Peter and the Wolf - with marionettes!

THIS WEEK AT PST!

Wed & Thurs	April 4 & 5	10:30am
Friday	April 6	10:30am & 1pm
Saturday	April 7	1pm & 3pm

In the classic tale of "Peter and the Wolf," young boy Peter decides to save his village from the wolf with the help of his animal friends. National Marionette brings the story to PST with marionette puppets!

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About the show: Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf has enchanted audiences since its premier in 1936. Based on the original Russian Folktale, National Marionette Theatre’s version of the story features the beautiful music from Prokofiev’s orchestral score combined with stunning scenery and hand crafted marionettes. Set in turn of the century Russia, our production tells the story of how Peter, along with his animal friends captures the wolf.

Recommended for ages 5 & up.

About the performer: One of the oldest running marionette theaters in the US, National Marionette Theatre was founded in 1967 by artistic director David A. Syrotiak. For over 40 years, this award-winning company has been entertaining audiences around the world and are noted for their amazing manipulation technique and imaginative fully staged productions.

The company has received critical acclaim both here in the United States and abroad and was the first American marionette theater to receive the prestigious UNIMA award for excellence in puppetry. These days, shows are performed by David and Peter Syrotiak, sons of the artistic director. They have been building and performing with the company since their teenage years and are dedicated to keeping the tradition of professional puppetry alive in the United States.