National Puppetry Conferen ce performances:ħ p.m. That's our goal, to nurture the artists and develop their work." Ultimately, she says, "We feel that nurturing the artist is the best thing we do, really. It's also about the community of puppeteers," Arciero says. When you're creatively depleted, this is the place to come to get more, to find that energy. "The 1/3 that come back always come back because they refer to it as sort of going back to the well, refilling the cup. It helped them fiugre out what they wanted to do," Arciero says.Įach year, about 2/3 of the conference participants are newbies, and 1/3 are returnees. "An awful lot of people consider it a life-changing event. Puppeteers who have been to the conference have been known to rave about the experience. ![]() I mean, there have been two-minute shows that have made us all break down sobbing." "Sometimes, it's incredibly funny, and sometimes, it's incredibly moving. It's like it's really terrible, but it's going to be over soon. "There are these really great, 'How did you think of that idea, with newspaper and a piece of tape? I'm so impressed.' And then it's like, 'What were you thinking when you put that onstage?' However, we do call it 'Too Short to Suck' for the most part, because each piece is under four minutes. "That's sort of my favorite thing because it's wonderful and terrible," Arciero says with a laugh. Robinson and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph and "Marionettes," directed by Phillip Huber and Jim Rose with Fred Thompson.Ĭonference participants are also invited to develop their own two-minute project, which are showcased from 10 a.m. This year's ensemble productions include: "A Puppet Film" directed by Tim Lagasse with Martin P. Then it would all melt away, the fabric would be released into its natural shape, and the puppeteers would reform it." It was all fabric in front of your eye turned into puppets as they manipulated the fabric. In one piece, "The Life of a Tree," Arciero recalls, "There weren't actually any puppets. One thing they all have in common: exploring the magic of puppetry. The projects over the years have run the gamut, from a piece about an aging Superman to a landmine awareness project for Afghanistan. ![]() It will be dedicated to the memory of Jim Henson, who died 20 years ago.ĭuring the conference, puppet artists develop new work and learn about all aspects of the art, from such teachers as puppet builders, acting and movement coaches, and dramaturgs. The whole conference will be the largest gathering of puppet theater artists in the program's history. Pam Arciero, who has been the conference's artistic director since 2002, says, "Some years, we bring in guest artists, but we have the most talented, incredible staff, so in celebration of our staff, they are creating the storyline together." It's being led by Richard Termine, a previous puppetry conference artistic director, and brings together conference staff. The conference staff is taking those pieces and using improvisation to develop a whole show called "20 Year Remix: A Retrospective." The National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has asked puppet artists who have participated in the conference during the past two decades to send in a puppet or some kind of memorabilia from the show they staged here. What better way to celebrate a 20th anniversary that calling upon the past to make something new?
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