Puppet Workshop

Puppet Workshop

Grant:
Instructional Development Fund (IDF)
Academic Year:
2012 - 2013 (June 1, 2012 through May 31, 2013)
Funding Requested:
$445.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
msmyers
Overview of the Project:
Attend USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology) Costume Symposium- "Puppet Boot Camp," hosted at Purdue University. For a detailed description of the 3 day event, please see: http://www.usitt.org/Resources/USITTEvents/CostumeSymposium2
Final Report Fields
Project Objectives:

The objectives of this symposium were to be introduced to 4 different modes to puppet construction and manipulation. My plan is to incorporate this exposure into further study and meld the techniques into course and production work at U of M.

Project Achievements:

This symposium was an amazing experience. It will be a catalyst for further study, and served as an inspiration for me, both as a teacher and designer. I came home with four different puppets, and while I am still a novice, we learned the underlying principles of puppetry, resources available, and preliminary manipulation towards performance. Also, we learned how to apply these aspects to a variety of modes beyond the four styles we worked with hands-on. I am now comfortable including a puppetry component in my Costume Crafts class and would like to develop a semester long course covering this subject and it's history. In two weeks, I am leading a shadow puppet workshop at the InterArts retreat with 15 undergraduate students. I am also the costume designer for our upcoming production of A Midsummer NIght's Dream which will involve puppetry to stage the fairies. In the long term, we are planning a large scale shadow puppet performance in the exterior light "cube" of the Arthur Miller theatre as part of the Theatre Dept's 100th anniversary celebration. On a side note, it was refreshing to be a student again. I was invigorated by the lead instructor and carefully observed his teaching style. He was organized, effective and encouraging and always kept his sense of humor.

Continuation:
In a sense, yes. Puppetry is a very broad subject and my new interest is just the tip of the iceberg. This symposium, which was partially funded by the grant, was a springboard for future endeavors. There are plans to use some of the techniques I've learned in long term projects outside of grant funding, as outlined above. I would also like to reach out to other departments in other schools to collaborate; many different cultures have a long and rich history of performance and story telling through puppetry.
Dissemination:
I work and teach in a collaborative department. As puppetry may be included in production work, my exposure and knowledge will be shared. I also plan to give a brief overview at our first departmental faculty meeting.
Advice to your Colleagues:
The only challenge I had was understanding the logistics of university travel and there are resources in place to help with that; I just needed to know who to ask for what. The subject of the symposium was an inherently entertaining one! Joel Ebarb, the instructor at Purdue, made is a success; I would turn to him for advice if I ever decided to host a symposium myself.
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