Well it would seem that there are some very cool things happening over at the Ontario Puppetry Association (see previous post). First off I would like to congratulate Phil Arnold and Mike Harding (see previous post), on their new positions as President and Vice President of the OPA, respectively.  I must admit that I was a member years and years ago, and I have let my membership expire. I may just have to join again and get some puppetry socilaizing in. It was a lot of fun and I actulaly met many of the members (who are now running the OPA) when I first joined years ago.

To read more of what is happening with puppetry in Ontario just visit the News and Views section of the OPA website.

On December 18 at 8:00pm and 11:00pm EST, the Travel Channel will be showing Puppet Planet: A Very New York Christmas. It’s billed as a reality/travel show. I can’t wait to see what the buzz will be surrounding this one.

Don’t forget, December 18.

Amy Harder at Puppetrylab.com has posted several videos on advanced manipulation of puppets as well as tips for working with monitors. I am excited about this new web site so keep your eye on it.

Also, Paul Louis from puppetsnstuff.com has posted a series of manipulation videos on ExpertVillage.com. Pauly walks you through through tips and techniques including working with monitors.

(Aww, nuts! I’ve planned to do similar tutorials at puppetminister.com. Talk about having a good idea and someone beating you to it. Oh, well…snooze and lose. Thanks to Amy and Paul for their efforts.)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - NEW!
On Display December 8, 2006 - January 7, 2007

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to see two ORIGINAL stop-motion puppets from the much loved 1964 Rankin/Bass TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Presumed lost or destroyed for over 30 years, these rare puppets surfaced in 2005 and have been recently restored to their original condition. Up until now, these characters have only made brief appearances at a few select trade shows. The Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta is proud to be the first museum in the world to exhibit these incredibly rare puppets for public viewing.

dotBoom is a web-based show with puppets, about a website development firm in Toronto, Canada. I find it simply hilarious, and cutting edge. Brian Hogg, the Writer, Director and Producer of dotBoom is searching for the following positions to fill:

dotBoom Press Agent: To assist with the promotion of dotBoom.

dotBoom executive assistant camera/level monitor/what’s the next shot is next person…basically a helping hand.

If you are available to work on a volunteer basis, live in the Kitchener or gthereater Kitchener area. Let Brian Hogg know at: brian@dotboom.ca

There are not many people who haven’t been touched by Sesame Street at one point or another in their lives.  Well, the original early episodes have now been release on DVD.  This summer I was fortunate enough to visit the set of Sesame Street and I was flooded with memories and inspiration. Inspiration can be a puppet builder/puppeteer’s best tool at times.

I plan on getting this DVD set, if for nothing else, at least for pure enjoyment.  But there is much more to be gained.  The early episodes were a totally different format than what is on television now.  They were originally a series of shorts that ran for the length of the episode.  Also, there was a tremendious amount of creative energy and puppet/animation/live action artistic experimentation that went on.  Much of it as a result of it being the 70’s and a time that encouraged “alternative thinking”.

The result is a very interesting and enjoyable experience.  For anyone looking for a trip down “memory lane” or for a little puppetry inspiration, I would recommend reading this review and considering picking up Sesame Street Old School Volume 1.

This is a very last minute post (since I was just sent the information). Any of my fellow Canadians (or anyone who gets the CBC for that matter) can watch Mr. Meaty today at 11:30 am on CBC television. I for one will be checking it out. For more information on the show you can read a write up I did about my visit to the set over at my personal blog.

Enjoy!

 

For those of you in the New York area, there is a puppet event happening from October 2006 through until February 2007 that is beinng sponsored by Linux.  The event is called Passport To Puppet Theatre and allows individuals to purchase a “passport” that gets them free software from Linux as well as ticket discounts to the shows.  Now it should be noted that many of these shows are actually a part of  different festivals and events, but are also associated with this Linux promotion.  Puppet companies who are participating are Drama of Works, Bread and Puppet Theater as well as many others.  To find out more about this event you can go to their website here.

Toronto podcast Puppet Television has been doing their puppet show for a while now. Now I should point out that this podcast is intended for more of a mature audience, so viewer discretion is advised. I personally love the idea of Toronto artists doing more puppetry (it makes me proud to be a Torontonian). Puppet Television has just put up a series of videos that chronicle their visit to the Toronto Fan Expo this past September. I will be posting more details about Puppet Television in the near future, but for now you can check out their new video posts here.

According to this article in Swedish newspaper, SvD, the hit Broadway show Avenue Q is coming to Sweden. The show will be performed (in Swedish) at the theater Maxim in Stockholm starting in 2007.

The puppets will be made by the talented Petter Lennstrand, famous in Sweden for his hit puppet-show Allram Eest.

The premiere is set to be on February 9th 2007.