I am very interested in this show concept offered by Studio Bizarro.  The show is called Planet BIzarro and the clip I watched was very interesting.  I would say the show is definately not for small children (especially with a zombie sketch), but it was well done.  Super puppets, great puppeteering, check it out to find more videos online.

I have been a fan of Custom Puppets for a long time now and I am happy to see a great little video of their new live show is floating around the internet.  If you haven’t visted their site yet, make sure you do.  They build some great puppets.

Check out this little puppetry gem.  I for one was blown away with it.

This movie short was put out by Director Peter Haynes of New Zealand based Haynesfilm Ltd.

The project was conceived back in the summer of 2005, and the team for Haynesfilm were feeling the crunch of the 48hours film competition they were in.  Eight hours into it, 3am and they still didn’t have anything resembling a storyline or idea.

These film competitions often have a few elements that each short must include, here are theirs.

Character: Bodil DeRezney, Animal Lover
Genre: Action.

Director Peter Haynes remembered the moth eaten old puppet Monkey he had as a child. In a fit of 8am scribblings on a sheet of refill, ‘Jungle Fever’ was born.

It went on to win Audience favourite in its heat, reach the regional finals in Auckland, and then go onto the National finals after being selected as a wildcard winner by Peter Jackson himself.   JF2: Primal Fury’” is a continuation of the story of DK bond, Fighter, Lover, Monkey.

‘JF2: Primal Fury’ was filmed on a Panasonic HVX in 720 mode, using a redrock M2 lens adaptor with Nikon Lenses. It will screen in 12 episodes on Juice TV in New Zealand beginning 7th April. It is totally self funded.

So many times people worry about making a puppet “as professional” as possible. Here is an example of how wonderful film making can make a simple puppet look great. This is a topic that I will be exploring further. For now, enjoy the trailer.

From the folks who brought you Mr. Meaty, Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley. Broadcasted from his garage, Swami Jeff tries to teach his dad the path of enlightenment. Not only is the puppetry top notch, but the sets, sound, wardrobe, lighting….basically everything is very well done. This show was originally made for Zed TV in 2002, but now is appearing on Youtube and even has a Facebook group. Check out a show HERE!

I just received and email from some amazingly talented performers in Toronto.  Rob and Soli Joy are truly exceptional and I was very happy to see that they have launched their new website (which looks great by the way).  My family was also invited to their CD launch party for their newest CD called “Happy Birthday, Alistair Ant!” .  We will be there, and being that it is almost my son’s birthday I am sure it will be all the more special for him.

 Date and Time:  Sunday, November 11th, 2007 @ 11:00 am and 3:00 pm (This Sunday!!!)

Location:  The Berkeley Heritage Event Venue (315 Queen Street East)

 Cost:  $18 in advance and $19 at the door

If you are in Toronto this Sunday, I highly encourage you to drop by to see their show.  If you have young children then it is not to be missed.  For more information visit their website here.

After my new found appreciation of shadow puppets, I am delighted to write about a new show offered by The Victoria Philharmonic Choir (in Victoria, British Columbia, CANADA).  It is Dvorak’s The Spectre’s Bride and it brings together the artistic talents of awesome puppeteer Tim Gosley, puppet designs of Michel Gagne (see some samples here) and is led by artistic director Simon Capet.  Capet says,

“The music itself is fantastic, and now we have wonderfully fresh English lyrics by Victoria writer Mollie Kaye, who has done a remarkable job – the words are dramatic, humorous, visual, andoften funny. A musician herself, she has created images and phrases that further enhance Dvorak’s evocative score. I think you’ll find the results very immediate and a lot of fun,”

Performances are Tuesday October 30^th and Wednesday October 31^st at The University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium.  Tickets for The Spectre’s Bride are now on sale through the UVIC box office, 250.721.8480. Ticket prices range from $15 to $29.50.  For more information visit the Spectre’s Bride website here.

Sesame Workshop has made available the episode “When Parents are Deployed”  (hosted by Cuba Gooding Jr.). The encore presentation is geared to address the challenges military families face with deployment. This television special originally premiered on December 27, 2006. The special also contains scenes featuring Elmo and his Dad, Louie. Elmo’s Mom also appears briefly.

Children video HERE

Adult Video can be found HERE

The Wippets just introduced a new character to join their cast of puppets. The new character was built by the very talented Jarrod Boutcher! I think this new character is a perfect example of excellent character/puppet design by Ron and, of course, a beautiful follow through by Jarrod. Take a look at the Wippets Blog for the original sketches on which the puppet was based.

I’m looking forward to see Phil in future episodes of the Wippets!

Special Thanks for this article goes to the Spirit Dancing blog.  Ronnie Burkette’s new show: “10 Days on Earth” follows Darrel a middle-aged mentally challenged man who lives with his mother. When she dies in her sleep, Darrel does not realise she is gone, and so, for 10 days, he lives alone. Tandem to Darrel’s day to day routine is the adventures of his favourite children’s book characters, Honeydog and Little Burp. Their search for a home leads the dog and duck to an understanding of family, while Darrel’s ease in the world illustrates just how his mother has paved the path for him to be without her. Spirit Dancing covers their personal account of the show.

Further coverage of this interesting show can be found at TorontoLife.com, which includes a guided “behind the scenes” tour by Ronnie himself.

Check out this show’s remaining schedule HERE
Don’t miss it!

Want to see a puppet show with great music amazing puppetry and all around quality family entertainment?  Look no further than “Happy Birthday Alistair Ant!” by Alistair Ant Productions here in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA.  This show is performed by husband and wife team Rob and Soli Joy. 

Their shows are amazing. Children 2 - 6 (dare I even say 7?) years old can’t get enough of them. And truth be told, I’ve gone with my wife and my mom without any children and we all had an amazingly fun time.
The special “March Break” show is running from the 11th - 17th at 11 am and 2 pm (at the Solar Stage Childrens Theatre in North York).  For more information or to order tickets you can go here.  Do something fun this March Break, go see the show.