Playshops

Sock Puppet Playshop

This 1-hour playshop is appropriate for the youngest of children (ages 3 to 10). However, even adults enjoy this workshop. This is a wonderful addition to children's birthday parties or other celebrations.

Socks puppets are fun for all ages. Youger participants may require a parent or other adult help. Younger children can have fun decorating with pompoms, googly eyes and fun fur.

Materials Required

Googly Eyes
Felt in assorted colors
Fun Fur or Marabou
White School Glue
Socks

Cost $10/per participant

(These supplies need to be supplied for the price to be so low per participant. If you want me to supply these, participants will need to pay $20/per participant. I usually premake the mouth, which is the hardest part of the puppet. In this way, participants only have to decorate!)

Glorified Sock Playshop

Playshop appropriate for ages 13 and up. During this 8-hour workshop (4-hours before a lunch break and 4-hours after lunch), participants create a puppet from a pattern. These can be constructed using the Glorified Sock Puppet (from ProjectPuppet.com), such as the one pictured to the right. (NOTE: See Blacklight Puppet Playshop, same construction but uses UV-reactive fabric.)

Materials Required

Glorified Sock Puppet Pattern (from ProjectPuppet.com)
1 yard of anti-pill fleece or fake fur
Pins
Needle and Thread to match fabric
Sewing Scissors (scissors not used for paper, which dulls them)
1-inch Foam (only enough for mouth…so a scrap 4" X 6" will work)
Sewing Machine(s) *one for each participant
Dowels, black paint, rubber band (for arm rod)
Yarn, Wig, or Fake Fur for Hair
Felt Squares in Assorted Colors

1 Black for eyelashes
1 White for eyes
1 Brown, Blue or green for eyes
2 Black, Red, or Pink for inside of mouth

Cost per participant is approximately $125

This playshop takes 8 hours. There are three parts to this playshop:

1. Designing and Creating Puppet Character (This part takes the 1st half of the workshop)

2. Writing and Storyboarding Story (this is done as a group)

3. Practicing Play, includes setting up all equipment needed and learning how to puppeteer

P

Equipment Required for Performance

Space to Seat Audience
Portable (available for purchase from OneWayStreet.com)or Permanent Puppet Theatre
Sound system and Microphones
Theatre Lights (not necessary in some places)

Each playshop is tailored to fit your needs.

Puppeteer Playshop

Playshop appropriate for ages 9 and up. During this 2-hour workshop, participants learn some techniques for puppeteering.

There are no supplies needed. Participants may bring their own puppet, if they have one.

This playshop takes approximately 2 hours. During this time, puppeteers will learn how to have their puppet lip sync a song and interact with other puppets. They will create their own skits for a performance.

Participant Cost: $45 per participant

Equipment Required for Performance

Space to Seat Audience
*Portable (available for purchase from OneWayStreet.com)or Permanent Puppet Theatre
Sound system and Microphones
Theatre Lights (not needed in some locations)

*If in the Franklin, MA area, I can transport my portable puppet theatre)

Professional Handmade

Playshop appropriate for ages 16 and up. During this 8-hour workshop (4 hours before lunch and 4 hours afterwards), participants create a 28-inch puppet. The main elements, of course, are creativity in adding features, such as eyes, mouth, hair and lots of personality!

Materials Required

Big Mouth People (puppetpatterns.com) Puppet Pattern
1 yard of anti-pill fleece
Pins
Needle and Thread to match fabric
Sewing Scissors (scissors not used for paper, which dulls them)
1-inch Foam (only enough for mouth…so a scrap 4" X 6" will work)
Yarn, Wig, or Fun Fur for Hair
Sewing Machine(s) *Need 1 for each participant
Felt in Assorted Colors

• 1 Black for eyelashes

• 1 White for eyes

• 1 Brown, Blue or green for eyes

• 2 Black, Red, or Pink for inside of mouth
  

Cost per participant is $125

This playshop takes 8 hours. There are three parts to this playshop:

1. Designing and Creating Puppet Character (This takes up most of the workshop time)

2. Writing and Storyboarding Story (This is done as a group.)

3. Practicing Play, includes setting up all equipment needed and learning how to puppeteer

Equipment Required for Performance

Space to Seat Audience
*Portable (available for purchase from OneWayStreet.com)or Permanent Puppet Theatre
Sound system and Microphones
Theatre Lights (not needed in some locations)

Puppet Design Playshop

Playshop appropriate for ages 16 and up. During this 8-hour workshop (4 hours before lunch and 4 hours afterwards), participants create their own unique puppet without the use of patterns.

We will begin by sketching the puppet that we want to create. You may want to think about how large of a puppet you wish to create, because that will affect the amount of fabric you will want to purchase and bring to this playshop.

Materials Required

2 yards of anti-pill fleece
1 yard of contrasting anti-pill fleece for mouth and/or hair, maybe other parts.
Pins
Needle and Thread to match fabric
Sewing Scissors (scissors not used for paper, which dulls them)
1-inch Foam (only enough for mouth…so a scrap 4" X 6" will work)
Yarn, Wig, or Fun Fur for Hair
Sewing Machine(s) *Need 1 for each participant
Felt in Assorted Colors

• 1 Black for eyelashes

• 1 White for eyes

• 1 Brown, Blue or green for eyes

• 2 Black, Red, or Pink for inside of mouth
  

Cost per participant is $125

This playshop takes 8 hours. There are three parts to this playshop:

1. Designing and Creating Puppet Character (This takes up most of the workshop time)

2. Writing and Storyboarding Monologue for your puppet

3. Practicing Monologue, includes setting up all equipment needed and learning how to puppeteer

Equipment Required for Performance

Space to Seat Audience
Sound system and Microphones
Theatre Lights (not needed in some locations)

Storytelling

The Storytelling Playshop is appropriate for most ages. However, each age is slightly different and there are certain limitations for each. Therefore, you need to choose what age group you want to attend. This is not based on the stories you are telling but the age that will be attending.

• Storytelling for children age 5-9
  Story is "The Ginger Bread Man" or similar folk story

• Storytelling for children & youth age 10-13
  Story is "Mollie Whuppie" or similar folk story

• Storytelling for teens age 14 - 16
  Participants choose a folk story

• Storytelling for older teens 16 - 19. Participants choose a folk story

• Storytelling for ages 16 and up. Participants choose a folk story.

• Storytelling for adults. Participants choose a folk story

During this 1-hour workshop, participants learn to tell a story.

Playshop costs:$25 per participant

Story Boarding

The Story Boarding Playshop is appropriate for ages 16 & up. This combines well with both the Storytelling and Story Writing playshops. Typically, this stand-alone workshop is a 1-hour workshop.

During this 1-hour workshop, participants learn to take a story, break it down into pieces and draw something to represent each part of the story. Drawing skills are not necessary, because the drawings can be stick figures.

Playshop costs: $25 per participant.

Story Writing

The Story Writing Playshop is appropriate for ages 16 & up. This playshop teaches you how to break down a story into parts. Once you know the different parts of the story, you can basically write a simple story from a statement.

This is a 1-hour playshop.

Playshop costs: $25 per participants.

Script Writing - Plays or Screenplays

This playshop is appropriate for ages 18 & up. The Script Writing playshop teaches you the appropriate format, and covers some basic techniques that are essential for getting your script read by potential producers. We'll touch on some marketing techniques, as well.

This is 2-hour playshop.

Playshop costs: $50 per participant.

Magic Wands

This playshop is pure fun! Making a magic wand can help you in your magic work. Storytellers might use a wand to bring magic to their stories.

This is a 2-hour playshop.

Playshop coss: $35 per partcipant, includes supplies. Scheduled for November 17 from 7-9 p.m. at Robin's Nest, 799 South Main St #9, Bellingham MA.

To sign up, please e-mail: therobinsnestma@gmail.com.

Masks and Poetry: Behind Medusa's Mask

This playshop is fun and inspiring at the same time. We'll make plaster masks, decorate them, then write poetry from the character we create.

his workshop is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. on Thursdays, Oct. 13, 20 and 27. There will be a poetry slam on Oct. 29 from 3-5 p.m. at Robin's Nest, 799 South Main St #9, Bellingham MA.

To sign up, please e-mail: therobinsnestma@gmail.com.