Join Puppeteers from the BIPOC and Disability communities as we discuss the highs and lows of what it means to be a puppeteer from a different culture or living with a disability.
Description:
While puppetry is a beautiful and inclusive artistry, in recent years, the push for visible and invisible diversity and is at an all time high. This panel is a safe space to discuss what progress the puppetry community has made in making POCs (Puppeteers of Color) & people with disabilities feel comfortable in creative spaces, as well as what the community needs to work on to make it that much more inviting to those who feel outnumbered in the room where it happens.
This hands-on puppeteering workshop is perfect for beginning & early-intermediate puppeteers, librarians, teachers, or anyone who just wants a refresher on their puppetry skills.
Description:
Learn what makes puppetry such a magical experience & why puppeteer Stacey Gordon is passionate about teaching others to be effective storytellers, communicators, counselors, & educators through puppetry. In this workshop you will be led through skills like focus, breathing, posture, movement, listening, lip sync, & emotion to help make your characters come alive & your audiences more receptive.
Learn how to move your puppet's mouth to make puppeteering easier, believable, and more engaging! Learn with Sesame Street performers, Jennifer Barnhart & Stacey Gordon, and have loads of fun!
Description:
Moving your puppet's mouth at the right time & in the right way is a genuinely difficult skill to learn. The technique tends to function the opposite of how our brains learn, which can leave newer puppeteers wondering why their puppets aren’t performing at the same level as what they see on screen. Ideal for neurodivergent learners, this workshop is dedicated solely to refining that technique & gaining the tools to make it easier for your brain to make that connection & the skill easier to pick up. You’ll learn tips & tricks from experts in their field to work with your body instead of against it & have fun at the same time! You’re getting two, two, two instructors in one workshop! With a collective 44 years teaching puppetry, you can count on Jennifer & Stacey to teach you all of the secrets! Can it truly, actually, really be true that relaxation is the key to success? Come find out!
Hilarious & slightly naughty skits from some of the funniest puppets around. This is an adult puppet show, prepare accordingly.
Description:
Quirky edgy puppet shows from quirky, edgy puppeteers! Puppeteers from around the country are converging on Gen Con for the best 4 days in gaming--and puppetry! But here's the best part: they're saving up all of their adult material just for this puppet slam! All of those things that we can't do in front of kids? We're going to do them all in front of you. (Okay maybe not *all*!) Be prepared to laugh, to cry, to think, to gasp, to laugh again, to weep, and then laugh some more. You'll see beauty, you'll see talent, you'll see silliness, and you'll see hilarity. Our special guest Mychal Threets may even make an appearance!
Join Sesame Street's Brandon Smith and learn how you can grow up to be a puppeteer! You'll learn the basics of puppetry & have a hoot to boot!
Description:
Brandon Smith is bringing energy and fun to learning puppetry! Hailing from Sesame Street and having worked in sports mascot performance, he knows how to engage kids and adults with this fun-filled workshop aimed at young learners.
Learn the basics of marionette construction, from building to stringing! Participants will construct and customize a human marionette and learn how to string the puppet with an airplane controller.
Description:
Suitable for beginners wanting to learn more about marionettes; participants will construct and customize a simple 9-string human marionette from card and foam. This workshop will cover building and properly weighting an 18-inch figure, and simple stringing with a basic airplane controller. Participants will leave with instructions and patterns to build additional puppets, as well as resources for building more complex puppets and performance tips. Join us later for Marionette Manipulation Mayhem to practice manipulation techniques and character creation!
Make a moving-mouth sandwich puppet with puppeteer, Stacey Gordon. Seriously, this will be the greatest, no-calorie sandwich you will ever make. Gluten free.
Description:
Puppeteer, Stacey Gordon, will guide you through making a moving-mouth sandwich puppet. You'll learn skills that can take you into puppet building beyond sandwiches, but why not begin (or continue) your puppet building journey with a delightful lunchtime treat. Sandwiches are inedible & not sentient and are guaranteed to not murder or your money back. Glue gun skills required (use at own risk). No sewing required. Please bring your readers and not your children to this dangerous-tools-are-around event.
Create your own mouth-watering pizza puppet with puppet-maker, Stacey Gordon! Gluten and dairy-free, you'll top your pizza with anything from your imagination & then make it come to life!
Description:
Let's have a Pizza-Puppet Party! You'll love creating your own mouth-watering pizza puppet with puppet-maker, Stacey Gordon! Some of the skills required to take this workshop include: cutting round, straight, and wavy lines in fabric; following two-step verbal instructions; tracing, and using a hot glue gun.
Make a beautifully illustrated tabletop theater from cardstock with puppets and sets for a complete production. Learn about the history of Toy Theater with paper artist Timothy Taylor.
Description:
Come make a charming fairytale theater with puppets and scenes to stage Cinderella. Your new theatre can collapse flat for easy storage and transport. Leave with tips and tricks for making your own productions at home!
Everyone's favorite children's librarian, Mychal Threets, is having a Puppet Story Time and YOU'RE invited! Mr. Mychal will read to you, then your kids will get to make their own paper puppet!
Description:
Mychal Threets, best known as Mychal the Librarian, host of Reading Rainbow, writer of books, advocate for mental health, and most excellent human is joining the Puppetry Program at Gen Con to give you and your little ones a GREAT start to your Saturday! Kids will get to make a puppet with their grown-up. Skills required for this one are sitting, listening, clapping, laughing, coloring, having patience, and loving your neighbor. **Please note that ALL attendees, big and little, will need a ticket so we can ensure everyone is able to fit inside!**