The quality of a character should go far beyond a their looks & voice. Learn how to give your characters depth, how to make them emote, and how to connect in a way that deepens your performances!
Having puppets dance involves far more than the "kermit flail" --come find out what it takes to organize the puppeteers to make the puppets look amazing!
Description:
Choreography is very important in puppetry, especially when it comes to musical numbers and group scenes. But how do you make your puppets dance without flailing them around? Learn the tricks and tips for choreography on or off screen with Sesame Street performers who know how to get it done!
Everyone's obsessed with those little sticks on puppet hands & wants to know if there's a trick to use them. We're here to reveal those tricks and send you on your way with some brand new skills!
Description:
Excuse me, madam! Control your puppet's hands!....is what you won't hear after this workshop! Bring a puppet with arm rods if you've got one, and if you don't, you can wait in line to see what you can borrow from us. Sesame Street performer and avid arm-rod utilist, Brandon Smith, is going to be teaching you some wonderful, new skills!
Join Jennifer Barnhart for an engaging, practical, hands-on puppetry workshop. You'll learn the essential skills that make puppets feel believable and alive. Oh, and it's going to be a hoot, to boot!
Description:
Start your Gen Con puppetry journey off right by learning the most important parts of puppetry first! There’s no better way than through tabletop puppetry--one of the most accessible and least intimidating forms of puppetry there is. And trust us when we say that our puppetry program guest, Jennifer Barnhart, is one of the kindest teachers we know! Whether you want to perform in living rooms or libraries, on stage or television, the elements of connecting with your audience never change--and Jennifer can’t wait to help you on your way to mastering them!
Puppet builder, Gordon Smuder, shows you how to make adorable, posable puppet hands for arm-rod style puppets. Participants will leave with two working puppet hands, one arm rod, and two thumbs up!
Description:
Gordon Smuder of The Puppet Forge teaches his method for making pose-able arm-rod-style puppet hands similar to those seen on some of your favorite television puppet characters. Participants will construct a set of two hands that are posable and can accept an arm rod (provided) for performance. These hands can be stitched to the arms of a participant’s own puppet creation or kept as examples for future reference. Participants must be capable of responsibly using sharp tools and hot glue.
Would you like to get a start making puppets or other crafty things, but don't quite have a grasp on sewing by hand? Good news! This sewing for beginners workshop is perfect for you!
Description:
You'll learn 4-6 of different hand-stitches, & of course you'll get to practice them. We'll get through as many stitches as we can in our 2 hours. You'll even learn a couple of tricks for threading needles & tying knots. The instructor, Stacey Gordon, has been sewing by hand since she was much shorter than she currently stands, & she stopped growing a long, long, long time ago.
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!
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.