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Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival

Summary: Laughter is contagious so spread it around - Puppet-making workshops let you do that and more

Laughter, fun, and learning come in the shape of a puppet

Laughter is contagious so spread it around - Puppet-making workshops let you do that and more

Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival, the festival that showcases a popular folk art and draws thousands of visitors each year, is coming back to Mississippi Mills. On August 9 & 10 the streets of Almonte will once again be bustling with a myriad of colourful activities--puppets taking centre stage.

Now in its fourth year, the festival brings international flavour to the region as 11 professional puppet troupes from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and Hungary, will amaze and amuse audiences with a wide range of performances for all ages. Shows are held in six main tents and theatres set up along the historic main street. Also part of the magic are clowns, buskers, musicians, dancers, and daily puppet parades, led by celebrity parade marshals.

In the days leading up to the festival, puppetry workshops, given by professionals in the field, will be conducted on Aug. 5, 6, 7 & 8. Ideal for puppeteers, educators, therapists, artists and for those just wanting to have fun, the workshops, which cover a wide range of interests, are held at the Almonte Community Centre, 182 Bridge Street. It is recommended to reserve a spot early, as last year's workshops were sold out.

Workshop Schedule:

Tues., Aug. 5 to Fri., Aug. 8 – 10am to 4pm - Construct your own string puppet

This four-day workshop with Master Marionettist Bence Sarkadi from Budapest, Hungary allows participants to construct their very own string puppet and to learn the basics of puppet manipulation. Discover interesting and useful ways to use marionettes with children. At the end of the seminar each participant will have a puppet to take home.

Cost: $125.00

Tues., Aug. 5 to Fri., Aug. 8 - 10am to 3pm – create a giant puppet

Families are encouraged to participate in this fun-filled workshop for all ages!

In four days, TIP, the colourful clown, musician and artist, will lead your family in creating a giant puppet to march in the parades for this year's Puppets Up festival. Walk in the parade and show off your own puppet character. Cost: $125 per family.

Tues., Aug. 5 – 10am to 4pm – three workshops in one day

1) The F.A.N. Club: a programme of The Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, operated by Renfrew County Youth Services. Participants learn how to use puppets as prevention tools to teach children skills and techniques to deal with social issues.

2) The Afghan Project: created at the Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University, this workshop allows participants to discover how hand puppets are used in play therapy with children and women of Afghanistan.

3) Integrated Arts and the Ontario Curriculum – Rag and Bone Theatre –

In this workshop, participants will make simple wooden rod puppets and see how many ways they can be used to connect to the Ontario Arts curriculum.

Note: The cost for all three workshops is $40.00.

Wed., Aug. 6 – 9am to 3pm – Costume Designing with Ingrid Harris

A glue gun and scissors are all you need to transform cast-off clothing into gorgeous costumes. Play with colour and texture by cutting, sewing, gluing and stapling – you'll be amazed at the end result. Cost: $40.00 – note: this workshop will be held at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum in Almonte.

Thurs., Aug. 7 – 10am to 4pm – Puppet building with Matt Ficner

Learn to sculpt your own puppet character face in plasticine and learn how to cast it in latex, with professional puppet-builder, Matt Ficner. Cost: $40.00

Thurs., Aug. 7 – 10am to 4pm – Working with Masks with Trish Leeper

This workshop is an introduction to the basics of mask performance techniques. Using both abstract and character masks, participants will concentrate on performance and interaction of characters through short scene improvisation. Cost: $40.00

Fri., Aug. 8 – 10am to 4pm – Puppets for Television with Trish Leeper

Have you ever wondered how the television show "Puppets Who Kill" is produced? In this workshop, you will discover the technical aspects and creative possibilities of television/film puppetry. Working with a monitor and understanding camera shot/angle, the use of props, and using the television frame to create illusions, will be some of the topics covered.

Fri., Aug. 8 – 10am – 4pm - Inspiration and Experimentation with Shadow Puppets by Jim Napolitano

Back by popular demand, this workshop was one of the first 'sold-out' last year. Learn about one of the oldest and most wonderful forms of puppetry – shadow puppets. Included in the workshop are construction techniques and materials, stage and screen options, light sources, and a brief historical overview of the art form. Cost: $40.00

Don't miss out this year— two additional days have been added for 2008 due to the classes filling up quickly last year. Book early to reserve a spot. To register, contact Stephanie Williams by email: williams@xplornet.com. More information on the festival can be found at www.puppetsup.ca

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The Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival is presented by BMO Financial Group. Major sponsors and partners include: The Town of Mississippi Mills, The Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, CTV, the Ottawa Citizen, Royal Lepage Gale Real Estate, Neilcorp Homes, Levi Home Hardware, Almonte Home Furniture, Thomas Cavanagh Construction Limited, Canadian Hydro Components Limited, Cleland Jardine Engineering, J. L. Richards and Associates, Breathe Productions, The Canadian/Gazette/Mississippi Weekender, the EMC, the Humm, Ermelinda Mancini Communications/Marketing, and angel donors.

Ermelinda Mancini Noreen Young

Media Relations Coordinator Artistic Director

Puppets Up! International Puppet Festival Puppets Up!

Tel: 613-839-0083; cell: 613-769-9840 613-256-3031

email: ermelinda.mancini@sympatico.ca nyp@sympatico.ca

Stephanie Williams

Workshop Coordinator

(613) 838-2826

email: williams@xplornet.com www.puppetsup.ca

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