You are invited to explore the art of puppetry and create your very own tabletop puppet. Student will be guided through an exploration of puppetry design, construction, and manipulation as it applies to puppetry in contemporary theatre. Each student will build their own tabletop puppet using simple materials and techniques. Alternative building materials and methods will be discussed. Using the puppet built in class, each student will explore the cornerstones of puppetry manipulation: breath, focus, response and posture.

The course will culminate in an informal demonstration for friends and family on the last day where students can explore character and storyline development, levels of tension, and basic theatrical processes such as use of scenic elements, props, music and lights used in theatrical puppetry. In other words, while playing with materials, a puppet will be born through your own creativity. The puppets will tell you how they want to move and what story they want to tell. You and your fellow classmates will be delighted!

Adults and teens are welcome to attend this course, and teens under 16 must be accompanied by an adult participant. 

Bring the following materials with you on day one:

• pencil and sketch pad for note taking and sharing ideas
• scissors and a box cutting knife

Bring the following materials with you on week two , depending on your own puppet's design (to be discussed with instructor on the first day):

• variety of fabrics: gauze or cheese cloth, burlap, tissue paper, dolls clothes or baby clothes (from thrift store)
• ideas for hair: wool, pot scrubbers, ribbons, mops
• buttons or large beads for eyes

About the instructor: Heather J Kent is a local educator and artist living on Vancouver Island. She has been working in and teaching theatre production for over 25 years. Her passion for puppetry arts and spectacle informs her visual arts practice and assemblages. Regardless of the selected medium, Heather is a storyteller who loves to collaborate and share ideas with other artists.