Here is a sneak peek of how Genna and I spent our Saturday morning…more photos coming soon!

I first started experimenting with fabric collage back in February, when we were revising a little show about Ananse the spider for the Shakespeare Theater’s Happenings series. I sewed that backdrop very late one night with a stubborn sewing machine, so it was simple and quick to create. Now I am again working on the Ananse show (new title: Ananse’s Appetite) and I decided to make a new backdrop, to add to the first one. Here it is, all pinned and ready to be subdued with the sewing machine, which will hopefully be a bit less stubborn this time around.

We were in hibernation for the last few months here at Wit’s End Puppets. But now the sun is out, temperatures are rising and we have so many new projects beginning to come to life!

We have photos and video to share from the March puppet slam at Black Cherry Puppet Theater in Baltimore. It was the first test in front of an audience for Kismet and his companions and it went very well.

We also have workshops coming up soon in Silver Spring, Maryland! In July and August we will be offering one-day workshops in building and performing puppets with recycled materials. Wit’s End is delighted to be partnering with Think Outside the Store, a great studio that offers space and instruction on sewing and creating your own clothes and accessories. We’re excited to join the fun! Check back soon for more news!

Well, he isn’t quite ready yet. But below you can see all of his parts, which have yet to be put together. We promise he’ll be an intrepid explorer when he is finished!

After much deliberation, the segment of the show that we are showing at Black Cherry Puppet Theater in March has a new title. We hope you will be excited to see the new piece by Wit’s End Puppets:

Flight to the Scraplands

And really, looking at the various materials we have been using to build, doesn’t it seem like an appropriate name for our strange new land?

After our brainstorming session, we each chose characters to continue to sketch out and (hopefully) begin to try and build. Nikki experimented with turning a shoehorn into a bird and here are some photos of her results.

A lanyard helps control the head of the bird.

There are lots of possibilities for adding feathers and other embellishments to the head!

Genna, Nikki and I met last week to start to brainstorm possible characters for the 3-D section of the new project. We know that we want these puppets to be created from objects, hopefully a mix of odd, unusual objects and everyday things you might find around your house. Part of the fun of puppetry is animating something unexpected, so we are looking forward to finding humorous and serious characters in the inanimate items around us.

Some ideas for characters sketched by Genna

Nikki sketching an idea for the puppet environment around the audience.

Nikki (on the floor) and Cecilia sketch out ideas for new characters and settings.