Puppets Support Early Literacy

Posted on November 12, 2013 by ccbooks

Workshop performance of UNDER THE CANOPY. Photo by Arts on the Horizon.

Whenever I see an article like this one (and they pop up pretty frequently), I start thinking about how puppets and theater fit into the push to get kids reading and talking at an early age.

Puppets are a staple of library storytimes and preschool classrooms. Librarians and teachers use them to tell simple stories, teach children songs and introduce topics such as a particular kind of animal. Many classrooms also have puppets the students can play with themselves. Making a puppet talk is one step on a journey to abstract thinking. If a child can imagine an object like a puppet talking, that’s preparing them for the idea that pictures of characters on a page might ‘talk’ with words–and eventually when the pictures disappear, it’s the words themselves that allow us as readers to imagine characters and their actions.

Puppets and theater are also valuable for very young children because they give parents something to talk about with their kids. Taking care of babies and toddlers too young for school is a huge job. Yes, we encourage parents to talk to their children as much as possible, but it’s understandable that it gets tiring after awhile. I taught school full time and often ran out of things to discuss with my students–and I only had to deal with them for part of the day! Experiencing the magic of a theater or puppet show allows parents and children to talk about something new and to discover the world together in a different way. The new vocabulary, ideas and questions prompted by these experiences is what will help our children grow and develop into bright thinkers, ready for school and whatever other challenges life throws at them.

Website Update

Posted on November 7, 2013 by ccbooks

Shaper (Jose Pineda) and Creator (Bob Sheire) bring animals to life in FABULAS MAYAS. Photo by Lonnie Dale Tague.

Just a quick note here on some changes around the website that you might want to take a look at! We have new video up on the Cabinets of Kismet page, so if you didn’t get to see the show, check that out for some highlights. If you didn’t get to see our show Fabulas Mayas, it now has its own page, with photos. We have some new additions to our Friends and Family page; people who have great work and cool projects that you can support. Finally, on our Education page there are new descriptions of the workshops we offer to schools and community groups. If you are interested in having us come to your school, please send us an email!

Library Connections for Fabulas Mayas

Posted on November 4, 2013 by ccbooks

Many of the stories in the show came from this collection.

I wrote the show Fabulas Mayas because I wanted to share some of the rich oral traditions among the Maya people of Mexico and Central America. While these stories are nowhere near as widespread and familiar as European folktales, they often follow similar patterns and are humorous and entertaining. Most of our work at Wit’s End Puppets is inspired by stories and artists that you can find easily at any library or bookstore. If you saw Fabulas Mayas and are interested in learning more, or if you just like stories and sharing them, here are some resources to look for at the DC Public Library.

Source for some of the stories of Fabulas Mayas:

The Monkey’s Haircut and other stories told by the Maya by John Bierhorst

Other Latin-American stories and story collections:

People of Corn by Mary-Joan Gerson

Tales our Abuelitas Told by F. Isabel Campoy & Alma Flor Ada

The Hungry Woman: myths and legends of the Aztecs by John Bierhorst

Señor Cat’s Romance by Lucia Gonzalez

Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales

Once Upon a Time/Habia una vez by Reuben Martinez

October Grab Bag

Posted on October 21, 2013 by ccbooks

Tan’s sculpture for ‘Hansel and Gretel’ retold by Philip Pullman.

Because our show Cabinets of Kismet was inspired by him, I’m going to bring in the artist Shaun Tan as the subject of this month’s grab bag. A few beautiful, thought-provoking and wise items to view or listen to:

1. Shaun Tan theater! Featherwight Theatre is a company of dancers and theater makers from England who presented The Red Tree at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. It was a beautiful adaptation, with many innovative and surprising ways of bringing Tan’s images and words to life. You can see a video and hear some of the original music on their website.

2. More Shaun Tan theater! Clearly there is consensus that Tan’s stories are compelling on the page and even more compelling when brought to life by actors, dancers and puppets. Spare Parts Puppet Theatre, from Fremantle Australia, recently performed an adaptation of Tales from Outer Suburbia, a collection of Tan’s short stories.

3. A new book! Tan’s latest picture book, Rules of Summer was just published in Australia. A story of two brothers and the rules they learn, the book pairs simple phrases (‘Never leave a red sock on a clothesline’) with surreal oil paintings that provoke questions and ideas.

4. An interview about Rules of Summer is available to see here. Tan talks about his inspiration, and process in creating the book, as well as principles of storytelling and bookmaking in general.

5. Tan’s other new book is actually in German. Philip Pullman, the celebrated fantasy author, published a collection last year of his favorite fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. His version of the stories has now been translated into German, illustrated with amazing sculptures by Tan. You can see photos of some of them and learn a little more about why he chose to create sculptures rather than paintings, here.

September Grab Bag

Posted on September 28, 2013 by ccbooks

The Light Princess, a new musical with puppetry at the National Theatre in London.

A quick note here with a VERY short September grab bag. We are in the midst of building puppets for Fábulas Mayas and battling illness as well as stubborn cardboard and dull X-acto blades. However, I wanted to highlight two puppet projects from the UK; one of which I saw in Edinburgh this summer and another which just opened at the National Theatre in London.

1. Bunk Puppets is a one-man operation with several shows in repertoire. Slapdash Galaxy, which I saw as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, tells the story of two brothers who leave their home planet in search of a new home. The puppets are shadow puppets, but projected from the front onto a screen, rather than from behind, the way all our shadow work has been created. At the end of the piece, 3D glasses are handed out and the shadows turn three-dimensional in an impressive display. If you find yourself at a festival or in a city where Bunk Puppets is performing, be sure to check them out.

2. A much larger project is The Light Princess, an original musical by Tori Amos and Samuel Adamson based on the 19th century fairy tale by George MacDonald, which just opened at the National Theatre in London. Part of the creative team worked on War Horse at the National Theatre and this new play also includes puppetry. The story of a princess who cannot cry and is in danger of just floating away, this sounds like a magical new piece that I would definitely see if I were lucky enough to be in London this fall! Amos talks about the process of writing the show in an article here.

We’re Back!

Posted on September 19, 2013 by ccbooks

Mariona, the mascot of TOPIC.

We are back! Did you miss us? It was a fantastic summer of work, travel and getting to see some amazing puppetry in four different countries. But now that it is fall, we are hard at work in DC, designing, building and rehearsing for the world premiere of Fábulas Mayas with GALA Hispanic Theatre. You can find out more about the play here, and there will be posts coming soon with pictures of our work and the puppets as we finish them. Not to mention more information about our upcoming collaboration with Arts on the Horizon, puppet workshops in schools and getting started on research for our next full-length show…SO MUCH GOING ON.

Puppet created by Basque company Txotxongillo Taldea.

I saw many beautiful puppets on my wanderings this summer and I wish I had been able to take better pictures. I probably had the most success in Tolosa, a little town in northern Spain outside of Donostia-San Sebastian. The Tolosa Puppets International Center (TOPIC) is located there and it’s also just a beautiful place, between green hills and a blue river. The puppets in these photos were made by the company Txotxongillo Taldea, a Basque puppet company that performs plays in Euskara, the Basque language. They have been involved with TOPIC since the founding of the center and created Mariona, the puppet character that acts as the building’s mascot. If you are ever in Spain, check out TOPIC and their wonderful exhibits!

Off in Search of Adventure!

Posted on June 30, 2013 by ccbooks

My new circus show, ready to go on the road!

It has been a wonderful busy year here at Wit’s End Puppets and I hope that anyone who stumbled upon this blog and our work has enjoyed a look at our process and stories. Now it’s time to take a little break. For the next two months, I will be traveling (mostly to places where I don’t speak the language), in search of puppets and adventure. This blog is going on hiatus while I am gone (although Genna or Pat may possibly be persuaded to write a guest post now and then). When I get back, there will be photos, stories and many new ideas. But for now, enjoy the summer!

–Cecilia Cackley

June Grab Bag

Posted on June 24, 2013 by ccbooks

Katherine Fahey’s amazing crankie. See #1.

1. I was lucky enough to catch the work of the marvelous Baltimore artist Katherine Fahey at a Puppet Underground cabaret this week. She creates beautiful shadow puppet ‘crankies’ for music videos and other stories. Check out some of her work here and here.

2. One of the places that has long been on my ‘To Visit While in NYC’ list is the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. Now that they have announced the upcoming Henson Gallery, devoted to all things Muppet, I think it should move to the top of the list.

3. Baby Universe is a play opening next week at Studio Theatre, that combines puppets with a variety of other media. I won’t be able to see it, but it looks amazing, so you should all go and then tell me about it!

4. Our friends at SCRAP DC have announced their Summer Carnival! Cake walks, lemonade, face paint and games and best of all, all the proceeds go to helping this fantastic crew continue to bring us unique, affordable and recycled arts supplies. Tickets available here.

What Was the Point of That?

Posted on June 18, 2013 by ccbooks

Our Personal Puppet Show, whose point is to make you smile, and wonder a little.

This is Washington DC, so the first question you usually get upon meeting new people is “So, what do you do?” When I say I’m a puppeteer, two words are frequently heard: “Really?” and “Why?” A few weeks ago, performing the Personal Puppet Show at Fenton Street Market, a gentleman who sat down to see the show asked me afterward “What was the point of that?” At the time, I responded “To get you to smile–hey, look, it worked!” but I’ve continued to think about his question, as it’s one that I think many people seem to have about puppets and art in general.

Does art have to have a point? Can art exist on its own, free of any agenda or intention? Is that even possible? I wonder, because it seems that so much content created nowadays (digital and otherwise) is meant to make us THINK. Entertainment for children includes Important Information To Know and newspapers and websites abound with infographics and charts and statistics which will help you better understand the world around you. Not to say that any of this is bad. But sometimes, I think it’s important that art gives us a little break from all that. A space to smile, and let your mind wander. That, for me anyway, is the point.

May Grab Bag

Posted on May 30, 2013 by ccbooks

Kismet is over and so (almost) is the month of May! With all the work at the theater this month, there has been less time to spend online and out and about seeking new and exciting things. But here are a few:

1. FIGMENT DC has submission forms up! We participated in this fun, free arts event last year and had a blast. If you are creative and have an idea for some kind of interactive arts activity, you should sign up! And if you would rather participate in someone else’s imaginative idea, put it on your calendar and come out to Anacostia for a fun time.

Our friends at Blue Sky Puppets will be performing at Strathmore this summer!

2. Strathmore out in Maryland has a whole bunch of puppet theater on tap for the summer, including our good friend Michael Cotter of Blue Sky Puppet Theater. Our friends at Pointless Theatre should be up there too for the puppet slam on August 2, so head over and say hi to them!

3. These photos by Todd McLellan came up on my radar screen via several different sources. Every time I looked at them, I had to restrain myself from going out and finding some particular tiny piece of machinery that I was convinced could become part of a puppet. Mr. McLellan, if you’re looking to get rid of any scraps, we should talk.

4. The International Toy Theater Festival is being hosted by Great Small Works up at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn from June 14-23. If you’re in the NYC area, you should check out the amazing work being done at this colossal event of miniature proportions!

Wit's End Puppets

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