GoPuppets! Theater

The Mustache Dreams or "The Dash of the Stache"

2009-05-14T05:58:00Z

GoPuppets! Theater is back in dear old Illinois with a brand new play!

Written by Lorene Anderson & Michael Gaiuranos for Urbana's Street Theater festival this year. We opened for the Prompting Theater, and then were invited to open for Bedlam Theater's touring show, "Dali's Liquid Ladies". Quite an honor!

We hope to perform it again at the annual Mike N' Molly's Mustache Competition coming up in June.

Click on the sleeping fellow to see Part 1 (of 2) and click the clock n' stache image to see Part 2.

First day at The PuppeTree in beautiful Vermont!

2008-09-02T22:37:00Z

From September 1st through mid-November, GoPuppets! Theater director Lorene Anderson (that's me) has a puppeteering internship with The PuppeTree in Thetford Center, Vermont.

First day of the internship and we hit the ground running--er, parading! Here we are in Vermont in the lovely town of Thetford, doing a preview of the new show, "Caps for Sale" by Esphyr Slobodkina.

We paraded in wearable stages and performed with gorgeous papier mache hand puppet hat sellers & monkeys!
That's me in the "Africa" stage in the middle, and below is Ash with the big orange monkey.
Check out the YouTube video of us here.

photos by Joel Legunn

GoPuppetry 101 with 4-H

2008-05-17T21:53:00Z

I made a presentation on GoPuppetry to a group of 4-H kids at the Urbana Free Library. As you can see, we had a blast playing with all the puppets, even staging a wedding between Mimas and Narvi: "I now pronounce you alien and...other alien!"

There is a little slide show of cute 4-H pictures on my other website here.

Gonjaba LIVES!

2008-05-05T18:54:00Z

Performing with Amasong May 4th & 5th was dreamy--I do hope they want puppets in the future!
The Gonjaba "ugly doll" was VERY well received. I loved performing in the McKinley Sanctuary, too. What a lovely, spirited space!
Here is a nice picture of the Gonjaba in the sanctuary:

and in performance (light was low, so we couldn't get stellar photos while I was moving with it):

I like the audience faces in this one!

I also had the pleasure of meeting Rocky Maffit who played with and composed a piece for Amasong at this concert. Perhaps there will be music-puppet collaborations in the future...?

Gonjaba

2008-04-28T01:07:00Z

I am creating a "Gonjaba" puppet for the upcoming Amasong spring concert, "Renewal."
From the Ensemble Mzetamze website:
"Gonja (from gonji, ugly) refers to a man-sized doll of cross-wise bound sticks, which is hung with rags, sometimes smeared with mud and carried from courtyard to courtyard by women during the ritual. If the wish is for clear weather (as in this song), the onlookers try to scatter ashes onto the doll and its carriers, if the need is for rain, the women sing a slightly different text and are sprayed with water. Each household knows that the success of the ritual depends on everyone’s participation, and a donation from one’s provisions to the processional group is expected. If one proves himself to be miserly, the doll is lowered to the ground, which is a bad sign for his future harvest. The procession ends with a feast, where the donations are shared by all."

Amasong is directed by Meagan Johnson Smith,
and will perform on
Saturday May 3rd @ 7:30pm
&
Sunday May 4th @ 4:00pm

Here is the preliminary sketch in mud on paper:

And here are a couple of pictures on the Gonjaba as it stands (in my kitchen!) I hope to eventually take some nice shots of it outside, and with Amasong, of course:

Wastrel Dress! Two is Greater Than One!

2008-04-25T12:28:00Z

I wandered the Orpheum Children's Science Museum & the Late Night Space a Homeworks in this little number:

I also want to show off rehearsal pics of my newest show to be performed privately at a local elementary school, "Two is Greater Than One". It is an adventure in mathematics, invention, and improbable inter-stellar romance! I plan on proposing it to the Urbana Free Library, and it will also be performed at the Community Center For the Arts Open House on May 17th. I'll update you when I know more!

I made a nice hat...

2008-03-25T04:36:00Z

I wore this while bicycling in the critical mass last Friday. It is made on top of a play construction hard hard, topped with plastic bags, covered with bows and ornaments from discarded Christmas wreaths. It looks rather glorious blowing down the street, ribbons all a-breeze.

The Dragon & Castle Workalot

2008-03-24T20:13:00Z

The Dragon and Castle Workalot, our most recent show at the Orpheum Children's Science Museum earlier this month, was a smashing success! A simple story about simple machines, told through shadow and hand puppetry, we tell the tale of Queen Workalittle's distress over a very large dragon alighting on her castle tower. After a succession of boastful buffoons fail to rid her of the dragon, she decides to have a nice little chat with the beast, and discovers the dragon to be a common prairie dragon just stopped over for a rest. She sends it happily on its way North with a pulley, crane, and a friendly wave goodbye.

We performed for the private and public grand openings of the Orpheum's newest exhibit, the Simple Machines Castle! The museum coordinator, Meadow Jones, said our show "really made the event!" There were jousters, fire spinner Beth Simpson, castle crafts, and tasty nibbles throughout the evening. Huzzah!

Lorene directing the comedic timing of the trebuchet scene

A nice one of Francis, our furry-bellied common Prairie Dragon, and controler, Qilo

Jacob doing a wizard of a job with the wizard puppet!

Performance photos:

"GoPuppets! Theater use shadow puppetry and papier mache puppets to tell the story of a queen in need of a dragon-slayer. In a fanciful romp fit for children from 2 to 92, GoPuppets! lays the foundation for understanding simple machines and how they help us in our daily lives. The queen also finds a friend in an unlikely place --atop her castle!

Great, old fashioned entertainment. Much better than a video any day!" --Jill Quisenberry, member of Orpheum Children's Science Museum board of directors

OoLaLa...wait, are those plastic bags?

2008-03-16T00:32:00Z

Upcoming! GoPuppets! presents...

Beautiful Wastrels: a live mask and costume spectacle styled after the extravagant 18th-century French Kings, made almost entirely of 21st-century waste products.

Boneyard Arts Festival in Urbana April 19th.

The Most Powerful Witch in the Midwest

2008-03-15T21:21:00Z

Here are some pictures and quotes from our Halloween extravaganza show in October 2007:

"I watched "The Most Powerful Witch in the Midwest": it was fabulous. I hope something as cool can happen several times. Of course having a stage was sort of a plus. Great combination of music and visuals, and simple, family oriented fun story line. I want more like that.

—Dennis Roberts, Urbana city councilman.

" We have had the experience to participate in a play for Halloween last year, my older daughter and I as an
actors, and my little one and my husband as spectators. Was Amazing!, kids love it."
—Ayda P. Urbana community member

Welcome to GoPuppets!

2008-03-15T21:08:00Z

GoPuppets! Theater is based currently in Urbana, IL.

We focus on puppetry because the puppet arts...
...build diverse skill sets
...are a safe outlet for emotions
...encourage dynamic storytelling
...are educational
...are fun!

The goal of GoPuppets! is to give old stuff a new life, and to give people a new perspective on old stuff; to tell stories that are pro-creativity and pro-communication; to empower people to make and perform art; and to bring awareness of the power of puppetry to our community!