With Ingrid Hanson of SNAFU Theatre
Saturday April 30th, 10 am to 4 pm. $100 registration.
Investigate object puppetry and learn to bring any object to life: a rubber boot, a fuzzy sweater, a lampshade, a chair – anything can and will come to life in your hands. There will be an emphasis on courage, breath, creative abandon, and sharing our discoveries as a group. We will dive into the specifics of sourcing and selecting object puppets, uncovering their hidden characters, and creating short performances. Voice work, breath, character intentions, tempo, rhythm, and dynamics will all be part of our work together.
You are invited to bring any objects or materials you are fascinated with, and also work with the plethora of objects provided. Our investigations will include both soft and rigid objects, and their interaction with the puppeteer’s body. Together we will delve into the relationship of the object to the puppeteer, object to audience, puppeteer to puppeteer, and puppeteer to audience. Part of our job will be trying to access the beginner’s mind, and allow ourselves the time, space, and freedom to make discoveries, to wobble, fly, and fail. The group will create short pieces and offer each other helpful critical feedback for ongoing growth and improvement. All the basics of puppet manipulation covered in this workshop can also be directly applied to any other form of puppetry.
Video of SNAFU Object Puppetry
Ingrid Hansen trained first as a dancer, then as an actor, mover, and theatre creator, and then worked for four years as a lead puppeteer on the children’s television series Tiga Talk! on APTN. Ingrid trained in puppetry with former Sesame Street puppeteer Tim Gosley, and with Old Trout puppeteer Peter Balkwill at the Banff National Arts Centre. She teaches puppetry to actors, dancers, adults, children, and prison inmates. Ingrid recently co-directed The Prison Puppet Project with Peter Balkwill and the inmates at a federal prison in British Columbia. Currently she is touring her award-winning object puppetry shows Snack Music and Little Orange Man across Canada, while also running her theatre company SNAFU.