Puppet Showplace Theater

Veronica's Month of Creative Research in Montreal

—How do you learn to trust your ideas?
—What is creative research, even? And why don't we seem to have it in the United States?
—What conditions lead to quality creative thinking?
—Imposter syndrome, ahhhhh!
—What is art even for?
—Which Quebec pastries were the most delicious?

These are some of the topics I talked about in this presentation on my month-long creative research residency with the Casteliers puppetry festival at the Maison Internationale des Artes de la Marionnettes in Montreal, QC. This presentation was given on April 17, 2019 at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, MA.

Many thanks also to the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Borough of Outrement for helping to make this residency possible, and to the Puppet Showplace Theater, which hosted on the U.S. end, welcoming my Quebecois counterpart Caroline Bernier-Dionne for a month of creative research here in the States.

One addendum: it has been brought to my attention that sometimes when I say Thanks Canada in this presentation, it would have been more correct for me to say Thanks Quebec, as some of the excellence I describe are unique to Quebec and not all of Canada.

More about the residency:


More about Casteliers:


More about Puppet Showplace Theater:


Get in touch with me:

Rupert & Grovel LIVE - Ala-katastrophe

Rupert and Grovel attempt to put on a magic show in this special, live event as part of the May 21st Puppet Slam at the Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline, MA.

A special thank you to Andrea Hickey for her efforts as the lovely assistant.

Puppet Playtime: She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain

Bella Monster and Phil Berman, performers of Puppet Playtime at Puppet Showplace Theatre in Brookline, MA share one of their favorite songs.

About Puppet Playtime: Puppet Playtime is a fun, interactive performance experience designed for very young children (0-3). In each hour-long session, two friendly performers guide children (and their grownups) through free play, sing-a-longs, stories, and imagination games. Puppet characters appear throughout to introduce the theme of the day and to join in the fun, and each session ends with a short puppetry performance.

Bella Monster is performed by puppeteer, Brenda Huggins.

Purchase tickets: puppetshowplace.org, 617-731-6400 x 101

FACE BOOK:

Bella on FACE BOOK:

Sneak Peek: Yankee Peddler: Stories and Songs from Old New England

Puppet Showplace Theatre presents: Yankee Peddler: Stories and Songs from Old New England created and performed by Brad Shur, Puppeteer, and musician Chris Monti. Jan 12-21, 2013. puppetshowplace.org for tickets.

This clip features the song, Cluck Old Hen from the show.

Puppeteer Brad Shur knew he wanted to make a show with live music, so he tapped folk musician Chris Monti to collaborate on Peddler. Together, they scoured songbooks and dusted off folklore anthologies in search of material that would make for good visual storytelling while celebrating life in the Northeast. After narrowing down an enormous list to 10 songs and stories, the two wove together a run order. Shur created over 100 shadow puppet characters for the production, and Monti provides sound effects on a dozen instruments, in addition to singing and playing guitar throughout.

THE YANKEE PEDDLER: STORIES AND SONGS FROM OLD NEW ENGLAND
Ever wanted to sing along with a sea shanty? Or dive deep into a fox's den? In a whirlwind tour of New England's lesser-known folklore, audiences will encounter the world's largest wheel of cheese (sent as a present to Thomas Jefferson by the residents of Cheshire, MA); the giant sailor Alfred Bulltop Stormalong (New England's own Paul Bunyan!); and dozens of ordinary folk with extraordinary problems. Drawing from three hundred years of stories, songs, and local history, there is sure to be something for everyone on the Yankee Peddler's cart!

Peddler was developed as part of Puppet Showplace Theatre's Incubator development program for new works. Artists were granted rehearsal space at PST and participated in peer review sessions with other professional puppeteers. They also showcased excerpts from their productions for invited audiences and at community events. Scenes from Peddler were workshopped at the Eugene O'Neill National Puppetry Conference in 2010, and the show received support from the Harris Grant Program of the Children's Theatre Foundation of America.

MBTA greenline

MBTA greenline

The MBTA's Green Line for One Stop

The Green Line Travelling from Government Center to Park Street.