Sonoma Community Center
Enriching lives through education and the arts — for Sonoma Valley and beyond
Events
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Northern California Puppet Festival – Friday Itinerary
August 2 @ 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
The Puppet Festival will run for two days
Friday & Saturday, August 2 – 3
Sponsored by the S.F. Bay Area Puppeteers Guild
Get ready for a Creative Day One – Friday, August 2.
at the Northern California Puppet Festival
The Sonoma Community Center
276 E Napa St, Sonoma, CA 95476
Friday Highlights:
- Educator’s Track: Dive into 6 dynamic workshops crafted for teachers, librarians, and youth group leaders.
- Puppeteer Track: Explore 6 hands-on workshops designed for puppeteers and puppet enthusiasts of all levels.
- Enjoy Puppet Shows: 3 professional puppet performances
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn, create, and be entertained!
Questions? Contact info@sfbapg.org
Online Registration is Closed!
Registration is still available in person.
In-person workshop registration is available at the SCC front desk.
Show registration is available at the door of Andrews Hall.
Important Registration Information
Puppeteer Guild Members receive 20% off.
Minimum of $75(3 workshops) must be selected to apply the code.
Member discount codes will be shared privately. Codes can be used at checkout.
Non Puppeteer Guild Members also receive 20%
Minimum of $100(4 workshops) must be selected to apply the code.
Non members can use the code PUPPETFEST at checkout.
Interested in becoming a San Francisco Puppeteers Guild member?
Membership starts at $25. If you are planning on attending this event and are not a member, we encourage you to become one.
After becoming a member you will receive your discount code for 20% off, if you select a minimum of $75 or more (3 or more workshops)
View the Full Schedule Here
Click to Expand
Friday, August 2nd
The following workshops & shows are included in this track.
Friday, August 2nd
The following workshops &
shows are included in this track.
9:00 AM Workshop ~ Room 110
Puppeteering in 4 Simple Steps with Lee Armstrong, Images in Motion Inc.
Explore the joy of puppet performance with Lee Armstrong. This workshop is part demo and part “hands-on” puppetry and focuses on the question “What do you do once you have a puppet on your hand?” Learn ways to share puppet performance with a group of children. Explore the versatile art of puppeteering both with and without a stage. Make a couple of quick puppet takeaways for your puppet resource kit. Bring a puppet or puppets provided courtesy of our friends at Folkmanis Puppets www.folkmanis.com
Learn more about Images in Motion – www.imagesmedia.com
About Lee Armstrong
Lee Armstrong has taught puppet performance to thousands of children and adults, including at UCSC. She is co-owner, producer and puppeteer for Images in Motion Media Inc., a Sonoma based company that specializes in puppetry for TV & Film videos. Awards include 2 Regional Emmys, 6 Tellys and more. Credits include performing in the original Muppets “Fraggle Rock” “Being John Malkovich” and many PBS shows.
10:00 AM Show ~ Andrews Hall
“Stinky tales: Personal Space & more” By Doug Zesiger & Anne Zesiger
Dillard the impulsive dragon learns that different people have different physical space needs. He also learns that teasing shrinks friendships. Doug Zesiger, master classroom teacher and storyteller, has created the world of Stinky Tales, an interactive storytelling experience that brings children and puppets together to explore the tricky social problems they face every day. Doug expertly facilitates interactions between the puppets and his audiences. Children directly relate to the stories and are excited to share their thinking and problem solving skills. This magical combination of a master teacher, beloved puppet friends and the power of storytelling builds confidence, empathy and a toolbox of social skills for audiences. Award winning children’s music artist, Anne Zesiger adds original songs that help support the message and create a musical takeaway for families to enjoy long after.
Approx. 30 minutes.
Best for ages 3 to 8.
https://www.stinkytales.com
About Doug Zesiger
Doug Zesiger is a teacher, storyteller, and musician with a passion for helping children navigate the social-emotional world with humor and understandings. A father of four and grandfather of two, he’s taught for the past 30 plus years at Marin County Day School, where Dillard and his pals hav ebecome treasured characters on campus and beyond.
10:40 AM – 11:10 AM Workshop ~ Room 110
SEL Storytelling: A Brief Exploration of the Role of Puppets in Teaching Children Social Skills with Doug Zesiger, Stinky Tales
Introduction and philosophy of our work.
A rough guideline of the types of problems we work with.
Agreeing on some language ‘gifts’ we can add to the performance.
Engaging the audience in articulating their best wisdom as they ‘teach’ the puppets how to do a better job next time.
Finding a resolution at the end of the story arc to allow for justice and restitution.
https://www.stinkytales.com
About Doug Zesiger
Doug Zesiger is a teacher, storyteller, and musician with a passion for helping children navigate the social-emotional world with humor and understandings. A father of four and grandfather of two, he’s taught for the past 30 plus years at Marin County Day School, where Dillard and his pals hav ebecome treasured characters on campus and beyond.
11:15 AM Show & Workshop ~ Room 110
Puppets, Poetry and Pedagogy – Apron Puppet Show & Workshop with Marisol Himmel
Join us for an engaging workshop where we’ll delve into the enchanting world of puppets, poetry, and science! Discover the power of integrating these creative elements across the curriculum, fostering STEAM learning and boosting your students’ public speaking skills. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to bring science to life in a fun and interactive way!
Marisol will kick off the workshop by showcasing an engaging program using paper puppets and an apron as a stage. You’ll get an inside look at how the show was created and learn how to adapt it to any subject, incorporating the magic of puppets and puppetry arts. Plus you’ll receive your very own set of paper puppets to take home in your resource kit
About Marisol Himmel
Marisol Himmel is an Educational Puppeteer in Sacramento. Marisol uses puppets in
her homeschool Enrichment Program to teach Spanish, French, American Sign
Language, Creative Writing, Science and Art.
12:00 PM – LUNCH
1:00 PM Workshop ~ Room 110
Expressive Collage Puppetry Workshop: Fostering Self-Expression
with Daniel Gill
Participants will learn how to facilitate expressive collage puppets with children. Participants will become familiar with how to introduce simple collage techniques, then guide their students in using everyday materials, such as paper and craft sticks, to create their own expressive collage puppet faces. Participants will learn how to integrate children’s books, theater games, and action songs into this activity, as well as use visual supports to make the activity accessible for all learners.
About daniel Gill
Daniel Gill is an educational puppeteer, early childhood educator, and teaching artist living in San Francisco. He is passionate about creating a more inclusive world by supporting young children’s access to learning and connection through puppetry arts. Daniel has 12 years of early childhood education experience and has worked as a classroom teacher, expressive arts specialist, teaching artist, and consultant.
2:00 PM Workshop ~ Room 110
Easy Stages & Staging Techniques that Inspire Children with Camilla Henneman
Many teachers want to encourage students to perform but don’t know where to start. Over many years of teaching, I have consistently found that: If you give children elements to create their own stage, story and puppets, they will create a play. This workshop gives the educators several easy options, along with patterns and printouts of paper theaters, puppets and props that they can use with their students to create their own puppet show. Puppet theater is one of the most versatile and enjoyable ways to explore curriculum in language arts, history, and science. Give them a stage and they will fill it.
About Camilla Henneman
Camilla Henneman is a credentialed multiple subject/ theater arts instructor with a
background in movie creature effects for Disney, Lucasfilm, and the Jim Henson
Company. She has worked with kindergarten through college age classes and is
currently teaching Muppet Magic at UCSC.
3:00 PM Workshop ~ Room 110
Puppets in Story & Song with Valerie & Michael Nelson, Magical Moonshine Theatre
Michael and Valerie Nelson have been professional puppeteers for 45 years. For the last 15 they have also been teaching artists at Willow Elementary Arts Magnet School, creating a plethora of puppet activities with TK through 5th grade. In this workshop they will share a collection of easily replicated projects with instructions, patterns, stories and songs, all designed to bolster creativity and foster fun. Let’s explore together the joy and drama that puppetry can bring to your interactions with youth, with a mixture of quick and longer term projects to stimulate your imagination.
Learn more about Magical Moonshine Theatre – www.magicalmoonshine.org
About Valerie & Michael Nelson
Michael and Valerie Nelson founded the internationally acclaimed Magical Moonshine Theatre, 1979-present. They have taught puppetry to puppeteers and as staff at the Tennessee Arts Academy (for art teachers). For the last 15 years they have taught puppetry and drama to TK-5 students as staff at Willow Arts Magnet Elementary in Napa following the Leonard Bernstein Artful Learning framework. UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence, Golden Apple of Kazakhstan and more.
Friday, August 2nd
The following workshops & shows are included in this track.
Friday, August 2nd
The following workshops &
shows are included in this track.
9:00 AM Workshop ~ Room 201
Eyes & Eye Mechanisms w/ Lisa Zagone
Demonstration of different types of puppet eyes, how to paint eyes, and examples of various types of mechanisms for blinking, winking and moving.
About Lisa Zagone
I am a professional visual artist specializing in unique, once-off creations for theatre and film, performance and private commissions. Whether it be costume design, scenic arts, puppet-making, specialty props, wearable art, or bodypainting, my art style is playful, detailed and darkly whimsical..
My artwork often features mechanisms and inventions for transformation or movement.
I am a recent graduate of the Academy of the Wooden Puppet with Bernd Ogrodnik in Reykjavik. I earned my MFA and BA in Fine Art, with an emphasis on Textiles at SFSU in California.
10:00 – 11:50 AM ~ 2 Part Workshop ~ Room 201
The Making of a Monster
Dahlia and Hugo will teach you how to make a Monster Puppet. Participants will make puppets from a simple kit created by Hugo and Dahlia. Dahlia & Hugo’s kits will have mostly precut parts. In this class, you’ll learn how to assemble the pieces together. These puppets have flexible mouth plates and can have full bodies perfect for sitting on anything. Participants should know how to hand-sew, or they can bring a sewing helper (This helper doesn’t need to be registered). This workshop is designed for teens, but ages 9 and up, and adults are welcome too. The puppet might not be finished by the end of the session, but you’ll have all the information and materials to finish, including a needle and thread!
Appropriate for ages 9+
About Dahlia & Hugo
In 4th grade, Dahlia Yarbrough discovered a biography about Jim Henson while selecting a topic for a school project. Since then, she has built and wrangled puppets for several productions such as JLS’s School House Rock Live and Stanford’s Huppet. She is currently a freshman in high school and is looking forward to incorporating her interests in the stage tech elective.
Hugo Shum is a young San Francisco Bay Area based puppeteer. He’s 15 and currently a sophomore in high school. He specializes in Hand/Moving Mouth Puppets though has worked with rod and table top. Hugo has worked on numerous different projects such as his Halloween Show Spooky Squeals, and Stinky Tales Twinkle Twinkle Shoot. Hugo is always looking for new opportunities to learn and improve his craft.
10:00 AM Show ~ Andrews Hall
“Stinky tales: Personal Space & more” By Doug Zesiger & Anne Zesiger
Dillard the impulsive dragon learns that different people have different physical space needs. He also learns that teasing shrinks friendships. Doug Zesiger, master classroom teacher and storyteller, has created the world of Stinky Tales, an interactive storytelling experience that brings children and puppets together to explore the tricky social problems they face every day. Doug expertly facilitates interactions between the puppets and his audiences. Children directly relate to the stories and are excited to share their thinking and problem solving skills. This magical combination of a master teacher, beloved puppet friends and the power of storytelling builds confidence, empathy and a toolbox of social skills for audiences. Award winning children’s music artist, Anne Zesiger adds original songs that help support the message and create a musical takeaway for families to enjoy long after.
Approx. 30 minutes.
Best for ages 3 to 8.
https://www.stinkytales.com
About Doug Zesiger
Doug Zesiger is a teacher, storyteller, and musician with a passion for helping children navigate the social-emotional world with humor and understandings. A father of four and grandfather of two, he’s taught for the past 30 plus years at Marin County Day School, where Dillard and his pals hav ebecome treasured characters on campus and beyond.
11:00 AM Workshop ~ Andrews Hall
Bring A Puppet To Life! W/ Lee Armstrong
Explore the joy of puppet performance with Lee Armstrong. This workshop is part demo and part “hands-on” puppetry and focuses on the question “What do you do once you have a puppet on your hand?” It’s ideal for beginning to intermediate puppeteers. Puppet technique will build on UNIMA-USA award-winning Nikki Tilroe’s 4 Basic Principles to bring a puppet to life, then more advanced puppet movement techniques. Explore performing “Avenue Q” style without a stage and tips on how to work with a puppet stage.
BYOP (Bring Your Own Puppet) or puppets will be available to borrow for this workshop, through the generosity of our friends at Folkmanis Puppets.
About Lee Armstrong
Explore the joy of puppet performance with Lee Armstrong. This workshop is part demo and part “hands-on” puppetry and focuses on the question “What do you do once you have a puppet on your hand?” It’s ideal for beginning to intermediate puppeteers. Puppet technique will build on UNIMA-USA award-winning Nikki Tilroe’s 4 Basic Principles to bring a puppet to life, then more advanced puppet movement techniques. Explore performing “Avenue Q” style without a stage and tips on how to work with a puppet stage. BYOP (Bring Your Own Puppet) or puppets will be available to borrow for this workshop, through the generosity of our friends at Folkmanis Puppets
12:00 PM – LUNCH
1:00 – 2:50 PM ~ 2 Part Workshop ~ Room 201
Finger Puppet Building with Sculpting and Sewing, w/ Nao Kobayashi
Explore the captivating realm of miniature world in this workshop! Learn to craft the festival’s tiniest puppet, a finger puppet. Participants will discover the essentials of sculpting a head using polymer clay, add eyes and paints. Guided step-by-step, you’ll create a 3 dimensional fabric body through simple hand-sewing techniques, to take your own unique miniature creation with you. Ideal for those who appreciate detailed small-scaled crafts and are curious about exploring stop-motion animation in live-action contexts. Join us to unleash your creativity and bring miniature wonders to life!
2 Part Workshop. Both parts are included in the registration cost.
Age 12+ recommend
Hand sewing, clay sculpting
About Nao Kobayashi
Nao Kobayashi specializes in designing and fabricating puppet and costume for TV, film, and artistic ventures. With over 15 years of experience, she has contributed her skills to diverse projects, collaborating with dance and theater productions, fashion brands, entertainment companies, museums, and institutes. Currently based in Sonoma, California, works at Images in Motion Inc. Nao also engages in interdisciplinary art endeavors, collaborating with independent artists, musicians, and performers. Her understanding of somatic practices such as martial arts Shintaido, butoh, and dance enriches her work, fostering innovative solutions that transcend cultural boundaries. www.NaoPuppet.com.
2:00 – 2:50 PM Workshop ~ Andrews Hall
Secrets I’ve Learned from Disney & Pixar
with Gabriel Galdamez
Explore the secrets behind the success of the world’s leading animation studios! We’ll cover points like story development, leadership, collaboration and creativity and see what I’ve gleaned from my vast collection of “The Making of” books for films like “Toy Story,” “Frozen” and “Wall-E.”
Gabriel Galdamez has been enthusiastically involved in puppetry and creative arts for over 20 years. He especially enjoys blending different disciplines and adapting storybooks into theatrical productions. Throughout his career, he has taught 100+ workshops on puppetry, creativity, and leadership at the regional, national, and international level throughout the US, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, and Ecuador. He is currently serving as the President of the Fellowship of Christian Puppeteers and previously served on the SF Bay Area Puppeteers Guild Board. When he isn’t working as a Communications Consultant, you can find him planning his next travel adventure, in a studio recording voice-over, or in the air on the flying trapeze.
3:00 PM Workshop ~ Room 213
Working as One: Tabletop Puppetry w/ Heather Gobbée
Learn the art of moving in 3’s through various team games, movement with music, and improv using brown paper puppets and Puppetatheletes! Coordinating multiple-operator puppets is all about the breath, learning to cultivate connection between puppeteers and honing the ability to listen to one another while exploring simple to complex movements, characters and social interactions. This will be a sweet and lively workshop! “Yes, And” teamwork required…deodorant recommended!
Located in Room 213
About Heather Gobbée
Heather Gobbée is a professional actor (AEA), Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and Movement Educator with an MFA in Acting from Brandeis University and CA Teacher Certification in Theater Arts, PreK-12. Heather has performed and taught drama, improvisation, puppetry, yoga and creative movement for children and adults across NYC and CA.
Friday Shows in Andrews Hall
Tickets can be purchased individually: Adults – $15, Children – $10
Friday Shows
In Andrews hall
Tickets can be purchased individually:
Adults – $15, Children – $10
10:00 AM Show ~ Andrews Hall
“Stinky tales: Personal Space & more” By Doug Zesiger & Anne Zesiger
Dillard the impulsive dragon learns that different people have different physical space needs. He also learns that teasing shrinks friendships. Doug Zesiger, master classroom teacher and storyteller, has created the world of Stinky Tales, an interactive storytelling experience that brings children and puppets together to explore the tricky social problems they face every day. Doug expertly facilitates interactions between the puppets and his audiences. Children directly relate to the stories and are excited to share their thinking and problem solving skills. This magical combination of a master teacher, beloved puppet friends and the power of storytelling builds confidence, empathy and a toolbox of social skills for audiences. Award winning children’s music artist, Anne Zesiger adds original songs that help support the message and create a musical takeaway for families to enjoy long after.
Approx. 30 minutes.
Best for ages 3 to 8.
https://www.stinkytales.com
About Doug Zesiger
Doug Zesiger is a teacher, storyteller, and musician with a passion for helping children navigate the social-emotional world with humor and understandings. A father of four and grandfather of two, he’s taught for the past 30 plus years at Marin County Day School, where Dillard and his pals hav ebecome treasured characters on campus and beyond.
4:00 PM Show
Performance of “Carnival of the Animals” by Fratello Marionettes
Classic fairy tales brought to life with marionettes, woven together with Saint-Saens’ score. Fratello is the Premier San Francisco Bay Area Marionette Company.
Saint-Saens’ fanciful score serves as a canvas upon which three classic storybook fairy tales are interwoven: “The Three Little Pigs”, “The Tortoise and the Hare”, and “The Ugly Duckling”. This production is performed without dialog, allowing the classical score to shine. The puppets and puppeteers perform on a raised stage, fully visible to the audience.
Family Friendly.
30 minutes plus Q&A and Show & Tell
Kevin Menegus
Founder of Fratello Marionettes, Kevin became intrigued by puppetry after receiving a puppet as a gift at age six. Kevin went on to apprentice with some of the leading puppeteers in the country, including Tony Urbano, Bob Baker, Randal Metz and Lewis Mahlmann, learning from them while developing unique building and performing styles of his own.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of The Pacific Conservatory of Music. This comes in handy for selecting and orchestrating the right music for each marionette performance. Kevin has performed for audiences around the world, including several major cruise lines.
Learn more about Fratello Marionettes – https://sfbapg.org/membership/
5:00 PM Evening Activities
Social Hour, Puppet Exhibit, Puppet Store & Explore Sonoma’s Galleries & Restaurants.
7:00 PM Show
Performance of “Animalitos” by Magical Moonshine Theatre
A collection of Aesop’s fables woven together in a magical puppet dance. A rabbit starts a race with a tortoise, but seeing that he has plenty of time, he wanders off, and gets involved with a fox who is trying to court a crane with a romantic dinner for two. With some clever tricks they manage to get some food to serve but things go awry when the fox talks the rabbit into being the waiter for the meal. Meanwhile the tortoise is getting closer and closer to the finish line…
Approx. 40 minutes plus Q & A.
Family Friendly. Recommended for children ages 4 and up.
This story is told in a combination of English and Spanish.
This show won the Golden Apple Award for Best Children’s Play at the World Puppet Carnival in Almaty, Kazakhstan, October, 2011.
Magical Moonshine Theatre(MMT)
MMT was founded in 1979 by Michael and Valerie Nelson. Performances have been seen coast to coast in the U.S., as well as internationally with performances in 18 countries in 8 different languages.
Michael Nelson, Director and Co-Founder studied puppetry at the International Puppetry Institute with the late Jim Henson of the Muppets. Additionally, Nelson has taught puppet theatre arts at the Napa Valley College; was a California Arts Council Artist in Residency; has been a regular writer for the national journal of puppetry; is a past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Puppetry Guild; and is a past-President of UNIMA-USA.
Valerie Nelson, Musical Director and Co-Founder is trained in Montessori method, majored in vocal music, has been and is a member of numerous choirs, and has been featured on a number of recording projects. She co-founded Magical Moonshine Theatre with husband Michael in 1979. She is past faculty member of Tennessee Arts Academy, past workshop director of the National Puppetry Festival, and currently, along with Michael, is a California Arts Council Artist in the Schools.
Join us for a day filled with creativity, learning, and fun!
This program is brought to you by the San Francisco Bay Area Puppeteers Guild,
www.sfbapg.org as part of their
Northern California Puppet Festival, Aug 2-3.
Many thanks to the Nick Barone Memorial Scholarship Fund, Folkmanis
& the Sonoma Community Center for their helpful support of our Festival Workshops
Sponsored by the S.F. Bay Area Puppeteers Guild
Questions? Contact info@sfbapg.org
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