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Native Dreams from Steven Ritz-Barr
A shadow puppet theater piece for
families (ages 5 and above) based on Native American creation myths.
"Delicately crafted, superb shadow creations..."
Lynne Heffley, L.A.Times
Circus Stachamoose from Tommy Baker - July 17th, 2026
Have you ever dreamed of a world that is different? Where life is celebrated with enthusiasm… …and where the simplest things are enjoyed and looked upon with fascination? That’s where the brothers Stachamoose come from.
Circus Stachamoose it is a family friendly variety show from Irish puppet master Tommy Baker of Your Man's Puppets with a narrative that runs through and ends with:
"after all, we are all brothers with mustaches on the inside".
The WoBo Show with Wolf Bowart & Xochitl Martinez
Step into a world where imagination runs wild, objects have minds of their own, and the impossible becomes delightfully possible!
The WoBo Show is a whimsical, laugh-out-loud adventure from award-winning physical theatre artist Wolfe Bowart, of Spoontree Productions, beloved around the world for his magical blend of comedy, mime, illusion, and circus-style play.
Filled with visual tricks, gentle humor, and heartwarming moments, The WoBo Show celebrates creativity, resilience, and the magic hidden in everyday life. Perfect for young dreamers and grown-ups who remember what it’s like to be one, this is theatre that invites you not just to watch - but to wonder.
FILM NIGHT
Screening of Award-Winning Puppet Films by Classics in Miniature as well as other animated films, puppet demos and Q&A
THE LEGEND OF JOAN OF ARC
QUIXOTE
FAUST
LORELEI
1st International Puppetry Workshop/Residency by Gavin Glover - Sept. 3-6, 2026
This immersive 4-day residency will bring together artists, creators, and puppetry enthusiasts to dive into the art of micro-cinema theatre which blends live or pre-recorded video with the puppetry skills of object manipulation and visual theatre.
Puppet Residency and Workshop with GAVIN GLOVER - MICRO-CINEMA THEATRE
A laboratory style workshop for all theatre practitioners and video artists who want to explore and incorporate live low-tech video camera work with on-stage theatre performance.
With over 30 years experience as a theatre maker and as a founder member of Faulty Optic Theatre of Animation, Gavin Glover specializes in contemporary puppetry and visual theatre. He has developed his own distinctive style of work in both visual and text based performance as a performer, director, designer, coach and more recently as a film maker.
Freelance since 2011 Gavin has collaborated with many different theatre companies and creatives from all over the world. During his career he has always experimented with simple video techniques to take audiences on journeys to extraordinary miniature cinematic places. He now shares what he has developed in this ever popular Micro Cinema Theatre workshop.
September 3 through 6, 2026 -Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday - 4 full days and evenings (8 hours daily)
Lodging + one main meal per day provided - 8 participants maximum.
Please subscribe below or email lapuppet@gmail.com for more info and to reserve your space.
Interested in attending any of our workshops or performances? Please subscribe below and we'll be in touch!
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.
STEVEN RITZ-BARR and the Alteschule Puppen Museum
This new 440 sq m Puppet Center, is home to over 200 puppets of various styles. It was built as the local elementary school in 1901 and is now the residence of American-French puppet artist, Steven Ritz-Barr and his wife, Dr. Beate Ritz.
It is nestled in a smallvillage between Eisenach, Weimar, Gottingen, and Kassel- in North Hessen, Germany.
It is rural with plenty of hiking possibilities and a fairy tale charm around every hill.
In fact, it is the area where the Brothers Grimm collected their stories from, which means the shadows are plentiful.
Past events
PUPPET EXPO AND SCREENING OF "FAUST"
LOCATION: Goethe Museum, Dusseldorf, GERMANY
date: APRIL 26, 2025
ALTE SCHULE MUSEUM DIRECTOR STEVEN RITZ-BARR SHOWCASED PUPPETS FROM THE MUSEUM AND SCREENED HIS UNIMA AWARD WINNER FILM "FAUST" AT THE ANNUAL NACHT DER MUSEEN EVENT.
GENERAL CONCEPTS for Puppetry and Art
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What makes a concept “Puppetic or Puppet-ish”?
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How the concept/idea is communicable to ‘others’ ?
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Conceiving the style of an Idea.
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Finding the strengths of Concept, then test it with various Puppets.
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What makes each puppet come alive?
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Projection into a wooden character.
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EXERCISES for the Puppet Operator
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Finger tips to toes, inside and outside
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Movement work on human emotions associated with that of the Puppet concept:
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push, pull, direct, distance (how far away is human is from the object?)
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slow to fast, small to large- dimension, proportion, velocity,- with only hands and body.
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Vertical and horizontal movements
EXPERIMENTAL PUPPETRY:
INTRODUCTION to Movement of the 7 Great Passions
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Their expression through sound and movement with any and all forms of Puppetry:
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calm
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fear
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anger
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joy
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envy
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greed
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jealousy
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CHARACTER & STORY development
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What constitutes a believable puppet
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Character Introductions and Interrogations
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Through Manipulation Techniques (Movement), get to know the puppet:
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Is the story the puppet? Or is the puppet delivering the story?
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Local support and sponsors
