Roswell Opens Free Puppet Workshop Registration

Registration is now open for free puppet workshops that will be hosted by the Roswell Cultural Arts Center.

The workshops, which will be held in collaboration with its annual Summer Puppet Series, are made possible through a $10,000 Arts Engagement in American Communities (AEAC) grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).

During the workshops, children will make their own puppets and experience the world of theatre through puppetry arts, including art, design, acting, manipulating and dancing with puppets.

Workshops will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays following the 10 a.m. performance. Workshops are scheduled as follows:

June 2 & 4: Puppet Playshop for the Younger Set
Presented by Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts. Ages 2-6.

June 9 & 11: Sock It to Me Puppets
Presented by Paul Mesner Puppets. This workshop introduces children to performance skills through improvisation and storytelling as they learn how to make sock hand puppets. Ages 6 and up.

June 16 & 18: Marionette Workshop*
Presented by Tanglewood Marionettes. Here the master puppeteer will demonstrate how to string and operate a professional marionette puppet. Participants will learn some of the tips and tricks from the world of puppetry arts. Ages 8 and up.

June 23 & 25: Trottin’ and Movin’ with the 3 Little Goats
Presented by All Hands Productions. Get connected to your artistic side by creating a paper mouth puppet utilizing everyday items. Ages 4-9.

June 30 & July 2: Reduce Recycle and Reuse Puppets
Presented by Lee Bryan. Utilizing recycled materials and loads of imagination, children create fantastic cardboard creature puppets from recycled materials. Combining hand/eye coordination, problem-solving skills, technology, and construction principals of puppetry design makes this a not-to-be missed workshop. Ages 4 and up.

July 7 & 9: Celebrating Culture and Folktales through Puppetry
Presented by Hobey Ford. Combining storytelling with shadow puppetry brings a variety of culture to life through folktales. Ages 8 and up.

July 14 & 16: The World of Puppets*
Presented by Grey Seal Puppets. This workshop will illustrate the different types of puppets using many puppet examples. Children will be inspired to make a puppet at home once they “graduate” as puppet experts. Ages 8 and up.

*These workshops are instructional and interactive only; no puppets will be taken home.

Additional details about the workshops:

• Reservations are required for all workshops.
• Reservations are for children only. Parents/Guardians do not need to register.
• Workshops will be one hour of mostly hands-on instruction with one of our award-winning puppeteers.
• All materials are provided. Participants may use pins, needles, scissors, tacky glue, glue guns and, of course, their imaginations.
• Children should wear clothing that can get messy.
• Children ages 2-8 must be accompanied by a guardian for the duration of the workshop.
• Each workshop is capped at 25 participants, not including their parents/guardians.

To register, visit www.roswellpuppets.com or stop by the Cultural Arts Center during normal business hours. For more information about the workshops, contact Andrea Cooper Gatewood at agatewood@roswellgov.com.

Tickets for the Summer Puppet Series shows are available now at www.roswellpuppets.com or by calling (770) 594-6232. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Cultural Arts Center, which is at 950 Forrest Street.

Photo credit: Roswell Cultural Arts Center