A Well Oiled Machine

This week I had my first meeting with our director, David Buckman, and it went great!

We're super lucky to have Dave directing the show as he has a history directing great shows. He directed, trained, managed, and wrote for 2 world renown improvisation companies, including 20+ actors who advanced to major films and television programs including Saturday Night Live, Mad TV. He currently lives in Austin, TX where he has produced and grown the 7-day comedy festival Out Of Bounds by 100% in 2 years. He has showcased 8 stages, 200 acts, 800 performers, and 7,500 attendees, overseeing all creative, business, and technical operations. He teaches at the Coldtowne Theater and performs with the critically-acclaimed troupe, The Frank Mills, selected Frontera Fest - Best of the Fest 2007, winner of the B. Iden Payne Award, Outstanding Improvisational Troupe 2006 & 2008, and winner of the Austin Improv Collective, Best Troupe 2006 & 2008.

Dave and I met over dinner to talk about the challenges of "Off The Reef." We agreed that it is a big endeavor. We are creating a show that has 16 improvisers, including improvisers doing puppeteering, story development, music and lighting... all in the dark under black-lights.  To help us make the show manageable, we are splitting the cast into two groups -- principle performers and puppet techs. We are going to rehearse with each group until they are independently a well oiled machine. Then we are going to bring the groups back together to rehearse the entire show (like the Wonder Twins, or the Power Rangers and their Megazord! -- I'm KIDDING! there are no aliens or robots in this show!! Jeeze.)

We are also building some internal structure into the show to guarantee that each night will be a well crafted, yet new and unique show. But more on that in the days to come!!

First Rehearsal, Check!

We had our first rehearsal tonight and it went really well. We worked on group movement and some black-light puppetry basics.

We are excited for next week and our photo shoot with our favorite photographer, Annie Ray -- annieray.net -- which we will use to promote the show.

Sidebar -- We will wear all black during our show, but one of the things we learned last time is that some detergents make your clothes look a bit fluorescent in black-light.

Some of the whiteners in detergent work by making your clothing a bit fluorescent. Even though clothing is rinsed after washing, residues on white clothing cause it to glow bluish-white under a black light. Blueing agents and softening agents often contain fluorescent dyes, too. The presence of these molecules sometimes causes white clothing to appear blue in photographs.\

In honor of that, here is a link to OTHER things that fluoresce under black-light. ;-)

• http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howthingswork/f/blblacklight.htm

"Off The Reef" Cast Announced

The Puppet Improv Project is very lucky to have such a great cast for our upcoming show, Off The Reef. In addition to our five company members, we are joined by the incomparable Amy Smith, Eric Heiberg, and Shana Merlin. Also gracing the stage with us will be Alyse Deller, Jenna Howard, Nancy Lyon, Ellen Pittsford, Jessica Salinas, and Gino Sandoval as our puppet techs.

THE SCOOP:
 A seemingly insignificant problem escalates into one of epic proportions and sends our hero off on the adventure of a lifetime. "Off The Reef" is an improvised, black-light puppet spectacular that literally glows with an ocean full of colorful characters.


DIR:
Dave Buckman

CAST:
Sara Farr
Topping Haggerty
Eric Heiberg
Amy McKenna Smith
Shana Merlin
Patrick Knisley
Jesse Overright
Chadwick Smith

PUPPET TECHS:
Alyse Deller
Jenna Howard
Nancy Lyon
Ellen Pittsford
Jessica Salinas
Gino Sandoval

 
Thank you to all who showed an interest in helping out with the show. If you still want to get involved with the PIP, remember we have some UT Informal classes coming up this fall. Check out our Workshops page for more info. http://www.puppetimprovproject.com/workshops.html

Looking for "puppet techs"... is this you?

The Puppet Improv Project is looking for "puppet techs" for the fall show, "Off The Reef".  Could this be you? Are you interested in the magic of black light puppetry? Do you want to be involved with one of the most spectacular improvised shows of 2012? Are you free on Tuesday nights to join in the fun?

If you answered "YES!" to any of these questions, then you are a good candidate for our show! The roll of the puppet tech is to support the show by filling it with background characters and environment. In our show, "Off The Reef", we are looking for beginning to advanced level improvisers who understand the basics of improvisation and want to learn more about puppetry and movement.

Our puppet techs will play with giant fans, flags, ribbons, streamers, props, etc. to create the form and space of the reef, as well as the more abstract creatures on the reef. They will also help the cast bring our giant Chinese dragon styled "Eel" puppet to life.

The show is directed by David Buckman, and includes a cast of 8 veteran improvisers and puppeteers. Our rehearsals are on Tuesday nights, and start in August, and go through October, with mandatory rehearsals on 10/23, 10/30 (Tech) and 11/01 (Dress). Show dates are Friday & Saturday @ 8pm on 11/2, 11/3, 11/9, and 11/10.

If you are interested, please email: sara@puppetimprovproject.org

Puppet Improv Festival?

Talked on the phone yesterday with Elizabeth Westermann! our puppet improv friend in Seattle, WA. Elizabeth runs "Puppet Crush", and the two of us talked about the problems of doing the same stuff, but living so far apart. When she asked me, "Wouldn't it be nice if we could find a way for all the puppet improvisers in the United States of America to come together and play in one place?!" -- my answer was a resounding, "YES!" So we sketched out some rough notes, and then parted to let the ideas stew and cook for a bit, with a promise to talk again soon. So I think it's safe to say, we have taken the first step towards getting the ball rolling on what may just be the best idea yet -- a Puppet Improv Festival!!!

So! If you are reading this and YOU do puppet improv in your city, somewhere here in the USA, please let one of us know. We haven't started anything official yet.  We of course will need to start small, perhaps latching onto an existing improv, puppet or comedy festival. BUT! Our goal is to KEEP THE FUZZY BALL OF PUPPET IMPROV rolling!

Producing Shows

Had a great meeting with Shana Merlin of Merlin Works to talk about producing shows and got some good tips on how I can work to take PIP to the next level. We have a lot of great shows planned for the next few years -- bigger and better and more spectacular! But it all takes planning, and a producer's job is never done.

Group Build Weekend for "Off The Reef"

Several people have asked me "When are you going to offer another [b]Puppet Building[/b] workshop" and the inevitable answer always is, "When we finish working on the stuff for our own show".

The PIP is in production for our fall show, Off The Reef. This weekend (Fri-Sun) we are doing a GROUP BUILD.  If you want to lend a hand (or two) and get some sewing tips and puppet building tricks, this is a GREAT way to learn some puppet building techniques.

FYI, this is not a workshop, but a production day. You are welcome to bring your own projects and get some advice -- as long as that doesn't distract us too much from our work.

Wanna help? Email sara@puppetimprovproject.org