Fish Sermon, A Puppet Ballet 2024 by Leah Lara (Puppetry)
Fish Sermon investigates movement and faith in an aquatic and mystical puppet ballet. The archetype of the mermaid is explored through blackness, religious imagery and ritual using multiple forms of puppetry..
Black Episcopalian by Samuel J. Lewis II (puppetry)
The year is 1980, in St. Louis, Missouri. Sam asks his mom a question about their origins in the Episcopal Church. It was a question that wouldn’t be fully answered until almost 40 years later. That incredible answer takes Sam on a journey back to his birthplace in rural Tennessee, through space and time, uncovering a history that he could have never imagined. And through this journey he finally understands his place in the world.
(work-in-progress)
Maria Reads a Book: Ari’s Anger Eating Dragon Flower- by Maria Camia (puppetry) Humanoid Ari faces inner demons in Aricama, the land of practice, play, and healing. When she finds her energy is being consumed by a mysterious dragon, her anger reaches a whole new level. One person Bunraku-style puppet, toy theater, and puppet surprise.
(7 and Up)
“My Flesh” by Arkay Adkisson, (puppetry and poetry) My Flesh is the debut of Adkisson’s most intimate written work yet,a surprisingly joyful exploration of living in a disenfranchised body, and follows what happens when a loved body changes without intention.
Just Another Lynching by Jeghetto (film and discussion) Just Another Lynching is a puppet show that dives deep into haunting truths about our country's past, present, and future. Framed as one man's eulogy to his lost childhood friend, it unfolds as a series of touching memories that refuse to be ignored or mis-remembered.
(nine and up)
My Mother the Clown by Nia Hampton, (film) It’s “Bring Your Parents to school day’, and Kia’s mother is a clown, literally.This coming of age tale deals with teenage anxiety and outward appearances.
(Family Audience)
Jim Crow the Puppet by Jeghetto (puppetry) This is a historical piece about Black inventors.
(Family audience)
Ecdysiast by Dante Ingram (singing, puppetry and discussion) is a three part live singing and puppetry performance about memory, identity, and aging. Ecdysiasta is a term coined during the vaudeville era for strip tease artists. The root ecdysis means to molt . Watch as the singer and marionette transform…
Consuewella: Triptych in MOVE”, conceived, written, and directed by Jacqueline Wade, (puppetry) This is a moving puppet performance piece about an African American woman’s journey through MOVE, a radical mostly African American back-to-nature activist group from Philadelphia and the system. (This performance is for mature audiences-late teens through adults.).
(work-in- progress)
Rocket and Friends by the Puppet Company (Steven Widerman) (puppetry)
Rocket & Friends by The Puppet Company, performed by Steven Widerman and Connor Asher, is a fantastic family friendly show. It features wonderful characters, including the Haywire (above), the Roamin' Gnomes doing acrobatics on a see-saw, a dancing pink elephant, Rocket the Roller Skater, a puppet choir and much more.
(Family Audience)
Agape Love Train by Yolanda Sampson (puppetry) “All aboard!” Come along with Lovuro, a princess from the fictional planet Peacuro. In this life changing journey, she learns about the biblical principles of love and forgiveness one station stop at a time. Watch as Lovuro overcomes ‘unforgiveness’ with the help of her down-to-earth friends. An “out-of-this-world” experience told with colorful hand puppets, Scripture, music, storytelling, and audience participation.
(Family audience)
Praise Worthy by Samuel J. Lewis II (puppetry) African American family history weaves these short works together, featuring multiple forms of puppetry and accompanied by live musicians. He Worked Hard, The Story of James "Jim" Lewis....
(Family audience)
Una Judge - The One That Got Away-by Sheila Strawberry Gaskins, (puppetry)
Federal Abolitionist Newspapers interviews Una Judge after her successful escape from being an enslaved house servant of President George and Martha Washington. This work in progress about a historical figure features found and made performing objects and puppets.
In Black, by Jacqueline Wade (film) In Black is a moving spiritual hybrid documentary film about various Black puppeteers/fabricators and Black puppets who took part in the historical Living Objects: African American Puppetry exhibit at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at UCONN. Watch some of the puppets come to life in this fascinating magical film that explores puppetry through a Black lens.
(Above ten for Family Audience)
Bawba Sheep's Black by Anthony Michael Stokes (puppetry film)
This short film looks at what it is like to be a Black Man in America.
A handpicked collection of films from Handmade Puppet Dreams
A part of Heather Henson's Green Feather Foundation, Handmade Puppet Dreams promotes independent artists exploring their handmade craft specifically for the screen. These films all focus on real-time puppetry, and allow artists to build their vision, and then breathe life into their dreams.Most of these artist in this collection are BIPOC.
Goodnight Shadow | Dir. Myra Su
Hitori | Dir. Raymond Carr
Colosse | Dir. Yves Geleyn
Above All | Dir. Sifiso Mabena
Being and Becoming | Dir. Charlotte Lily Gaspard
The Story Retriever | Dir. Chamindika Wanduragala
Ramkali | Dir. Adnan Hussain
The Whole World and You | Dir. Frankie Cordero
Hamlin | Dir. Jerrell Henderson
DakTokaTaino | Dir. Alba Garcia-Rivas
5P1N0K10 | Dir. Jeghetto
Ham | Dir. Rudy Martinez
jo JB (singer) will be playing songs "Still Dreaming..." their most recent solo release (available on all platforms!) and their forthcoming EP, "WAKE UP MX. SCHAFFER". Their music is deeply influenced by many genres including the Black Baptist tradition.
The Gold Fish Casino by Sarolta Vay (film) A queer musical tale set during the Water Wars. At a mythical water casino, The Salmon gambles for high stakes. When a storm brews in the distance, the Water Tycoon shuffles in for a cataclysmic showdown. Will the displaced River Creatures rise up?!?!, Or will it all go down the drain?!?
The Prairie by Lisa Knasiak (Storyteller) Stories from a collection of coming of age stories that take place in a low income, high drama neighborhood called ‘The Prairie’ Bridgeport during the 1970s.
BASTARD THE BUNNY! by Nate Puppets
(puppetry) Watch now as we see a real live mental breakdown in real time! A truly insane romp from the brain of a real live mentally ill human being! Bastard The Bunny: 'cause sometimes life ain't fun! Based on a unique experience that you are guaranteed to never forget
Content warning: audience discretion is advisedl.
Andrew Kaplan (activist, music and singing) A set of original songs by indie artist Andrew Kaplan.
Maria Reads a Book: F*cked Flower’s Flight Into Speedy Vibrations-by Maria Camia (film) Flower Ma-Nine-a is sour for being born too far away from Aricama’s Beautiful Waterfall. Suddenly, she has an outer body realization to remember her abundance.
Mumia by Jacqueline Wade (object puppetry) Mumia is an object performance piece about political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Submission Link
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