Coming Soon

Eco Loco

Catch a performance of Pigs in a Canoe and Other Watery Stories at Eco Loco in Sylvan Lake on April 25th

Puppet Lab

Stay tuned for our monthly family puppet club starting in May!

Puppet Power 2016

Save the Date: May 29-29, 2016

Next year's Puppet Power Conference explores the way puppets can celebrate, educate, and advocate for seniors.

As baby boomers move out of the workplace and younger generations face uncertainties surrounding their own retirement, we believe that Connecting Generations will help us to understand the larger issues, facilitate a dialogue and offer solutions to social concerns shared around the world.

To explore this theme, check out this clip from D-Generation: An Exaltation of Larks, a full-length theater piece in production, based on stories written by groups of people with late-stage dementia.

D-Generation: An Exaltation of Larks (excerpts)

Join Our Board of Directors

Our board is a grass roots, friendly and fun group of people. We support an exciting program of current activities including performances, workshops, residencies, conferences and our popular crate-based outreach program designed for schools in Alberta.

Importantly we also encourage innovation and exploration for the development of new programs. Our strategic plans are reviewed annually to ensure our commitment to our operating statements.

The board serves mainly an advisory role with fun opportunities for hands-on work. You can decide what area you would like to focus on-programming, marketing or governance. You choose what is the most beneficial experience for yourself.

For more information please contact Wendy at 403.228.3373 or admin@wppuppet.com.

Join Our Mailing List

Happy World Puppetry Day!

March 21st is World Puppetry Day which started in 2003 and was conceived by Dzhivada Zolfagariho, a Puppet Theatre in Iran.

Here are some ideas on how to celebrate World Puppetry Day:

MAKE a paper folded fish: click for template or use your own paper and follow the instruction on this video

How to Make a Paper Folded Fish

PLAY: Create your own puppet play with your fish or use this song as inspiration:

Big Fish, Little Fish

Song lyrics by Jake Chenier

This cute song is used with permission from Manitoban singer - Songwriter, Jake Chenier.

Little fish swimming in the water

I'm hanging out alone

Down near the bottom!

He'd left his school and might be a goner

If the big fish hadn't come along

> click for the rest of the lyrics

WATCH!

Family puppet pick: Although The Book of Life is a computer animated film and doesn't show the full artistry of puppetry as some stop-motion puppet based films do, it does feature beautifully hand-crafted wooden puppets. The film also introduces children the the Mexican cultural tradition of the Day of the Dead and to the theme of death/mortality in a positive (and very colourful) way.

Adult puppet pick: Did you know that the art of puppetry is as old as story telling itself? Cameron Garrity argues that "puppets make the most successful fictional characters in all of history" in his TEDx talk, The Power of Puppetry

The Power of Puppetry: Cameron Garrity at TEDxBuffalo

EXPLORE!

Did you know that our Pinterest page has over 2,600 pins! Explore the world of puppetry on our page, including boards like Global Puppets, Please Try This at Home, History of Puppets, Giant Puppets and Parades, and many more . . .

Puppet Power designated a Regional Festival

Today's observance

of World Puppetry Day marks an especially special day for WP Puppet Theatre, for we are pleased to announce that our biennial conference, Puppet Power, has been designated as a Regional (Pacific Northwest) Festival by Puppeteers of America.

This is an exciting moment for our organization, as well as puppeteers and puppet enthusiasts across Alberta, as we join together with our southern neighbours in dedication to the art of puppetry. We look forward to making new connections with the individuals, guilds and organizations that make up the larger community.

Teachers' Corner

WP Puppet Theatre's Artist in Residence Program

An Artist in Residence is a wonderful opportunity to have an in depth artistic experience in all aspects of puppet theatre production and performance. Led by Wendy Passmore-Godfrey BFA, Founding and Artistic Director of WP Puppet Theatre; she has over 25 years' experience, and is a lifelong learner and a child at heart.

Planned directly with teachers to meet their needs and goals
Links to priorities in any curriculum
Puppet making, script writing, character development and performance
Supplies and equipment included
Learning opportunities for Kindergarten through to grade 12
Fund up to 75% with a successful Artists and Education Project Grant from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA)
Schools typically book 1-3 weeks

For more information, please contact Wendy at 403.228.3373 or admin@wppuppet.com.

Banana Dispute: created by students from Hawkwood school during a WP Puppet Residency

WP Puppet Theatre Society is a registered charity. For information about how we comply with CASL regulations please see http://www.imaginecanada.ca/node/2799