Tinselled juvenile drama portrait, “Mr. Wood as Sultan in
Sublime and Beautiful.” London: M. & M. Skelt, [c. 1837]. 

It's Dramatis Personae Catalogue time!

Catalogue #107, to be exact.

DP presents for sale, a handful of times per year, some of the best Ephemera available, including several offerings related to juvenile drama, aka toy theatre.

Traveling Family Puppeteers

Post Fishmarket 2011

The Third International Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarkt this past month was a great success. Wonderful new memories were made by festival performers and audience members alike.

You can see from the photos how diverse and unique each performer's vision was, from the theatre designs to the lighting to the presentations.

Fellow performers and audience members alike were fascinated and curious about each production and often would tour 'backstage', ask questions, etc.

Once can sense great camaraderie among the festival attendees. It reminds me greatly of my experience of attending and participating in science fiction conventions. Fellowship with others that are like-minded is very therapeutic...

Toy Theatre Contest Starts!

Opening Event for Pollock's toy theatre iPad application competition...

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop has announced an exciting competition involving toy theatre, using their amazing new iPad application...

The beautiful toy theatres of the Victorian era have been brought to life again through Pollock's gorgeous and innovative application for the iPad. Just like the original toy theatres where you immerse yourself in building your own theatre sets, etc.

Description
Competition Closing Date: 31st August (midnight GMT)
Join in the celebrations and be in the chance to win a fabulous new iPad and exclusive Pollock's Store Lock-In. Follow these simple steps and get creative:

1. Download the Pollock's Toy Theatre app from iTunes to your iPad
2. Record your play on your iPad. Don't forget to save it!
3. Decorate your iPad
4. Video yourself, your decorated iPad and your play.
5. Upload the video to youTube and send us a link via the competition facebook page

Terms & Conditions:
Submissions after 31st August will not be counted. The prize is a pair of tickets for the winner and 10 friends to a private hire of the Pollock’s store in Covent Garden, London with refreshments and storytelling entertainment, on a date to be agreed between the winner and the prize provider before 1st October 2011, within a 6pm- 8.30pm Time Slot. These dates/ times are subject to change. The winner acknowledges that in the event that Pollock’s have to change the dates/ times, the promoter does not accept responsibility in these circumstances and no alternative prize will be provided. Prize winners under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times at their Pollock’s event.

My apologies for not posting immediately, since this actually started a few days ago, but I only became aware of it today.  Get your thinking caps on and your iPads out!  August 31st is the deadline.  Good luck, and I hope some of you reading this will share what you come up with...

Cantastoria Festival Starts June 19th

I am passing on an announcement I received today, in hopes that it will let others know about a wonderful event beginning this weekend.  I doubt  you'll find many productions like this anywhere else!

Pre-cinematic technology takes over HERE for a week of contemporary cantastoria cooked up by puppeteers, artists, and craftspeople from across the country. A millenium-old art form is rejuvenated and re-imagined, as performers animate paintings and banners alongside texts, puppets, jokes, songs and stories.

Each unique program features several original shorts on a given theme such as: Boom or Bust, Phobia & Fetish, or Sink or Swim. On June 22nd and 23rd, Great Small Works will perform a brand-new cantastoria, Three Graces, in which three mythical graces — Harmony, Strategy and Splendor — float down to earth for an Op-Art romp inspired by Grace Kelly, Grace Paley, Grace Jones and Grace Lee Boggs.

The Greatest Smallest Band will kick off the afternoon with a parade, followed by simultaneous shows throughout the park. Bring a picnic and the whole family and celebrate Father’s Day and the third longest day of the year with Great Small Works, Bread and Puppet Theater, The Dolly Wagglers, Jonny Clockworks & the Cosmic Bicycle Theatre, Clare Dolan, Sara Peattie, Sam Wilson, Daniel Lang-Levitsky, Theater Oobleck, Redwing Blackbird Theater and the Lubberland National Dance Company, all in full view of the New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan. Free of charge!

AND Great Small Works will present the opening event for Banners and Cranks on Sunday, June 19th, from 4 to 7:30 PM at Pier One in Brooklyn Bridge Park (rain location: the Tobacco Warehouse) in DUMBO on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Illustrations Inspire Toy Theatre

Kate Greenaway book illustrations inspired this delightful toy theatre...

I ran across a mixed-media artist's blog today that featured a lovely toy theatre she threw together, her inspiration coming from the illustrations of Kate Greenaway.  There's something about that artist that I find very appealing.  It is more a composite of the story the characters were taken from rather than a re-telling of that tale, but I like what she came up with.

Precious Object: Toy Theatre

The toy theatre sat in the front room of her house for years when she was married and was played with a lot by every child that came round for tea. Once a letter was posted through the letterbox addressed to “Wooden O’Theatre”.  - From Treasure:  The World's Most Precious Objects

Twenty-three years ago, a woman began making a toy theatre for her son.

           It was during a happy phase 
           when he loved to sit next to her...

It never quite got finished, but it also was never forgotten...

Cantastoria Festival!

Although definitely not toy theatre, an upcoming cantastoria festival is too good to pass up passing on!

From the organization's site behind it, here's the skinny:

Pre-cinematic technology takes over  for a week of contemporary cantastoria, cooked up by puppeteers, artists and craftspeople from across the country. A millennium-old art form is rejuvenated and re-imagined, as performers animate paintings and banners alongside texts, puppets, jokes, songs and stories. 

Each unique program features several original shorts on a given theme, and the festival kicks off with a FREE opening celebration, presented by Great Small Works at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Vischmarkt Spotlight: Rough Magic Theatre, UK

Who is that 'nice woman'...?

Collette Knowles is a puppeteer.  Soon, she will be performing a production of her original adaption of "Hansel and Gretel" at the upcoming toy theatre festival in the Netherlands.

A Man & His Dolls

My friend Vanesa shared this trailer with me recently. As she says, "This looks like an extraordinary film about dolls and a man's relationship with them..."

A Nazi scrutinizes Captain Hogancamp...

After viewing the trailer, viewing still shots taken by Mark (the man behind all this), and reading about the story behind the film, I couldn't agree more. An amazing use of the imagination and creativity for self-healing.

Puppetry International Issue #29: TOY THEATRE!

Several weeks ago, I was asked if I would be interested in submitting an article for the next issue of Puppetry International, which was going to focus an entire issue on toy theatre. I happily agreed, and submitted a book review about Mo Heard's new book, Leo's Heroes.

Well, the issue has just been published, and I got a copy in the mail today.  I am tickled pink with the result.

The entire issue highlights the wonderful world of toy theatre, including of course some of its history, but just as importantly, the current renaissance of the form in many wonderful ways.

Nashville in Miniature

See more miniatures here...

I recently was on holiday to visit my daughter and her family, as well as my son. all of whom live in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

While there, I was able to take in an amazing exhibition at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens entitled Trains in G.

The exhibit is a miniature town consisting of various landscapes, plants, infrastructure (bridges, roadways, railroads, etc.), and buildings.  All the buildings and infrastructure are made from natural material - plants, trees, rock, etc.  The buildings are all re-creations of actual homes and businesses, either historical or modern, that either existed or did exist once, in the Nashville area.

As a novice toy theatre enthusiast, it was a marvelous outing on a beautiful day.  I must say, I greatly admire the artist behind it; the exhibit was designed and constructed by Paul Busse, of Applied Imagination, using something he calls Botanical Architecture...

The Nashville Parthenon - a re-creation itself - is recreated here in miniature...

Toy Theatre Festival 'Trailer'

The biannual toy theatre festival in the Netherlands is coming up soon. Check out this trailer showing highlights and performers from other recent festivals there to give you an idea of what you can see if you attend (which is highly recommended by the way...!)

Muppet Toy Theatre

Maple floor boards, fully functional footlights, & hand-crafted baroque panels

Lance Cardinal is a genius in my book.

Take a look at his Muppet Theatre project. Take a good look. It's utterly amazing, the detail and quality of his work. I am blown away...

Behind the scenes...

In a different post, you can see the design process itself...Fascinating!

Lance, you have a rare and special gift.  Thank you for sharing this project with us!

Third Int'l Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarket

A festival performance, in-process...

This June, the bi-annual toy theatre festival in the Netherlands will be happening.

The Third International Toy Theatre Festival at Vischmarkt (Fishmarket) in Harderwijk, Netherlands will be June 1-3, 2011. You can check out the festival's website for more information (continually 'under construction' with updates...)

A wonderful pictorial overview of the last festival can be found at this site.

Posts about past festivals on this blog can be found here.

A performance over, the 'man behind the curtain' reveals himself...

Dramatis Personae Catalogue #106

Grand Combat in the Secret Mine No.2
(Hodgson & Co., 1822)

As always, it is a joy to announce that the latest catalogue has come out from Dramatis Personae!

You will find all sorts of fascinating ephemera for sale, including some delightful toy theatre-related items.

I highly encourage anyone interested in vintage toy theatre to check them out...

Spotlight: Paper Cinema

They combine many elements, including toy theatre.  As Mike M. (my tipster) told me, "I love seeing the cut-outs freed from the stage..."

Troy in Troytown

From their website 'About' tab:

The Paper Cinema is an illustrated song, a shadow, a smoke, a mirror, a puppet show, a cinema show, side show, magic show, a show and tale, a show off. It exists in the meeting of live music and moving drawings.

What happens at the accidental meeting of inkblots, photocopies, cardboard, angle-poise lamps, the occasional table, video technology, a laptop and a banana box?

Best to see The Paper Cinema with your own eyes…



From a review:

"...Huddled in the dimly lit room we watched a screen in front of us while to one side the company themselves sat, arrayed around a tiny black box and a video camera. As they delicately moved dozens and dozens of paper cutouts back and forth in front of the camera on the screen in front of us a world was conjured; a world of pirates and plague, of mysterious figures and rowdy bars, of magical journeys and impossible twists of fate. To the gentle and perfectly pitched sound of a single live guitar these sinisterly beautiful illustrations danced across the screen. The whole experience was just completely lovely."

Toy Theatre Influence: 2D Animation II

Another animation film project that incorporates elements of toy theatre, is in production.

Molly is an incredible artist. I've been following her for years, and own some of her art. This is exciting to see her art come to life!

Toy Theatre as Therapy

The 2nd World Congress of Art Therapy will be held in Hungary this coming August. I recently learned that toy theatre is one of the forms that will be discussed in the context of therapeutic application. While using puppetry as therapy is not a new concept, I was fascinated to read how toy theatre in particular is being explored to use in just that way...

NOTE:  I initially took offense at the writer saying that "Nearly everyone who has dabbled in the Juvenile Drama agrees that the performances of the plays were usually a failure. It was the preparation that provided so many hours of delight."  But then I thought about it, especially after I read his later observations.  I think he has a strong point - while I don't think performances per se are 'failures', the process of creating is as important, if not moreso, than the finished product (at least for me...)  Whatever your opinion, I encourage you to give this unusual paper a read and see what the writer has to say...

New Shop Celebrates Storytelling

Liminal Space opened this week...

A new shop has opened in the London area that celebrates storytelling in many ways, including the form of toy theatre!

They describe themselves as "...a pop-up shop celebrating storytelling through the making and animating of hand-crafted objects."

You can see more here...

"...the grim ending to Baba Yaga is performed, as we watch a wicked,
money-hungry  stepmother and her two obnoxious daughters being
turned to ash by the flames from a skull's eyes."