Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:41:04 -0400
From: Mary Horsley <mphorsley-AT-earthlink.net>
To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Connecting PofA better with the Public--Education is


Alan, you know what my ideal job is? I would love to be a resource teacher
supporting teachers and kids and helping them all to use puppetry on
projects and other learning...... I am with you on the hoped for changes!

Mary


On 7/17/08 12:35 PM, "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> wrote:

> In the 6 decades that I've been part of the Puppeteers of America family, I
> have watched and even participated in the connection of puppetry with
> education. I have seen repeat inventions of the basic wheel in education
> itself. I don't know why "Education" in the United States got itself into such
> a mess, that so many Johnnies for many generations still cannot read, do math
> or basic thinking. I've noticed that some politicians like it just fine, when
> the public got dumbd down.
> 
> Too many "Educators", primarily those in supervisory roles have FAILED,
> FAILED, FAILED, have not supported teachers as they should have, while
> collecting big fat salaries themselves.
> 
> School Budget cuts invariably began by eliminating the ARTS, and that has
> contributed greatly to the dumbing down of the United States. The process has
> repeated in spite of strong evidence that the ARTS INCLUDING PUPPETRY help
> educate our kids.
> 
> I benefitted by taking puppet class or seeing student-produced shows at
> Oneonta Grammar School in South Pasadena, California, or sitting in Ethel
> Simpson's weekly art class, or Miss Cowan's Junior High art class, or Hester
> Lauman's High School Art Classes.
> 
> I have had the privilege of knowing many teachers through Puppeteers of
> America who used puppetry to teach more effectively. But the current fad in
> education to emphasize test-taking over actual classroom instruction is not
> helping the students of today, and puts too much emphasis on a process
> designed primarily to deflect criticism of those at the top. I've seen this in
> Los Angeles and Pasadena school systems which are not out of the woods yet.
> 
> There is little or no time left for Puppetry and other arts. So this has to
> impact how many educators won't join Puppeteers of America or Puppet Guilds.
> 
> In communities where the respect for art in education lingers, special pre or
> post Puppet Festival Workshops designed to help classroom teachers is still
> possible.
> 
> Librarians have also been an important part of PofA membership.
> 
> Once again, we are seeing how politics (this time in education) affect the
> lives of puppeteers and their organizations.
> 
> The struggle continues...Obama, are you listening.? We need a big change NOW.
> 
> ALAN COOK
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Monica Leo
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 8:22 AM
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Discontent with Pof A? attn: Nancy
> 
> I was on a committee (an email committee) that was asked to offer ideas
> for making future festivals more sustainable.  Several of us on the
> committee broached the subject of making festivals more accessible to
> the public.  I have performed in a number on festivals in Germany,
> Austria, and the Czech Republic, and all of them were events staged for
> the public.  They benefitted the puppeteers by (a) providing them work;
> (b) popularizing their art form; and (c) giving the ones performing at
> the festival an opportunity to get together.  The focus, obviously, was
> completely different.  We may not need to completely alter the family
> reunion aspect of the POA festivals, but I think we can adopt some of
> the aspects of the European festivals.  At the time, I believe some us
> suggested a couple of pre-festival workshop days just for the kind of
> folks that attend POA festivals and several days (more focused on
> performances) completely open to the public.
> 
> Another idea:  in 2002, I was one of the organizers of the Great Plains
> Regional in Mason City.  We worked with the Area Education Agency to
> create a workshop package that teachers could participate in to earn
> recertification and/or graduate credit.  This attracted a pretty good
> contingent of area teachers.
> 
> I'd like to go on record as a festival lover and POA appreciator, even
> if both could use some work.
> 
> Monica
> Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre
> 319 N. Calhoun, POB 330
> West Liberty, IA. 52776
> http://www.puppetspuppets.com
> 
> 
> 
> On Jul 16, 2008, at 7:29 PM, Liz Evans wrote:
> 
>> Charles,
>> 
>> I would have to agree with Christopher and Jon on the Festival failure
>> to open us up to the public.  I can't speak to financial success, but
>> there have been a couple festivals in my 14 years in puppetry that have
>> tried to open their festival to the public.
>> 
>> 1995 Bryn Mawr opened several shows to the public and 2005 Tri Regional
>> in Ashville also had public shows.
>> 
>> My thoughts are that the reluctance to open up shows and workshops to
>> the public is a desire to be able to watch our peers without the fear
>> that there will be screaming children and uneducated adults who think
>> that they are in front of their TVs and that it is O.K. to talk during
>> a performance.
>> 
>> However, I think there are solutions to this fear.  Having multiple
>> performances of a percentage of shows that would be open to the public,
>> while reserving private performances for puppeteers attending the
>> festival. This would require setting up show ticket sales on line as
>> well as getting Festival Web site and show information out to
>> Libraries,
>> Community Centers, and in local papers of the city that the Festival is
>> going to take place in.  As well as getting these Public shows up on
>> Local internet event calendars, early.
>> 
>> I would have to think that Workshops might be a slightly harder sell to
>> the public audience, but there are things like the Teaching Artist
>> Educational workshops would be an excellent program for the
>> Philadelphia
>> area, as we have several very active organizations that facilitate Arts
>> in Education that could be partnered with to help make local artist
>> aware of these workshops.
>> 
>> Well, those are just my two cents.
>> 
>> Liz
>> K. Elizabeth Evans, President & Artistic Director
>> Renaissance Artist Puppet Company
>> http://www.RenArtPuppetCo.com
>> 610-630-4259
>> 
>> Renaissance Artist Puppet Company's
>> mission is to promote excellence in puppetry as a
>> Theatrical art form and as an Educational tool by incorporating
>> historical and cultural diversity along with quality performance
>> techniques to tell our stories.
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> 
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