Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:26:56 -0800
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Puppetry Awareness Projects?


Good topic..and good suggestions.  Here are some quick observations:

I see some signs of hope and a resurgence of 
popularity of puppets & ventriloquism in pop culture...

Jeff Dunham a ventriloquist who uses several 
puppets has the #1 selling Comedy DVD and is in 
the running for best Stand up Comedian on Comedy 
Central.    You can help him with a daily vote 
here. 
http://comedians.comedycentral.com/standup-showdown/ 
It's being discussed in many circles how so many 
common folk know his name and his characters.

Terry Fator won America's Got Talent and went on 
to get a $100+ million 5 yr contract at the 
Mirage in Vegas which starts Feb 14 in his own 
dedicated theater.  This is amazingly one of the 
highest contracts of it's kind.  This puts 
puppets as a main form of entertainment in 
Vegas.   This comes along side of Ave Q.

Jay Johnson won a Tony for his Broadway show "The 
Two and Only" using many puppets, and is now touring the country...

The TV Talent shows are showing more 
puppets.    America's Got Talent (Kevin Johnson, 
Terry Fator) , Sweden's Got Talent (Zillah a 
ventriloquist won 1st place, now has her own TV 
show).  Britian's Got Talent (Damon Scott a 
puppeteer almost won, another is competing next 
season but it's under wraps for now)    I get 
emails all the time from folks who are entering these contest.

These are some main stream events that show some 
signs that our culture is seeing puppets as more than for kids.

On the other hand times are challenging and some 
theaters are in trouble.... but there is hope in the air.

Ax



At 08:45 PM 1/20/2009, you wrote:
>This is a topic close to my heart.
>I've been talking about it for years, with local and international contacts.
>The efforts I've seen were mostly online, and those really help making the
>information available.
>
>Every little step counts, but I'd like to see a stronger, more mobilized
>effort to bring Puppetry back into the mainstream of showbusiness.
>
>What I mean by this, is I'd like to see people of every slice of society
>have the reccuring reflex of "Hey, let's go see a puppet show tonight!",
>instead of the usual movie or stand-up comic or sports event. Humans are
>creatures of habit, so those activities are already engrained in their
>thought patterns.
>
>Puppet shows often have a hard time getting the word out, so the room is
>often far from full.
>Puppeteers of international caliber operate for years in a their city, and
>the next-door neighbors don't even know about them!
>
>The one excuse I hear all the time, from most people, is the lack of funds
>for publicity (posters, radio add, TV spots). I understand, but I also
>understand there are free ways to publicise and to make converts from
>influencial people. Once it becomes "in" to go see a puppet show, the people
>will catch on. The power of Puppetry will keep them coming back, you'll see!
>After most puppet shows I attend, I hear newcommers full of wonder and
>astonishment that such Art was done locally, and how come they hadn't
>learned about it before?
>
>It's time we started enlarging our small circle of initiates which only
>grows by word to mouth. Let's use other means as well, turning it into a
>large world of puppet enthusiasts.
>
>What strategies can we use to make the awareness happen?
>Let's share those here, and see how we can make them work.
>
>The same strategies can work locally for small companies, and globally for
>bigger ones.
>
>
>
>My contribution:
>I have collected the following suggestions over the years, while talking
>with colleagues in person and online:
>
>Free publicity:
>.send sleek info package to newspapers for them to feature you and/or your
>show in an article.
>.make something outrageous (of good taste) so that the News and talk shows
>will talk about your work and Puppetry. They'll be glad for the change of
>topic!
>
>Cheap but powerful:
>.Use the power of the Net, by updating your website into something sleek and
>attractive, with great quality pics and video excerpts.  Even today, most
>puppet sites are greatly lacking in those.
>
>.photocopy small black and white posters of your show or workshops on
>regular sized sheets, 4 to a page, and cut by hand. Slide those into free
>newspapers, at the most used stands downtown. This is called: "Publicite
>sauvage" in French (wild publicity).
>
>.Keep a client list protected as if it were a sacred book. Keep it updated,
>and use it wisely, to let the people now, at least once a year, what new
>offerings you are bringing. Otherwise, they forget about you, and fall back
>into their usual patterns: mocies, sports, politics, stand-up comics...
>We have a lot of competition out there, it's about time we made ourselves
>seen.
>
>.Not for our own company directly, but for the whole of the profession:
>We should all individually keep a list of the high quality websites we go to
>regularly, so that we can share it with newcommers and members of the
>public, when they ask about the work.
>Such a list should be well-organised and easy to consult.
>Many sites are now available, but if we send people to the best that can be
>used as starting points, then we save a lot of time. I recommend: Puptcrit,
>the Puppetvision Blog, Puppetbuilding.com (will come back soon), and
>Puppethub. If they want more, let's send them to the major association's
>websites, and then Takey's website of puppetry links.
>
>A bit more investment:
>.Instead of making our next show into the artistic project of our dream,
>maybe we should create something popular that will appeal to most people.
>This would build our popularity, and people would then be curious about what
>else we have to offer. Of course, we shouldn't sacrifice quality! Just
>change the topic to something that will grab people's attention. And even
>more fun: that popular show could have our social or philosophical messages
>sneaked into it!
>
>Let others invest:
>.Associate ourselves or our company with a big event or show that already or
>surely will attract a crowd.  It could be showbiz, commercial, or
>community-based. Make it plain to see that our team can bring all the
>expertise the event needs to go to the next level.
>
>Adjusting our mind:
>.Trust the power of Puppetry: Once we get the influencial people to see our
>work, if it is truly good work, they will recognize it, and support it.
>Bring them fun, escapism, food for thought, education, thrills, nostalgia,
>inspiration, and all that comes with good puppetry, and they will pay for
>more!
>
>."Going commercial" isn't evil in itself. It's a means to an end. Great
>works have been done commercially without sacrifice to integrity. As soon as
>we understand this fully, we will cease to be "starving artists" and start
>being an "expanding artistic and economic success".
>
>.Money isn't bad, it's a great tool of convenience. Prevents us from needing
>to carry a goat and cow around when we need to buy a bag of potatoes!
>
>.Money isn't going to corrupt our work or ourselves. Corruption comes when
>we let it enter.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Steve Axtell
Axtell Expressions, Inc.
  http://www.axtell.com
****************************************
Amazing Puppets & Magic


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