October 17 & 24th at 8:30pm est

1.5 hours long via Zoom

We explore different starting points for new puppetry work, and how to lay up a framework for the puppet world being created. We'll talk about ways to play inside that frame, break out of it, and in doing so, discover those magical "aha!" moments using the strengths of the puppet style at hand.

In this two-section course:

We'll start with some inspiration & discussion. Homework is a strong word, but for the 2nd session each participant will share their simple tale translated to the puppet stage.

What to bring:

Bring some Paper, Scissors, markers and ideas!

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: 

Sarah Nolen is a puppeteer & director originally from Austin, Texas. She has a MFA in Puppetry from the University of Connecticut, which accompanies her BFA in Cinema-Television from Southern Methodist University. Sarah has worked in puppetry for both stage and screen. Through her company “Puppet Motion” Sarah provides consulting, puppet building & media work for all kinds of productions.

Most recently, Sarah directed Sandglass Theater’s original stage production of “Feral,” which will premiere at the International Puppets in the Green Mountains Festival in 2024. She performed her hand puppet show “Judy Saves the Day” at the 2024 Puppets Up! International Puppetry Festival in Almonte, Canada; built and performed “Sammy” for Netflix’s 2022 film “Don’t Look Up;” and directed thirteen episodes of “Feel Your Best Self,” a series of short videos in collaboration with the University of Connecticut. Her own original pilot production, “Treeples,” was awarded the Mister Rogers Memorial Scholarship in 2015.

Sarah is currently the third-ever Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Massachusetts, where she tours her own solo puppet shows, and teaches puppetry to all ages. In her own work, Sarah has dabbled in pop-up book mechanics, shadow worlds, hand puppet comedy, and object performance.