July 24th: Celebration of American Puppetry Gala

It's time to celebrate the National Puppetry Conference's 20th anniversary, and The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center is using this year's gala to honor Jane Henson and the founders of the National Puppetry Conference. The evening, co-curated by Heap comrade Jean Marie Keevins, will feature a silent auction, a star-studded puppetry program, and much more.

For more information, or to register, click here.

From Puppets to Cake Creations

Terry Fator asked Freed's Bakery of Las Vegas to create birthday cake for his brother that featured himself, his brother, and five of his puppets -- including Heap-created Wrex the Crash Test Dummy & Winston the Impersonating Turtle!



Terry was proud that some of his favorite puppets were able to be showcased nationally on TLC's premier episode of Fabulous Cakes [on July 19th]. "Special kudos to Puppet Heap who were able to finish the creation of my newest addition, Wrex, the Crash Test Dummy in time for filming! Freeds Bakery in Las Vegas did a great job portraying my newest cast member, and Puppet Heap has done an amazing job creating and building my last three characters for me. Their entire team is truly gifted and help make the magic that my fans see night in and night out at The Mirage in Las Vegas.”

Ivan and Abdullah Return to Etsy!

Ivan Petrofsky Skevar and Abdullah Boul Boul Ameer are back in our Etsy store for a limited time only! Bring the Crimean War into your home with these two legendary rivals of the Balkans - Ivan Petrofsky Skevar and Abdullah Boul Boul Ameer - as depicted in the Puppet Heap classic "Ye Ballade of Ivan Petrofsky Skevar!"

Each translucent jumping jack is approximately 7" tall, is made of laser-cut, screen-printed acrylic and hand assembled in our workshop in Hoboken.

Click your weapon of choice [images above] to purchase -- or visit our Etsy store here.

Puppet Heap Releases EXIT ROW!

Starting today [July 12th, 2010], we are releasing EXIT ROW, a brand new web series chronicling the travels of Chuck & Ralph, two air-sickness bags who reside in adjacent seat pockets.



Ralph and Chuck are performed by renowned puppeteers James Godwin (Chapelle's Show, Henson's Stuffed and Unstrung) and Tim Lagasse (Chapelle's Show, Sesame Street).

New episodes will be released twice a week, so be sure to subscribe to our channel!

Heaper Christine Dempsey at The Sandglass Institute

Sandglass Theater and The University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program offer an annual three-week Puppet Arts Training Program for puppeteers, builders, writers, and all of those who want to further explore the puppet as a medium.

Puppet Heap intern Christine Dempsey has been participating in the program this year [from June 27th to July 17th] and we can't wait to see what she comes up with -- participants get open workshop time for building & an opportunity to develop their own pieces. Other sessions include body training & breath development for performers, discussion of puppet theory, improvisation workshops, and more.

Click here for more information about the Sandglass Institute.

Puppet Heap at The 20th Annual O'Neill National Puppetry Conference

Puppet Heap marketing director, Jean Marie Keevins coordinated the 20th annual O'Neill Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center this month. Puppet Heap founder Paul Andrejco led Focus On Design, a workshop focusing on character, set, and sound design. Fellow heapers Jim Kroupa and Tim Lagasse also appeared at the conference. Kroupa led a 3-day intensive on creating mechanisms for puppets, while Lagasse directed a puppet music video, enlisting ten participants as his crew.


The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center scooped up a Tony award just in time for the main conference, which took place this past weekend (June 19-20.)


For photos, or for more information, see here.

Fellow Heaper James Godwin Joins Henson Alternative's Stuffed and Unstrung!

We would like to congratulate Puppet Heaper James Godwin, who has recently joined Henson Alternative's Stuffed and Unstrung Off-Broadway (for two weeks as of May 26th) -- we would also like to congratulate Heaper Melissa Creighton, who performed in the show last night.

"After just the first few moments of watching...or rather..interacting with the puppeteers of Stuffed and Unstrung, you’ll realize this is no ordinary puppet show... The magic that’s usually a secret shared only among expert puppeteers is unveiled on stage as this world-class, hilarious gang of professionals does their thing right before your eyes." (stuffedandunstrung.com)


For more information about the show, or for tickets, click here.


**UPDATE** James Godwin has rejoined the cast and will be performing until the show closes on July 3rd! Go see it if you haven't already!