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The Dark Art of Puppetry

Puppetry isn’t just for kids and playtime — from marionettes to hand puppets to large scale creatures operated by teams of specialized performers, puppetry can also be used in unique ways to deliver fear and bring to life terrifying monsters. Meet an array of experts working with puppets in a variety of mediums, including immersive theatre, film, and more.
Participants:
  • Alex Evans is the Executive Director of the Bob Baker Marionette Theater, a Los Angeles landmark and the oldest puppet theater in the United States. Part of their longevity is due to the popularity of their historic Halloween Spooktacular, a seasonal show entertaining generations of Angelenos for over 50 years – a true Halloween tradition. Alex demos some star marionettes and talks about keeping a haunted tradition alive.
  • Sean Cawelti is the Artistic Director of Rogue Artists Ensemble, one of LA’s most innovative theater companies that frequently uses fantastical puppets to help tell their stories. By combining ancient storytelling techniques (music, dance, masks, puppetry) with modern technology (digital media, special effects and theatrical illusions), the Rogues cultivate a unique style of live performance perfect for chilling tales. Sean will highlight how they will be using puppetry in their upcoming project this fall.
  • Eli Zachary Socoloff Presser is a classically trained puppeteer with numerous stage and film productions to his credit. He has collaborated with storytellers in multiple media to bring humanity to nightmares through puppets.
  • Terri Hardin, known a Walt Disney Imagineer, is responsible for creating Disneyland Paris’s Big Thunder Mountain and the Dragon’s Lair attractions and the Splash Mountain attraction in Tokyo. Her company, Terri Hardin Designs, Inc. sculpts prototypes and custom artwork for anyone needing someone to turn their vision into reality. A world renowned artist, author, Henson Puppeteer and International speaker, Terri tours all over the world sharing her stories of Imagineering and working with Jim Henson encouraging others to strive to work at what they love to earn a living. She has appeared in over 43 films and TV including Ghostbusters, Men in Black and Dinosaurs. She is also a pumpkin sculptor.

Saturday, July 29 at 3:30pm on the Performance Stage; immediately followed by a live performance by Bob Baker Marionette Theater!