Hazel Green Opera House

Art museum show

2012-01-31T17:19:00.000-08:00

Come and see us perform "The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail," at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Dubuque Museum of Art.

It's part of the museum's ongoing Family Matinee Series and it's free!

Come early to find a good seat. We've performed twice there in the past 2 years and both times have seen record crowds.

We also performed this show last night at Immaculate Conception Elementary School in Kieler, Wis., for a family night.

Workshop photos

2012-01-29T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of the 2-part workshop that was completed Saturday at the opera house. Five kids finished really great puppets! 3 more started the class on the same day and will finish up on a Saturday in February. We were very impressed with the kids' creativity and concentration. Each child had at least one adult (parent or grandparent) working with them.

Workshop and the weather

2012-01-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

The opera house is shoveled out and the furnace is turned up!

We'll be there soon to put the coffee on.

If any of you who were signed up want to wait until next week to start your first session of the workshop, please let us know. Call Chuck's cell phone at 608-732-6404. or Sandye at 732-7129

Workshop and Play Contest

2012-01-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over --- on to the next adventures!

We will host three open marionette-making workshop Saturdays:

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 21, 28 and a February date if needed.

The fee will be $15. I have done this workshop several times as part of the Benton summer enrichment program.

You can start your puppet on the 21st or 28th and come for as many of those hours as you need. Bring a lunch, if you like. There's a refrigerator. And I'll probably make coffee for the grownups.

You can even take it home to work on, if you like.

We will make a simple marionette with a papier mache head, cloth and cardboard body. We'll use lots of toilet paper tubes, so try to bring some. We will provide the wooden control and teach you how to string it.

This is for children ages 9 and older as well as adults who would like to make a puppet. And parents or other adults can come and help.

You should also bring a shoebox or empty ice cream bucket (or whatever) in which to store your project.

To assure enough supplies, please let us know you are coming by calling 608-759-4425 or emailing voight@mhtc.net.

Puppet play-writing contest

This year's theme is Conservation Nation. Think wildlife, nature and especially animals of the Mississippi River.

Deadline: Feb. 29

Performance of the winning stories: Saturday, May 19

NEW: Open to all ages: 3-7, 8-12 and 13-adult who live in the Tri-state Area of Southwest Wisconsin, Northwest Illinois and Northeast Iowa.

One author per story.

Title page -- include your name, age, address, phone number, email address.

Stories must be original.

Write neatly, use a computer printer or email to voight@mhtc.net

Or mail to:

Puppet Play-writing contest

c/o 362 E. Main St.

Benton, WI 53803

Submitted plays become the property of the Fever River Puppeteers Inc.

Winners will be asked to submit photos of themselves.

Prizes! Winners will receive a beautiful Folkmanis Puppet and season tickets for a family.

Helpful Hints for Budding Playwrights:

A puppet show, like any other play or story, needs:

Characters: Who? a hero or heroine, and a villain or villains

NEW! This year limit your characters to among these: otter, turtle, heron, catfish, eagle, raccoon, squirrel, owl, rabbit, frog and duck, (you need NOT include all of them!) plus one animal or a human of your choice.

Try to avoid having more than 4 characters on stage at once.

Setting: When and where? A time and a place. Describe or draw.

Plot: What if---? How? Suddenly, something happens! And then the good guy does something.

Don't just make your puppet characters talk. Tell us what they are doing. Make them move.

Ending: How it all turns out. Did the hero triumph? The end!

Christmas shows report

2012-01-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a snow-free Christmas season, we had the best turnout ever for our holiday performances. The head count for our in-between Christmas and New Year show was 70! Practically a full house.

This show had a lot of well-known Christmas carols in it and it was fun when we heard people singing along and really getting into the spirit of things.

My favorite kid comment came after one of the shows when we were about ready to wrap up our audience meet-and-greet time.

"The puppets need to rest now," I said.

"Do they have little beds?" asked a little boy. (He may have remembered the stationary kids who were snug in their beds during the "Twas the Night Before Christmas" segment.)

Also, one mom reported that her child asked what a pipe was. "The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath." (Maybe someday they won't even know what smoking is. We can only hope.)

'Elf Jingle's Christmas Surprise'

2011-11-21T05:58:00.000-08:00

It’s Christmas Eve and Mrs. Claus is reading the last of the children’s letters to Elf Jingle, as they remember a certain foggy night.

This holiday, there will be some unexpected events, in our marionette and shadow puppet production, “Elf Jingle’s Christmas Surprise.”

There’s rebellion in the ranks at Loading Dock No. 12, for one thing, and the children are reporting that there’s no snow. Before everyone returns to the North Pole for Mrs. Claus’s hot cocoa, snow does arrive – along with a special snowman – and St. Nick manages to fill all the stockings with care.

The opening performance, at the Hazel Green Opera House, will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, during Hazel Green’s Annual Christmas Walk.

Performances continue at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10; 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, and 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27.

This year, we also will have our first school tours! If interested, call or email.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for children. For information, call 608-732-6404.

In case of inclement weather, visit this blog! Last year, we were able to reschedule some performances.

Halloween pictures

2011-11-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

We had loads of fun with our 2 weekends of Halloween shows. Here are a few pictures:

Halloween Puppet Shows

2011-10-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

We will celebrate Halloween with 6 performances of “The Revenge of the Crashing Witches,” the weekends of Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 22-23 and 29-30.

The marionette shows will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays.

There’s nothing too scary in this family-friendly show, except for the occasional spider and Witch Hazel Green’s obnoxious next-door neighbor, Dottie Splinterbottom.

Dottie and Hazel are competing for first-prize in the annual Halloween decorating contest. Meanwhile, Hazel is horrified to discover that, one by one, her sisters have been crashing into utility poles where they appear to be permanently stuck. Dottie and a mysterious garden gazing ball might have something to do with it. The plot thickens as the "garden art" in Dottie's yard is set free!

All of your favorite Halloween characters will be there, including the disconnecting skeleton, Frankie and Sally. Look for witches flying over your heads and a cameo appearance by Bossy the Cow.

Feel free to come in costume.

Bunny is Back!

2011-09-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

We're doing "Tales of Bunny Cotton-Tail" at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Bell Tower Theater in Dubuque.

We did this show several years ago during the Easter holiday. It's based on books by Laura Rountree Smith, a children's author and teacher who lived in Platteville. She wrote very Beatrix Potter-esque stories. Bunny Cotton-tail is a mischievous fellow who like to read in bed by candlelight and burns his paw. Mother wraps his paw in a cabbage leaf. Of course, he nibbles on it until it's gone and that sets off a midnight craving for cabbages.

This show is particularly good for little ones who'll find nothing scarier than Bushy-Tail, the fox, who's not really all that smart when you get down to it.

Note that tickets at the Bell Tower are $6. It's a beautiful theater, if you've never been there, in Fountain Park Plaza on Asbury Road.

We've also been invited to do this show the following Saturday during West Liberty, Iowa's outdoor Children's Festival. West Liberty is near Iowa City and is the home of Monica Leo's Owl Glass Theater and Eulenspiegel Puppets. We'll be in good puppeteer company there, with our friend Pam Corcoran, of Stevens Point, Wis., who'll also be performing. The town turned a vacant lot on main street into a small outdoor theater spot, with a low pavilion between brick walls. The festival part is on the street, with concessions and kids' workshop booths. It's a concept we'd like to work into our Day of Puppetry next year.

Nature imitates art imitating nature

2011-09-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

We had our first monarch chrysalis in our puppet sculpture butterfly garden. I knew what it was because I'd Googled pictures of chrysalises in order to paint them into the scenery for "Sleeping Beauty," which had a butterfly theme.

The real chrysalis was the size of a thimble. The ones I painted would have created monster butterflies!

We checked our chrysalis for several days --- until the butterfly flew the coop.

What fun.

I'm writing this during a brief lull on Labor Day. We had lovely audiences for our "Rapunzel" shows and Chuck walked in the Benton parade again as the giant Witch Hazel. There's something to be said for tradition, he said. (That's how I rationalize my portion of cotton candy from the carnival in the park. Tradition!)

Next show: "Rapunzel"

2011-08-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Our next production is a marionette version of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale,

"Rapunzel"

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3

2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4

Hazel Green Opera House

2130 Main St., Hazel Green, Wis.

$5 adults, $4 children

It features our very own Witch Hazel Green, who has an enchanted garden.

Among the specialties in her garden is her rapunzel lettuce.

The garden is presided over by the wise Scarecrow Sally and haunted by Edwin Pruningshears, a creature with unusual appendages.

There's an unwitting king and queen, a princess who grows up hidden in a tower, a handsome prince, a very long braid and a hefty shampoo bill.

It's been 9 years since we performed "Rapunzel," which means it's a first at the opera house. This summer marks our 7th year in this wonderful old building. And that makes it our 8th Labor Day weekend in Hazel Green.

We hope to see you in the audience.

Garden puppet

2011-07-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

This summer we planted a puppeteer and a marionette in a new flower bed.

For Christmas, Chuck surprised me with a metal (artistically rusted) statue that he commissioned one of our favorite Dubuque artists to make. Gail Chavenelle folds and bends metal into wonderful statues of all shapes and sizes. He gave her photos of our puppeting and she rose to the challenge to create this piece.

It stood in our livingroom all winter while I planned a butterfly garden to go around it. So far I haven't seen any butterflies and the birds and bunnies ate a lot of the perennials I planted, but the snapdragons and pansies are looking good.

A parade and a workshop

2011-06-22T17:36:00.000-07:00

Did you see us in the Cuba City festival parade? Didn't that middle-aged Pinocchio look familiar?

We thought we would try to enter as many local parades as possible so people know who we are. (Our friend and board member Mary Rae Bragg says she keeps running into people in Dubuque who say, "Really? There's a puppet theater in Hazel Green?")

Sandye finished a 3-session marionette workshop (Monday mornings) as part of the summer enrichment program at Benton. Unfortunately, what with conflicting golf lessons (who knew?) and music lessons and other absenteeism, only one girl finished the class. And it's the third season for Summer (the girl's name). This year, she made Curious George.

We'd like to figure out a drop-in system for this workshop at the opera house.

Day of Puppet report

2011-06-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe the Day of Puppetry was more than a week ago. Here, finally, are some pictures from that day in the next few blogs, starting with Josh, our winning puppet playwright, with Witches Hazel Green and BroomMathilda.

Puppet workshop

2011-06-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Kids and adults had fun making the quintessential sock puppet in Pam Corcoran's workshop. Glue dots and sticky-back felt help make things go quickly, but the glue gun was still important.

More Day of Puppetry

2011-06-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

Dave Herzog's marionette variety show was a hit with our audiences as was Peter Allen's "Pied Piper." The tune he kazooed as the rats wove their way 'round and 'round Hamlin town has been rolling around in my brain all week.

Day of Puppetry

2011-06-13T15:55:00.000-07:00

What a great Day of Puppetry we had, Saturday, June 4. The sun might have been a little too hot but that made the root beer floats taste even better as we listened to Mr. Amweg's Tuba Ensemble and tried out some parade puppets.

Day of Puppetry Saturday JUNE 4

2011-05-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our 3rd annual Day of Puppetry is fast approaching.

This year, we are bringing Peter and Debbie Allen's Parasol Puppets from Trenton, Mo. Peter will be performing his hysterically funny "Pied Piper." Peter wears the stage. You have to see it. He'll also do one of two workshops. (We think it's called "Cat and Rats!" but we're not positive.)

Dave Herzog, a Chicago puppeteer, will perform "Dragon Tales and Knight Time." Dave performs with large marionettes cabaret style, that is, in full view of the audience. His shows are always a good time.

Pam Corcoran, of Stevens Point, Wis., will return to present a workshop on sock puppets.

And the Fever River Puppeteers will perform "A Witch Named Hazel." It's the winning story in our annual Children's Puppet Playwriting Contest. Josh is a sixth grader from Platteville, Wis., and a second time winner. Another of his stories won 2 years ago. We'll be presenting this story on our marionette stage.

Last on the bill will be the puppet parade outside our front door (weather permitting). Be prepared to hoist a giant puppet, if you've a mind to and the some upper body strength! Or help someone else. This is a participatory parade. Kids who made puppets in the workshops will want to march around, too.

We're hoping for some musical accompaniment from nearby Southwestern Wis. H.S. and we're working on a root beer float concession for the afternoon. This year, lunch will be on your own.

Here's the schedule:

The Fever River Puppeteers present:

A Day of Puppetry

9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 4

Hazel Green Opera House

2130 Main St., Hazel Green, WI

FREE! (Donations accepted)

10 a.m.: “The Pied Piper,” by Parasol Puppets

11 a.m.: Sock Puppet Workshop (UMC Hall)

12:30 p.m.: “Dragon Days & Knight Time,” Herzog Marionettes

1:30 p.m.: Cats & Rats! Workshop (UMC Hall)

3 p.m.: “A Witch Named Hazel,” play contest winner

3:45 p.m.: Puppet Parade on Main Street

Be in a Parade!

2011-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Our Day of Puppetry is Saturday, June 4. We're hoping to line up some volunteers who'd like to be in the parade at the end of the day -- 4 p.m. We could use 6 people ages 10 and up to be in the giant caterpillar. Each "segment" is a big foam rubber thing that fits over your head and sits on your shoulder. We could use one strong guy to be inside a dragon head --- the body can be a couple of kids. We also have a couple other assorted giant puppets and walking stages for people with strong arms and shoulders. The parade is short --- just back and forth a couple times in front of the opera house.

Call if you want to be involved: 608-732-6404.

Thanks!

Pictures from Sleeping Beauty

2011-05-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hey! We just wanted you to see what you missed if you didn't get to see our spring production of "Sleeping Beauty." We had so much fun with this show, which featuring a rainbow of butterflies that floated out of a basket and a snowdrift that turned into an evil snow monster. Note that our spokespuppet Witch Hazel Green has gotten something of a facelift.

"The Sleeping Beauty"

2011-03-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

It will all be there, just the way you remembered: The beautiful tale of the girl who pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and doesn't die, but sleeps for a hundred years.

But we will put our own spin (can't resist the pun) on the classic fairy tale, “The Sleeping Beauty,” with an Easter-time marionette show featuring magical butterflies, dancing witches and an evil snow monster.

Princess Lily Dawn’s father tries to save her from one witch’s curse while a friendly witch (guess who?) tries to smooth things over. It seems as if winter will last for a hundred years, but spring will come, along with a brave prince who does battle against the snow monster. (See, guys, it's not just a show for the girls.)

Performances will be

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16

2 p.m. Sunday, April 17

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, April 23

at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St., Hazel Green, Wis.

Tickets are $5 adults, $4 children. Doors open a half hour before each performance.

For information, call 608-759-4425 or 608-732-6404.

Good show and a documentary

2011-03-07T14:15:00.000-08:00

We rocked the room Saturday March 5 at the Dubuque Museum of Art!

They loved "River Critters" --- all 123 of the kids and grownups who crammed into the lobby for the free show, sponsored by a grant from Alliant Energy.

Yay! They want us back next year, too.

Did we tell you that two Loras College students made a documentary about us?

If you attended the first Christmas show in December, you might have been interviewed by Felicia Carner or Katie Keyes for a project for their filmmaking class with Craig Schaefer. Not only did they get an A in the class (!) but they created an absolutely wonderful 10-minute documentary, "The Puppet People," that has been accepted at a film festival in Cedar Rapids!

We have made copies of the DVD and plan to make it available at local libraries. If you want to borrow it, please contact us. We are so thrilled with it. It's absolutely delightful.

"River Critters" free show!

2011-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

Come see our performance of "River Critters," 1 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at the Dubuque Museum of Art. The museum is at 7th and Locust, across from Washington Square in downtown Dubuque, for those of you who've never been there. (And why not? While you're there, you can check out the giant sculpture of "American Gothic.") It's also close to the Locust St. parking ramp.

River Critters” brings to life a sunny, summer day on the Mississippi, as Grandpa takes Buddy fishing for the first time. The cast of hand, rod and shadow puppets includes a playful otter, a steadfast turtle, a thieving raccoon, an observant heron and a couple of fish flies who like to party, as well as a catfish, a wood duck and an eagle. The action takes place on the river bank and even underwater.

These family friendly matinees are free and sponsored by Alliant Energy Foundation.

PUPPET PLAYWRITING CONTEST REMINDER!!!!

The deadline is Monday, Feb. 28, for our annual Children's Puppet Playwriting Contest.

If your kids are last-minute Shakespeares, scroll down to previous blog postings to find the contest guidelines and get their imaginations cranking.

Winning stories will be performed at our 3rd annual Day of Puppetry, Saturday, June 4. We're hard at work planning activities for that day -- and writing grant proposals.

We are also working on a brand-new marionette show for Easter time. We're doing "The Sleeping Beauty." You're going to love it. Now if I can only remember where I stored the spinning wheel from "Rumpelstiltskin".....

CHANGE OF PLANS

2011-01-01T11:03:00.000-08:00

Free show RESCHEDULED -- We were to have performed "River Critters" today at the Dubuque Museum of Art, but had to cancel. Sandye had foot surgery earlier this month and foolishly thought the show must go on etc etc and she'd be ready to rock'n'roll in 3 weeks.
Please forgive us if you didn't get our email about the cancellation. Forgot to update the blog!
The show has tentatively been rescheduled for March 5.

Puppet Playwriting Contest -- There's nearly 2 months for kids in grades 3-6 to write up their entry, due by email or snail mail on Monday, Feb. 28. See guidelines in this blog. Parents and teachers, please don't hesitate to call or email with questions.

PUPPET PLAYWRITING CONTEST:

Tri-state area children in grades 3-6 are eligible to enter the Fever River Puppeteers 6^th annual Puppet Playwriting Contest.

The deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.

Kids can send original stories suitable for the puppet stage to: Puppet Playwriting Contest, c/o 362 E. Main St., Benton, WI 53803 or emailed to voight@mhtc.net. Winning entries will be performed Saturday, June 4, during the Day of Puppetry at the Hazel Green Opera House.

Each entry must include:

Name, age, address and phone number

Grade in school, name of school.

Winners will be asked to supply a headshot (school picture) to be used for publicity.

Be original. Use your imagination (not Sponge Bob's or Disney's). You can, however, use our characters:

Bossy, Witch Hazel, Farmer Boy, Pig, Goose, etc.

We will figure out whether the winning shows will be done as a marionette show or handpuppet show.

Don't worry -- we have lots of princesses and puppets who came become someone else with a costume change. Try not to have too many characters on stage at the same time. We only have 2 hands!

Don't just write dialogue. Puppets must move. Have them do interesting things. Tell us what the scenery looks like -- are they in the ocean or in outer space or in a forest?

If you have any questions, send us an email at voight@mhtc.net or call 608-759-4425.

Cancelled & Rescheduled

2010-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

Due to the blizzard conditions today (Sun. Dec. 12), we are cancelling the afternoon performance.

We have added 2 performances next Saturday -- 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sat. Dec. 18.

Don't forget, we will also have our in-between-the-holidays performance -- always very popular -- at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28.

Check out the new decorations: I made Christmas stockings for some of the characters!

Stay safe and warm. We hope to see you soon.

Rescheduling shows

2010-12-11T07:51:00.000-08:00

Because of the terrible travel conditions today, we will schedule extra performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. next Saturday, Dec. 18.

Chuck got the van stuck in a ditch this morning on his way back from salting the sidewalk at the opera house! I thought I had sent out a mass email saying it was unlikely we could perform. However, it looks like it got hung up in cyberspace. We did get there eventually. The show must go on!

And it did. Five people came to the 11 a.m. show and a mom and little girl to the 2 p.m.

We'll see what happens tomorrow. Feel free to call us if you are thinking of venturing out. We will likely still be there in case anyone shows up. But we encourage you to think about coming next Saturday or the Tuesday after Christmas. This is a wonderful show and we know you don't want to miss it.

Be safe! Walk and drive carefully.

Christmas Shows Begin Dec. 5

2010-11-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

This is the year we resurrect our marionette Nativity play based on the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke. We love doing this show and we hope that our audiences come back to see this production because it gently reminds us of God's love for humankind and what the real meaning of Christmas is all about. While this show has its message in the story of Jesus' birth it also has some humorous twists as well when the wolf comes out to chase the lamb, Herod's reaction at the end of the story, and when the wolf and lamb play together just before the curtain comes down as a reminder of the passage in Isaiah 65:25 - "The wolf and the lamb will feed together . . . says the Lord". We hope that all our friends have the opportunity to experience a blessed and happy Christmas.

-- Public Performances --

4 p.m., Sunday, December 5

11 a.m. & 2 p.m., Saturday, December 11

2 p.m., Sunday, December 12

2 p.m., Tuesday, December 28

(Note: The nativity scene photo was created 2 years ago by Connor McCarthy, a former Fever River Puppeteer, now a senior (I think!) at UW-Platteville. As part of a photography class, he took photos of the puppets and manipulated them in photoshop for some interesting effects. Notice that the puppets have "strings" that are like rays of light coming from heaven.)

Puppet Playwriting Contest Guidelines

2010-10-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

Would your kids like to see their own stories come to life on the puppet stage?

We have just mailed out flyers to 70 public and parochial schools in the tri-state area to tell teachers about our

PUPPET PLAYWRITING CONTEST:

Tri-state area children in grades 3-6 are eligible to enter the Fever River Puppeteers 6^th annual Puppet Playwriting Contest.

The deadline for entries is Monday, Feb. 28, 2011.

Each entry must include:

Name, age, address and phone number

Grade in school, name of school.

Winners will be asked to supply a headshot (school picture) to be used for publicity.

Be original. Use your imagination (not Sponge Bob's or Disney's). You can, however, use our characters:

Bossy, Witch Hazel, Farmer Boy, Pig, Goose, etc.

We will figure out whether the winning shows will be done as a marionette show or handpuppet show.

Don't worry -- we have lots of princesses and puppets who came become someone else with a costume change. Try not to have too many characters on stage at the same time. We only have 2 hands!

Don't just write dialogue. Puppets must move. Have them do interesting things. Tell us what the scenery looks like -- are they in the ocean or in outer space or in a forest?

If you have any questions, send us an email at voight@mhtc.net or call 608-759-4425.

Halloween show

2010-10-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos of our Halloween show. We'll be doing 2 more performances, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.

Tell your friends. "The Phantom of the Hazel Green Opera House" is a fun show with a lot of jokes in it for the grownups and nothing scarier than a little creepy music. (A little guy who can't be much more than 2 had his first puppet experience yesterday and was quite enthralled with the black cat in the story.)

I was delighted to overhear another young man this afternoon explaining, before the show, the plot details of last year's Halloween show. That's what makes it fun for us.

2 Different Shows for October

2010-10-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

We have been SO busy working on 2 shows. One is a brand-new show called "River Critters." The world premiere will be this weekend, 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at the Bell Tower Theater in Dubuque. Note that tickets are $8 at the Bell Tower.

This is a hand, rod, and shadow puppet show featuring an otter who likes to play games, a thieving raccoon, a crafty catfish and several other creatures from the Mississippi River -- even a fishfly! Buddy learns a lot about the River Critters when he gets to spend a day fishing on the river with his Grandpa.

Chuck has been wanting to do this show for years and we're excited to show our Dubuque audience. (Katie wrote original music for all the characters and also did an arrangement inspired by Grofe's "Mississippi River Suite.) This is a show we hope to be able to tour in the area.

Next up is our Halloween season. We're bringing back "The Phantom of the Hazel Green Opera House," which we did early on during our second season at the opera house. It bares little resemblance to the more famous operetta. It's more of a spoof, featuring our own Witch Hazel Green and the usual suspects: her son Frankie, her six dancing sisters, Scarecrow Sally, the Pumpkinhead Ghost and Mr. Bones Jangle and a mysterious young stranger.

The schedule includes

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23

2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.

No shows on Halloween Day

We're back at the opera house for this one. Tickets are $5 and $4, with doors opening a half hour before each performance.

Feel free to come in costume.

Labor Day Weekend Show

2010-08-22T12:55:00.001-07:00

On Labor Day weekend we'll present a wonderful African fairy tale called,

"The Cloud Princess."

We fell in love with this quirky story when we first read it in a collection of folk tales with a preface by Nelson Mandela.

11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4

2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5

at the AIR CONDITIONED opera house

$5 adults and $4 children

The story, from Swaziland, which is near South Africa, is about a hare, a woodpecker and a mouse. They encounter a mysterious rainbow bird who possesses a magical feather. As often happens in African tales, animals turn into humans and humans turn into animals. The three friends embark on a dangerous adventure up in the Cloud Kingdom.

We present this story using hand, rod and shadow puppets on our dual stage (Sorry, marionette lovers. No string puppets in this show, but we know you'll love it anyway.)

This show, which we recently presented at the Great Lakes Regional Puppet Festival in Springfield, Ill., features original music composed by our daughter, Katie Voight. The other puppeteers at the festival were very impressed with our 'authentic' African music!

And then, watch for us in Benton's Labor Day parade on Monday, 9:30 a.m.

Marionette class

2010-07-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, I taught a morning class on making marionettes for the Benton School summer rec program.

Here are the results! In four two-hour sessions, each kid made a marionette. I had the heads, hands and feet roughed out in styrofoam balls and styrofoam pieces. They had to squish on the Paper Clay and then add a sealer and paint. They made the arms and legs out of toilet paper tubes. When they chose their characters, I sewed the bodies for them at home. They stuffed them and glued matching fabric to the arms and legs.

They hardest part for them, I think, was sewing the arms and legs to the shoulders and "thighs." And the stringing. I precut and (and knotted some of) the strings and made the wooden controllers at home. I set aside the last morning just for the stringing.

This workshop has a lot of possibilities and I scheduled it last winter for 2 Saturdays at the opera house, but no one signed up. Apparently it was too big a time committment. (Paper Clay needs at least one day to air dry before painting, so it can't be done in one day.)

Maybe this winter I will offer it again but set it up as many "open studio" work days and maybe people will be able to work it into their schedules. I'm open to suggestions.

A Variety of Shows Draws Many From the Tri-States

2010-06-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

With four different puppet shows presented by midwestern puppeteers, the Hazel Green Opera House enjoyed a large gathering of people of all ages. The "Day of Puppetry" appeared to be a big success with over 125 people in attendance and 30 children taking part in the puppet work shop held at the Hazel Green UMC hall. A new influx of "parade puppets" was brought in by the Eulenspiegel Puppet Company of West Liberty, IA, along with live music supplied by the Southwestern High School Band. Root beer floats were the snack of choice in the afternoon and they were the product of the Benton Girl Scouts. We want to thank the Dubuque Racing Association for awarding a grant for this Day of Puppetry along with our other sponsors: Grant County Safe & Stable Families, HGCDC, BCDC, and the Benton State Bank.

Day of Puppetry June 5--UPDATED!

2010-05-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for a fabulous Day of Puppetry at the Hazel Green Opera House?

It will be 9:30 a.m. to about 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 5.

Performances are free, but donations are welcome to help offset expenses. Sponsors include the Grant County Safe & Stable Families, Hazel Green Community Development Corp., Benton Community Development Corp. and the Benton State Bank. Please thank them!!!

Concessions will be available for lunch as well as (we hope) an afternoon snack, likely during the parade.

Here's the schedule WHICH HAS JUST BEEN REVAMPED!!!:

9:30 a.m. -- "The Queen of Hearts," Corcoran Puppets of Stevens Point, Wis.

10:30 a.m. -- Puppetmaking workshop, by Pam Corcoran -- Methodist Church Hall

11:30 a.m. -- "A Bridge to Fur," The Village Idiot Puppets, Minnetonka, Minn.

12:30-1:30 p.m. -- Lunch (concessions at the church hall)

1:30 p.m. -- "In the Mirror: Three Tales from Asia," Eulenspiegel Puppets, West Liberty, Iowa

2:30 p.m. -- Parade (in front of opera house). Bring a puppet, use the one you made in the workshop or help us parade one of our giant characters. (In case of rain and misery, we skip the parade; but there will be a break before the next performance.)).

3:15 p.m. -- "Cats, Cowboys and Fluffels," 3 winning children's puppet plays, Fever River Puppeteers, Hazel Green.

For more about the winners of the puppet playwriting contest, please see the previous blog entry.

We have winners!

2010-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

At long last we are announcing the winners of this year's Puppet Playwriting Contest.

We are hard at work turning the stories the children wrote into a puppet play that will be performed part of the 2^nd annual Day of Puppetry, Saturday, June 5, at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St.

The children and their prize-winning stories are:

“The Three Little Kittens and the Big, Bad Dog,” by MiKenzie Kilburg, third grade, St. Joseph School, Bellevue, Iowa.

“The Life of a Cowboy,” by Jeb Schwager, third grade, St. Joseph School, Bellevue.

“Michael and Fluffel-Land,” by Sachi Biehl, fourth grade, Cassville (Wis.) Elementary School.

Congratulations!

The contest is sponsored in part by a grant from the Grant County Safe & Stable Families.

The performance of the children’s stories will be at about 3:15 p.m. (at this point, the time is subject to change), at the end of a fabulous day of puppet performances, a workshop and parade.

More pictures and an update of this fantabulous Day of Puppetry to come!

New Bunny Show Spurs Interest

2010-04-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

There are two more chances to see "More Tales of Bunny Cotton-Tail" coming this Saturday, April 3 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at the Hazel Green Opera House in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. In this picture Chuck is showing several interested attendees of last week's show how Mr. Owl makes his wings flap and his head move. WOW !

More Bunny Cotton-Tail

2010-02-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

Spring is coming! And we're busy working on our second show about Laura Rountree Smith's little long-earred character.

"More Tales of Bunny Cotton-Tail" will be our Eastertime offering.

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. March 27

2 p.m. Sun. March 28

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. April 3

(no performance on Easter Sunday)

Last spring, we introduced audiences to the little bunny who likes to read in bed by candlelight. He burned his paw and then proceeded to eat the cabbage leaf that his patient Mother Bunny wrapped it in. And so his adventures began. He ran away to a cabbage patch, dodged Bushy Tail the Fox, got soaked because he didn't know how to open his umbrella and saved his friend Susan Rabbit.

This time, Bunny gets sidetracked by a couple of scatterbrained squirrels on his way to school. He meets up with Susan again, as well as Bushy Tail and a wise old owl. He's an eager student, even though he and the teacher, Mr. Grumbles, don't hit it off very well in the beginning. Bunny is excited about learning a piece for the school program.

This story is told with hand, rod and shadow puppets, with original music written by our daughter, Katie.

Workshop and summer festival

2010-02-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

First of all, we cancelled the marionette workshop because no one signed up.

I'm guessing it's too hard to commit to 2 or 3 Saturdays in a row. This is still a workshop I would like to do and I think a lot of kids and adults would enjoy it.

If anyone wants to get a group of 4 or 5 people together, we can figure out how and when to do this. This is an opportunity to make a small working marionette.

It can't be done in one sitting because the papier mache product needs to dry at least overnight.

I will try to schedule a simpler workshop for kids at another time.

Meanwhile--

Here's a link to a Puppeteers of America web site that will tell you all about a wonderful regional festival this summer in Springfield, Ill.

http://www.puppetryinlandoflincoln.com/3501.html

What we're working on

2010-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Our performance of "The Cloud Princess" was a huge hit yesterday at the Dubuque Museum of Art! They had to keep bringing more chairs until all 80 were set up and people were still coming. We must have had 90 to 100 people in the audience. It's so much fun to play to a big enthusiastic audience!

We saw many familiar faces but I think we made a lot of new friends and hopefully they will be "converts," willing to cross the river and come see us at the opera house! One young man said he wished we had our puppet theater in the art museum permanently. Another great response came from a little boy who just breathed a big "WOW!!!" after the show when Chuck brought out the woodpecker for closer inspection.

Meanwhile, we've had several good entries to the puppet playwriting contest, including one from Cassville. Yay! So far, no one has signed up for the marionette making class that was to start next Saturday, so we might be rethinking that one.

We're working on "More Tales of Bunny Cotton-Tail" for Easter and "River Critters,'' to be performed next fall at the Bell Tower Theater, and we're doing some planning for the Day of Puppetry June 5.

WRITE A PLAY --- MAKE A PUPPET

2009-12-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

PLAY CONTEST:

Tri-state area children in grades 3-6 are eligible to enter the Fever River Puppeteers 5^th annual Puppet Playwriting Contest.

The deadline for entries is Saturday, Jan. 30. Kids can send original stories suitable for the puppet stage to: Puppet Playwriting Contest, c/o 362 E. Main St., Benton, WI 53803 or emailed to voight@mhtc.net. Winning entries will be performed Saturday, June 5, during the Day of Puppetry at the Hazel Green Opera House.

Each entry must include:

Name, age, address and phone number

Grade in school, name of school.

Be original. Use your imagination (not Sponge Bob's or Disney's). You can, however, use our characters:

Bossy, Witch Hazel, Farmer Boy, Pig, Goose, etc.

Don't worry -- we have lots of princesses and puppets who came become someone else with a costume change. Try not to have too many characters on stage at the same time. We only have 2 hands!

Older kids can try to write in play script form. But don't just write dialogue. Puppets must move. Have them do interesting things.

If you have any questions, send us an email at voight@mhtc.net or call 608-759-4425.

Note: We're trying an earlier deadline this year to give us more time to prepare.

MARIONETTE CLASS

We will host a marionette-making class for adults as well as children ages 9 and older.

Classes will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 6 and 13, with a makeup day/extra session Feb. 20, at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St., Hazel Green, Wis. The extra day is in case of snow and because some people work faster than others.

The $25 fee includes a wooden control and all materials. You can pay half on the first Saturday, and half the second. The project will include simple sewing activities; adult helpers are recommended for children ages 9-12. They can help kids who might not be able to thread a needle or need a little guidance.

Adults are welcome to attend on their own.

Registration is absolutely required by calling 608-759-4425 or contacting voight@mhtc.net.

Bring a sack lunch. A refrigerator is available and the coffee pot will be on. The opera house is likely to be a little cool, so bring a sweater or sweatshirt, but wear clothes you don't mind getting paint or glue on.

You'll be making a character of your choice -- human or at least two-legged! I will have a variety of fabrics and other materials available, but feel free to add any embellishments for your special creation. You'll need to have a character in mind. Feel free to bring a sketch.

Christmas show -- last chance

2009-12-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Miss Fogarty and her Christmas cake -- with "a crust that was glued on with nails."

Inga-Inger-Ingrid-Ingabord-Anna-Marguerita is Santa Lucia. Ja, sure.

Sinter Klaas tells the Dutch children to leave their wooden shoes out overnight.

Elf Jingle studies his "History of Christmas Textbook" in Mrs. Claus's kitchen. It's all part of No Elf Left Behind!

You've got one more chance to see Elf Jingle in "Christmas Around the World," in between the holidays, at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29. In the past, this has been a popular performance. Come early and get a good seat.

This brand-new show has been well-received. People are especially blown away by Chuck's gorgeous painted scenery-book and a trick he came up with to get Elf Jingle to drag a chair across the floor. I get the feeling that some Dads and Grandpas who came along on a family outing were pleasantly surprised when there were things they could enjoy about the show.

Watch this space for news about the Puppet Play-writing Contest. In the meantime, remember that the deadline is earlier this year -- Jan. 30.

Christmas show

2009-11-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

You won't want to miss this season's brand new marionette extravaganza: "Christmas Around the World." Elf Jingle gets the ride of his life when he can't resist Santa's magical time-and-date-keeping gizmo.

His trip is your passport, too, for a whirlwind tour of such countries as Sweden, Ireland, Germany, Mexico, Gambia and Italy -- among other places! (Just think: You won't have to take off your shoes or pass through a metal detector.)

The flight leaves at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 as well as 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 and Tuesday (yes, Tuesday) Dec. 29. Note: there is no performance on Sunday, Dec. 6, during Hazel Green's Christmas Walk. But we just might be in the parade that day -- if it's not 20 below zero.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for kids 12 and younger. We don't sell tickets ahead of time, but if you want to reserve seats for a large group, please do call ahead.

Puppet Getaway

2009-11-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Puppeteer friends: And the hobby horse could yodel!!

Last weekend, we had our favorite annual puppet getaway: The Great Lakes Region (of the Puppeteers of America)'s annual "potlatch" --- a sharing, like a potluck -- at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Ind. It's at the Potawatomie Resort within the state park. (See lovely sunset against the bare branches above.)

Puppeteers gather from all over the region: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as a few from other states and even Ontario. There were about 100 people.

This is Chuck's 4th and last year as director of the region, so he is in charge of this mini festival. As a potlatch, puppeteers are not paid but agree to share their performances and knowledge (through workshops). We performed our "Bunny Cotton-Tail" show and Sandye did a short workshop on writing press releases for the changing newspaper scene.

We had a wonderful time reconnecting with puppet friends, including Joan McCarthy, of Madison, Wis., who came with her husband, John.

The lodge is on a lake in the woods. We added an extra day to our long weekend this year in order to enjoy walks in the woods (it was 60 degrees!) AND the indoor pool, which, of course, makes it perfect for Chuck. Sandye likes looking for bargains at the puppet flea market.

Then it was back to Benton to begin work on our brand new Christmas show!

Halloween Show

2009-10-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

We will celebrate the Halloween season with a brand-new marionette show, "Frankie's Halloween Story."

Performances will be 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 and an extra matinee -- 2 p.m. on Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31.

Big green clumsy Frankie has always called Witch Hazel Green his Ma. But this Halloween, he's decided he'd like to know exactly where he came from. It's a big mystery that Hazel and his aunties, the six dancing witches, try to keep secret from him. He's determined to find out, with help from the Goblin, Mr. Bones Jangle and the Pumpkin Head Ghost, among others.

Tickets are $5 adults and $4 for children. Audience members are welcome to come in costume.

September Update

2009-09-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

The top photo is our recent program at Dubuque's Voices from the Warehouse art exhibit.

The middle photo is a scene from "The Cloud Princess," an African fairy tale.

The bottom photo is from the Labor Day parade. Chuck is inside the giant Witch Hazel Green and 2 of our granddaughters walked along throwing candy to the kids while I carried the big Pinocchio.

Whew! With our Halloween shows only a month away, I thought I'd better post a quick update.

We're working on:

"Frankie's Halloween Story"

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Oct. 24

2 p.m. Sun. Oct. 25

AND 2 p.m. Sat. Oct 31

Labor Day Weekend Show

2009-08-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

For our 5th anniversary in the Hazel Green Opera House -- can you believe it?! -- we are proud to present our whimsical take on three fairy tales rolled into one wacky adventure:

"3 Bears, 3 Pigs, 3 Billy Goats Gruff"

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 6

at the Hazel Green Opera House, 2130 Main St.

Note that we are raising the ticket prices by $1 --- that is, $5 for adults and $4 for children. It is the first time we have raised prices in 5 years. Our costs have gone up and, even in these stressful economic times, I think you'll agree that these are still bargain prices.

You're going to love the story. Goldilocks skips her way from one fairy tale to another in a case of mistaken identity. The kids will love the animals and their favorite bedtime stories and we're sure adults will chuckle at the jokes that go over their heads.

It's a fun way to say good-bye to summer. Hope to see you there!

Summer workshop in Benton

2009-08-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone?!

I can't believe it's June since I blogged. Then again, yes, I can.

Here is a picture of the 4 fabulous marionettes that my summer mini-class at Benton Elementary School made. I taught the class as part of the summer rec program. We met for an hour and a half each morning (I arranged to spread a day of vacation across the week, so that I could do the workshop during the day.)

Only 4 kids signed up, but that proved to be just right. They had to apply Paper Clay (a papier mache product) to heads, hands and feet that I pre-cut. After a night of drying in our garage where the temperature was toasty, the body parts were dry. They sanded and painted. They chose the fabric for the bodies and I sewed the bodies (trunks), which they stuffed (with pennies in the gottom to weight down the butts). We made the arms and legs out of toilet paper rolls that we rolled tighter and covered with fabric.

They had to sew the arms and legs to the body. "I CAN'T SEW!' they wailed. But they sewed.

I made the wooden controls and then allowed the last day for the complicated process of stringing. I pre-cut the fishline and even knotted certain lengths ahead of time and that really worked well.

The end result: a Cowardly Lion and Tinman (they couldn't talk the other 2 into making the Scarecrow and Dorothy), a Princess and a Dallas Cowboy.

If they've survived the last couple of weeks (the puppets, that is), I hope they'll walk with me in the Labor Day parade.

I view the whole experience as a test run for workshops to be done at the opera house. I think adults would enjoy this project. Also, it would be good to have more time (we were pretty rushed every day) and do it as a weeklong Puppet Camp.

Any thoughts?

Have Bunny Will Travel

2009-06-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

We took "The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail" to Platteville on June 14 to perform outdoors -- another first for the traveling stage -- at the first-ever Bunny Cotton-Tail Day at the Mitchell-Rountree Stone Cottage. The cottage was the ancestral home of Laura Rountree Smith's family. She was the Platteville author who wrote the Bunny Cotton-Tail books.

Here is our stage in the great outdoors and a photo of our Bunny Cotton-Tail meeting up with a real bunny, a Cinnamon, not a Cotton-Tail, at the petting zoo.

Pix from Puppet Playwriting Contest

2009-06-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

We had a busy week last week. We performed the Three Winning Plays from the Puppet Playwriting Contest for the kids at the Cuba City Elementary School (The Round School) for their last day of school carnival. We did three performances. It was the first time we traveled with the new stage and we were pleased at how easy it was to take it down, load it up and set it up. We can set it all up in less than an hour.

Here are some photos from the three shows:

Now we want you kids to be thinking of some really cool stories for next year's contest!

Hurray for the Day of Puppetry!

2009-06-03T19:06:00.000-07:00

Chuck and Sandye and the 3 winners of the 4th annual Puppet Playwriting Contest in front of the new puppet stage.

Tim Reed, a puppeteer from Milwaukee, performed "Planet Protectors," a high tech puppet hit.

Keep scrolling for more photos and a few words.....

Day of Puppetry Photos

2009-06-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

First Day of Puppetry was a blast!

2009-06-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

I finally started to relax and enjoy when Monica Leo started to perform her delightful "Willy the Woolly" show on Saturday morning. Everyone was engaged and having fun -- including Chuck and me, after much preparation. If you missed it, shame on you. It was a good time. Will we do it again next year? Probably, although we need to find some grant money. Anybody have some ideas?

You'll see photos of puppet shows and the workshop, where Pam Corcoran taught kids to make either a wooly mammoth or a butterfly. There are lots of shots of the parade. What a gorgeous, perfect day. Only one photo of our 3 winning puppet playwrights and us on stage. We're going to be doing that show next week for Cuba City Elementary School's last day of school carnival, so we'll have to shoot a couple more photos to post.

Day of Puppetry Update!

2009-05-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Only 3 1/2 weeks to go before our first Day of Puppetry at the Hazel Green Opera House.

Here, as promised, is the news of our Puppet Playwriting Contest winners AND the finalized schedule of events.

Contest Winners

We have 3 winners -- in no particular order.

Eli Berthel -- "3 Rabbits" . We couldn't resist this one because we already had rabbits from our recent "Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail."

McKenna Michels -- "The Pirate Who Wanted Treasure." McKenna, whose school made a special trip last year to see last year's winning plays, was inspired by that theme of "Pirates & Mermaids."

Joshua Bloom -- "The Tale of the Green Serpent," an old-fashioned tale of a knight in shining armor who sets out to rescue a damsel in distress.

Eli and McKenna are from Bellevue, Iowa. Joshua is from Platteville.

We had a good assortment of entries this year, including from Cuba City and Bloomington.

And we are working hard on the show as well as on organizing the Day of Puppetry -- with help from our Fever River Puppeteers board members, our friends in the Wisconsin Puppetry Guild and others.

DAY OF PUPPETRY SCHEDULE

Opera House

9-10 a.m. - Meet & greet. Bake sale w/ coffee & juice by the St. Francis Council of Church Women

10 a.m. - "The Woolly Mammoth," by the Eulenspiegel Puppets, West Liberty, Iowa

UMC Hall (2 short blocks south of HGOH)

11 a.m. - Make & Take Puppet workshop by Pam Corcoran, Stevens Point, Wis. (pre-registration is recommended by calling 608-759-4425, to assure that enough materials are available. Otherwise, first-come, first-served. Parental help is also recommended.)

Noon - Lunch. Concessions by local 4-H group.

Main Street in front of HGOH (blocked off)

1 p.m. - Puppet parade. Giant puppets and medium-sized puppets in a street fair atmosphere. (Rain is simply not an option.)

Opera House

2 p.m. - "Planet Protectors," by Tim Reed, of Milwaukee

Afternoon snack concessions by 4-H group

3 p.m. - "4th Annual Puppet Playwriting Contest Winners" by Fever River Puppeteers

We estimate the festival will end by 3:30 or 3:45.

there will be no set fee for performances and workshop. But freewill donations will be gratefully accepted to help offset the cost of advertising, materials, etc. The festival is being made possible in part by grants from the Grant County Safe & Stable Families and the Wisconsin Puppetry Guild.

Concessions, of course, will be available for prices to be set by the concessionaires.

Our aim is to offer a family fun day at low cost, especially for families who are experiencing these tough economic times. And of course, we hope everyone will fall in love with puppets, because that's what we're all about.

Day of Puppetry Planned

2009-04-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hold onto your sockpuppets! This is going to be great.

Thanks to our friends in the Wisconsin Puppetry Guild, this year we will expand the performance of our annual Puppet Playwriting Contest to an entire--

ta da:

Day of Puppetry

9:30-3:30 (approx.) Saturday May 30

Save the date. Make plans. It's going to be great.

Events will be in the opera house as well as in the Methodist Church hall that is a block away.

Right now it looks like we'll use the church hall for the puppetmaking workshop as well as lunchtime concessions. We've also got village permission to block off the street in front of the opera house for a mid-day parade.

Guest performers will be Monica Leo's Eulenspiegel Puppets presenting "The Woolly Mammoth." Monica's puppet company is in West Liberty, Iowa, and she is originally from Dubuque.

Another guest, Pam Corcoran, of Stevens Point, Wis., is in charge of the make-and-take workshop which will be a woolly mammoth puppet.

Our other guest performer is Tim Reed, a puppeteer from Milwaukee, whose parents were professional puppeteers for 50 years. His show is called 'Planet Protectors'. Here is the YouTube link to see a clip from this show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEo8j5LmY7c

Playwriting Contest Winners

I have sent out letters to our 3 winners this year and as soon as they respond with copies of their school photos, I will announce them.

We had the most entries ever this year and that made it pleasantly hard to choose the winner(s). But I started working on the script as soon as we finished the bunny show. We will be performing the 4th edition of the contest winners at the tail end of the day of puppetry and we'll be using our new two-tiered handpuppet stage.

The Best Part

I forgot to tell you that thanks to donations from the Grant County Safe & Stable Families, admission to the contest performance is free and thanks to a donation from the Wisconsin Puppetry Guild, all other events at the festival will be FREEWILL DONATION. That means it is affordable for everyone. You just pay what you can. Considering the state of the economy and the number of people who have lost their jobs lately, we wanted to offer a family event that everyone can afford. Any donations received will be used to jumpstart a similar event next year.

There will be more news to come as we finalize plans. (We might even have a puppet-related garageless garage sale.) If anyone has any thoughts, hopes, ideas or comments, send them along.

Keep checking this blog for updates!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T18:42:00.002-07:00

Happy Easter from the Fever River Puppeteers!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-04-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

Bunny success & more fun to come!

2009-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

Yay! Our Bunny Cotton-Tail show was a huge success, with near record crowds. We were popping our buttons Saturday morning with 96 --- yes, ninety-six -- people squeezing themselves into 86 chairs. We had some little folks on laps and some kids who always like to sit on the floor. It was a joy to see people lined up outside the building waiting to get in.

That's what I'm talkin' about!

The photo above includes our daughter Katie, whose original music (and original voice) added so much to this show. We had a blast putting the soundtrack together.

Anyway, the crowds really seemed to take to this show. We had lots of Platteville folks come to see the show with a deep historical connection to their town. Among them was our friend Arlene Siss of the Grant County Historical Society.

Now it can be told: She's invited us to perform the show this summer on June 14 on the grounds of the Mitchell-Rountree Stone Cottage in Platteville. It's the 150-year-old home of Laura Rountree Smith's grandmother. Arlene says they even have a Bunny Cotton-Tail garden on the grounds. So if you missed the Easter show, you have at least one more chance. We expect to do this show outside, and there is a rain date of June 28.

Did I tell you it will be Bunny Cotton-Tail Day??!!!

MORE BIG NEWS!!!! We will be hosting a Day of Puppetry at the opera house on Saturday, May 30. We'll post the full schedule soon, but mark your calendar. We'll have guest performers. Tim Reed of Milwaukee will do his high tech adventure "The Planet Protectors." The Eulenspiegels of West Liberty, Iowa, are doing "The Woolly Mammoth" and Pam Corcoran of Stevens Point will present a make-and-take workshop in which kids will make a woolly mammoth puppet. AND, we Fever River Puppeteers will present the winning entries in our 4th annual puppet playwriting contest. We've narrowed down the entries and will be announcing them momentarily. This means we have to get cracking on this show as soon as the Easter festivities are over. (This weekend we're hosting as many family members as can make it at the opera house for a dinner/theater/egg hunt event. It's fun having your own opera house. That reminds me: I have to dig out our Mrs. Bunny marionette with the baby bunnies hiding under her apron. It's my mom's favorite and I promised to have her on the premises, even if this show is a handpuppet show!)

Happy holidays to you all.

Easter show

2009-03-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

A storybook rabbit will hop to life on our brand-new stage just in time for the Easter season.

We'll be bringing you

"The Tale of Bunny Cotton-Tail"

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, April 4

2 p.m. Sunday, April 5

Our new stage is a double-decker handpuppet stage -- we'll be performing on 2 different levels.

We're really excited about this stage because it will be more portable than the marionette stage. (No. We're not giving up the marionettes! Far from it. This is just a new adventure. It will mean that we can take this show on the road in a way that hasn't been possible before.)

And speaking of adventures, Bunny's story begins with his unfortunate habit of reading in bed by candlelight. Much to Mother Rabbit's dismay, he visits a certain farmer's cabbage patch, gets chased by Bushytail the Fox, and has a narrow escape with his friend Susan Rabbit.

The story is based on a book by Laura Rountree Smith, a Platteville woman who wrote more than 40 children's books in the early 20th century. She has been compared to Beatrix Potter.

Punch & Judy

2009-03-03T17:47:00.001-08:00

We were privileged to perform recently for a Family Night Event at Iowa-Grant Elementary School near Livingston, Wis.

I'm told there were about 120 children and parents in the multi-purpose room. Judging by the screams and giggles, they had almost as much fun as we did. The kids quickly got into the idea of talking back to the puppets. During the Venus Fly Trap Garden bit that we do (with an Audrey II-like bit of greenery that Punch plants instead of broccoli), one kid yelled "Get the baby!")

Near the end, when the Croc is chasing Mr. Punch, the kids were in such hysterics that we couldn't hear ourselves.

What fun!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

Hugs & chocolate kisses, hearts & flowers to all our friends from the Fever River Puppeteers!

New Road Show

2009-02-08T18:08:00.000-08:00

We recently had a request to perform at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Bellevue, Iowa. The school had a day of fun events and wanted us to do an activity explaining marionettes and how they work -- three times for different groups of kids.

We occasionally get requests to do marionette shows "on the road." Since moving to the opera house 4 1/2 years ago, we've only moved the stage once. It's about a 3-hour job to take it down, load the trailer and another 3-hour job to set up the stage, then another 3 to take it down --- well, you get the picture. We usually try to pitch our Punch & Judy handpuppet show as the travelin' one. But the folks in Bellevue were looking for a way for us to show kids how the marionettes work. So we thought, how about a simple version of our stage? We puppeteers would be in full view of the audience (something we used to do with our nativity show) and the puppets would explain themselves through a little variety show.

Ta da! Enter Witch Hazel Green and the Marionette All-Stars. We came up with a half-hour show featuring a dozen puppets. Hazel tries to answer most of the questions that kids (and grownups) ask during our meet-and-greet time after each show.

We hope it will bring more people to Hazel Green to see the real deal.

If you are interested in having us perform it for small groups, please ask.

Punch & Judy are still available, too. We're also working on a brand new and improved handpuppet stage that we will unveil this year during our Easter show. More about that in a future blog.

Fun with Shadows

2009-02-08T17:58:00.000-08:00

Kids and adults had fun making our little groundhog day puppet story during our recent shadow puppet making workshop. Everyone took home their own cardboard stage and enough cardboard puppets and props to act out a little poem. Several people have already signed up for our African drummer puppet workshop on Feb. 28. There's quite a bit of prep work for this project, so we'll really appreciate if you let us know ahead of time that you're coming.

Shadow Puppet & Other Workshops

2009-01-11T14:14:00.000-08:00

We are planning two fabulous puppetmaking workshops this winter at the Hazel Green Opera House.

The first one will be a Shadow Puppet Theater.

10 a.m.-noon (maybe longer, in which case you'll need a sack lunch) Sat. Jan. 31

Fee: Freewill donation. Preregistration appreciated by calling 608-759-4425.

Children should be old enough to have good scissors skills. We'll be cutting thin cardboard. Adult and older kid helpers are welcome. (Teachers, parents and church-school educators will find shadow puppet techniques have a lot of potential.)

Get a jumpstart on Groundhog's Day. You can make our little groundhog and his burrow, the sun, a cloud and even his shadow. ( Hmmmm. Does a shadow puppet's shadow have a shadow...? Never mind.)

We'll have a couple of other animal characters you can make, too, or instead, such as a dinosaur or a whale for kids who are too cool for fuzzy critters.

We'll help you make your own shadow screen box to take home so that you can do your own shows.

Most importantly, we'll take you how to use the puppets.

For information about another upcoming workshop and a very important event, please read the next two entries.

African Drummer Puppet

2009-01-11T14:04:00.000-08:00

I've been planning this workshop for a long time. I've actually been saving oatmeal boxes for about 2 years (I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day!)

10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Feb. 28 -- African Drummer Puppet Workshop

Fee: Freewill donation. Preregistration appreciated by calling 608-759-4425.

Participants will make a wooden spoon rod puppet. You'll decorate a large oatmeal box as a drum which also doubles as a container for the puppet. You'll be able to play with the puppet separately or attach him to the drum and help him tap out a beat.

We'll be painting and glueing. Dress accordingly.

Adult and older kid helpers are welcome.

Puppet Playwriting Contest Deadline Looms!

2009-01-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

You don't have to be as good as Shakespeare to win our puppet playwriting contest!

You write the story -- kids living in the Tri-states and in grades 3-6 -- and we'll turn it into a puppet show. The deadline is Saturday, Feb. 28.

For the rules and guidelines, please scroll down and look at the entry from Sept. 18.

We can't wait to see what you send us.

The winning play or plays will be produced on the stage at the Hazel Green Opera House in May.

Christmas update

2008-12-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Here we are walking in the recent Hazel Green Christmas Walk parade. That's Chuck, with the body-sized W.P. Guildersleeve puppet. Guildersleeve, who looks rather candy cane-ish, gave out candy canes to the kids (most of whom were huddled in cars for warmth). That's me, Sandye, inside the walking nativity scene. I adapted my regular walking stage, turning the cardboard box house into the stable in Bethlehem. It fits over my head and I look out of a couple of mesh holes. I screwed in pieces of foam-core all around the edges to accommodate the handpuppet cast of our first nativity show --- I believe I made them for our Sunday School kids to perform with many years ago. I wore the Mary and Joseph puppets on my hands over my gloves.

It was a really nasty cold day and I bundled up so effectively that underneath the stable, my glasses were fogging up!

The parade didn't draw a lot of participants or viewers. It would be neat if we could get some folks in Hazel Green to make some parade puppets to add to the mix next year. A giant Santa and Mrs. Claus would be cool, maybe a couple of elves.....

There's one more chance to see this year's Christmas production, "It Came to Pass." Audiences -- many first-timers at the opera house -- have been very enthusiastic. The final show will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29. The performance that falls in between the holidays usually gets pretty good attendance. We know people are always looking for some fun activities for kids when they are off of school.

Even if you have seen "It Came to Pass" in previous years, we think you'll enjoy this version. We've added some secret special effects that you won't want to miss, as well as some original music written by our daughter Katie.

Merry Christmas, to all!

Calendars

2008-11-16T18:27:00.000-08:00

We have a limited number of "magic"* calendars available for sale. They are $12 apiece and will be available during our Christmas performances or by calling us at 608-759-4425.

Each month has a photo from our September "Magic Calendar" show. I have to say, they really turned out well. You'll love them!

We will be happy to create ticket/gift certificates on request. Have us make up a family pass and slip it into one of our calendars for a special Christmas gift.

*(Sorry. The only actual magic in these calendars stems from the magic of a live pupper performance!)

Christmas show

2008-11-16T17:58:00.001-08:00

I say this about almost all of our shows, but this one really is my favorite and, I hope, a favorite of a lot of our audiences.

We will perform "It Came to Pass," (the story of Jesus' birth), six times this season:

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6

(No performance on Sunday, Dec. 7, during Hazel Green's Christmas Walk)

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13

2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14

2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29

This show has shimmering angels and wisemen clothed in glittering capes, a flute-playing shepherd and a shepherd boy shouldering a lamb.

A wolf chases the sheep. A very pregnant Mary walks through the streets of Bethlehem with Joseph and a donkey, "all shaggy and brown," before arriving at the stable. The wisemen, accompanied by a long-suffering camel, lay their gifts at Mary's feet, and foil King Herod's attempt to find the Christchild.

We've filled the show with favorite Christmas carols and new music. It's a show we've done many times over the years. We try to make it a little different each time, while making it one of our traditions. We hope it becomes one of yours, too.

Admission is still only $4 for adults and $3 for children. Church and religious ed groups are especially welcome. For other information, call 608-759-4425.

Halloween Show

2008-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Halloween with "Witch Hazel's Halloween Adventure" -- performances at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the Hazel Green Opera House.

Hazel has quite a dream after a bump on the noggin from her animated broomstick. Suddenly, she finds herself in Bunchkinland and makes her way to see the Big Cheese so she can get home. Just like Dorothy in Oz, she meets strange creatures and makes new friends along the way.

All of your favorite Halloween marionettes are part of the show: Mr. Bones, Scarecrow Sally, Frankie and Hazel's six dancing sisters, plus a few surprises.

Tickets are still only $4 for adults and $3 for children. The show is about 45 minutes long, but leave plenty of time in your busy schedule for after-the-show photo ops when we bring the puppets out in front.

We'll have the opera house decorated in spooky style. (Watch out for the giant spider!).

Puppet Playwriting Contest Guidelines

2008-09-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Tell us a story and we'll turn it into a puppet show!

The deadline for the 4th Annual Puppet Playwriting Contest is Feb. 28, 2009.

Whew! That's a long way off, but not too soon to start thinking about it.

The Rules

Students in 3rd through 6th grades in the Tri-state area are eligible
One author per story
Title page -- include your name, age, address, phone number, email address
Put your name on each page
Make up your own characters and stories -- no Sponge Bobs or Disney!
Write neatly or use a computer printer
Draw pictures, if you like, of the characters and settings (you don't have to)
Deadline: Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009
Submitted plays become the property of the Fever River Puppeteers Inc.
Winners will be asked to submit a photo to be sent to local newspapers
Send stories to:

Puppet Playwriting Contest

c/o 362 E. Main St.

Benton, WI 53803

Here are some helpful hints:

Characters: Your story needs a hero or a heroine (the good guys) and it needs a villain or two (the bad guys)
Setting: Where are they? What time or year is it? A tropical island? A space ship heading for Mars? An ice cave under the North Pole? A castle in ancient Scotland?
Plot: Suddenly, something happens! What will your hero do? What does the villain do? Don't just make them talk. Make them do stuff.
Ending: How does it all turn out?
Drawing pictures even before you write is a good way to figure out a story.

Sometimes we have a couple of winners and we'll put 2 or more stories together. One year, "the Story of Bossy the Cow" was the only story we used.

We have lots of marionettes that we can use to create the show, even if we make some new costumes. The first year, we liked a story about a kangaroo that got loose in a store overnight, so we had to make a kangaroo. Last year, we were intrigued about a volcano.

We will have workshops this winter at the Hazel Green Opera House to get you started writing stories.

If you have any questions, send us an email.

Have fun!

Calendar Updates

2008-09-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let you know what we have scheduled for the coming year.

First of all, we will be sponsoring another Puppet Playwriting Contest for children in grades 3-6 in the tri-state area. This week, we are mailing a flyer to more than 60 area schools, public and parochial. The deadline for entries won't be until Feb. 28, 2009, but we wanted teachers to have the contest on their radar as something that could be worked into a lesson plan or just in case they have some wonderfully creative storytellers in their classes.

We'll post rules and guidelines soon. Also, we will have our "Once Upon a Puppet Show" workshop available for schools and we'll host it at the opera house -- probably a few times. Last winter, the weather was snowy and dangerous and only a handful of kids were able to attend it. So, keep checking this blog.

And remember, shows and workshops are available for groups. And the opera house can be rented for birthday parties etc.

Here's what else we have up our puppet strings:

"Hazel's Halloween Adventure," 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sat. Oct. 25 and 2 p.m. Sun. Oct. 26.

(A bonk on the head sends Witch Hazel to Bunchkinland where she sets off to find the Big Cheese.)

"It Came to Pass (the Nativity)" 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Dec. 6; 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Dec. 13; 2 p.m. Sun. Dec. 14; AND 2 p.m. Mon. Dec. 30. This is our absolute favorite show. You won't want to miss seeing the story of Jesus' birth told as only the puppets can do it, with a wolf that chases the sheep, wisemen who place their gifts at the feet of the Christ Child and scenery that turns like the pages of a storybook.

Winter puppetmaking workshops --- African Drummer Puppet, 10-noon, Sat. Feb. 28. Freewill donation.

"Tales of Bunny Cotton-Tail," 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. April 4; 2 p.m. Sun. April 5. Based on stories by Platteville's Laura Rountree Smith.

Puppet Playwriting Contest --- performances of winning plays, tentatively Sat. May 16.

Mid-summer performance -- dates TBA: "The Cloud Princess," based on an African tale from Swaziland.

Labor Day weekend: "3 Bears, 3 Pigs, 3 Billy Goats Gruff" More fun than 3 barrels of monkeys

More on Labor Day

2008-09-12T18:16:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I couldn't figure out how to get all the pictures into Wednesday's blog -- in fact, I thought I'd lost everything but just forgot to hit POST.

So, here hopefully, are a couple more pictures from the holiday weekend.

Puppet Birthday Party

2008-09-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend in Benton/Hazel Green is pretty hectic and I think we've finally recovered.

It was fun! Thanks to all who came to our shows and helped us celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Fever River Puppeteers.

We were especially tickled to have some new puppetry friends visit from Appleton: Dave, Cassie and Joyce Payne. Dave and Cassie are a father-daughter puppetry team. Joyce, Dave's wife and Cassie's mom, has less time than she used to for puppets but still enjoys them.

We had a cake with a picture of Witch Hazel at the opera house on it. Actually, we had 2 cakes: one for Saturday and one for Sunday. Hungry puppet audiences gobbled them up quickly and I wish I'd gotten at least one cake bigger! There wasn't much left -- just a few slices to stick a candle or two into on Monday to celebrate Chuck's birthday.

To help celebrate his birthday, we thought there ought to be a parade, as there often is.

We barely got all of our parade entries finished in time. Not much sleeping that weekend.

Chuck built a gorgeous Chinese dragon for the Benton First Responders. We didn't really get to see it much in the parade. We paid for the materials, so the dragon will be part of the parade repertoire of the Fever River Puppeteers.

Chuck also built a giant Witch Hazel Green. It's a backpack puppet. She looked pretty good, although we need to work on her arms a little. Also, in about the middle of the parade the board that functioned as her spine snapped in half, making her look rather grotesque as she/he walked down Main Street.

Meanwhile, I (Sandye) was walking behind him inside a walking stage. All I could see was the black figure of the giant Hazel in front of me. I had no idea that she'd snapped in half. I looked at the faces of the people watching the parade and they looked ... puzzled.

My walking stage, by the way, is a small replica of the opera house which sits on my head. I'm looking out the front "doors." There are fabric panels that float down to hide my body. Inside, I operate a couple of handpuppets who wave to the crowd. This year, I made two handpuppet replicas of Chuck and me, wearing our FRP shirts and dangling a couple of little marionettes.

(I'll add that photo to another post. I might have exceeded my limit.)

This year, we also added a fourth performance on the next Sunday after Labor Day, which drew a nice little crowd. We billed it as being for folks who go away for Labor Day weekend or are too busy. I think we'll try it again next year. I know I really got a kick out of doing the show one more time. It's always a bit of a let down when a show is over. Although, that's less true in the 4 years we've been in Hazel Green. Now I always have another show coming up quickly to get ready for. Halloween is less than 2 months away!

I'll be adding new posts fairly soon to update you on some upcoming events.

Labor Day Weekend Show

2008-08-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

You won't want to miss our blockbuster Anniversary show. It's called:

"The Magic Calendar"

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. Aug. 30

2 p.m. Sun. Aug. 31

TICKETS ARE STILL ONLY $4 ADULTS

$3 CHILDREN

The opera house is AIR CONDITIONED!

PLUS

an encore show

2 p.m. Sun. Sept. 7

(That's for all the folks who go camping or some such thing on Labor Day weekend and for folks in Benton who are too busy working that busy celebration.

Really. Labor Day weekend in Benton is High Holiday. )

Note that we never do a show on Monday, actual Labor Day

That's because there's so much going on in Benton that day (our adopted hometown), what with the parade*, the carnival in the park, the duck races, and the wonderful pasty dinner at the Catholic Church Hall.

Now about the show:

Witch Hazel Green stars and your favorite marionette, Bossy the cow, figures prominently. It seems that someone has left a large mysterious and wonderful looking gift-wrapped box on stage and Hazel is just about going crazy trying NOT to peek under the wrappings. Of course, she can't resist. The present is a giant magic calendar. Before you know, the thing has launched into a puppet celebration of every holiday in the year, from a famous dancing snowman to a special Valentine, something for St. Patrick's Day, etc. etc., right through the summer to Halloween and Christmas.

We first produced this show in 2003, to celebrate our 10th year of puppetry. At the time (when we still called ourselves the Fever River Marionettes), we did this performance in the old Benton Grade School gym, which had just been purchased by the Benton Bible Church. Now, here we are, 5 years later, with our beautiful home in the Hazel Green Opera House.

*Don't forget the parade!

See the previous blog below

with details about joining us in the parade.

We're planning something special.

Meet in front of the Benton Bible Church at 9 a.m.

We can't wait to see you.

Puppets on Parade for our 15th Birthday

2008-07-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Kids! Would you like to be a puppet for a day? How about an hour or two?
Dress up as one of your favorite Fever River Puppets on Labor Day (Sept. 1) and walk with us during Benton's Labor Day Parade!
We will be celebrating 15 years of puppetry that weekend with shows on Saturday and Sunday.
"The Magic Calendar." It'll be awesome -- a puppet skit for every month of the year. A puppet cast of thousands -- well, dozens. More about that show later.

And to wind up that celebration, we will have an awesome entry in Benton's parade. After all, Benton is where we started, back in 1993, with a Labor Day weekend performance.
The parade lines up at 9 a.m. on Labor Day in front of the Benton Bible Church (the old elementary school) just off Main St. on the west end of town. We'll walk west and finish up just after the village park.
It'll be fun! All ages are welcome -- even big grownup kids.
Need an idea for a puppet costume? (and chances are, you already have something in the attic from past Halloween trick or treat or a play you were in). Here are some reminders of past shows, and characters:

Halloween -- witches, skeleton, pumpkinhead ghost, phantom of the opera, Frankenstein, Scarecrow Sally, Broom, black cat, goblin, bat, Hound of the Basketballs

Christmas -- Santa, Mrs. Santa, snowman, elf etc., snowflakes,

Also shepherds, wisemen, Mary, Joseph, angels

Easter bunny and Mrs. Bunny with babies, Goose

3 little pigs, 3 billy goats gruff, 3 bears and Goldilocks

Rapunzul, Rumpelstiltskin, Ali Baba, Hansel and Gretel, little Red Riding Hood

The Wolf!

Jack and the Beanstalk

leprechaun and Irish dancers

Elvis, bobby soxer

Bossy the cow, Henry the bull, Flossie the calf

Bullfighter

Farmer

Baker

Peddler

Kangaroo, flamengo,

Bicycle build for two

Assorted royalty -- king, queen, prince, princess

Lead miner, pioneer girl

Email us if you have any questions!

voight@mhtc.net

Or check on the little "comments" post below and ... comment. This is a blog, so you get to do that.

Performances of 'The Lead Miner's Daughter'

2008-06-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

This is the show that started it all! As we get close to celebrating our 15th year of puppetry AND our 5th Labor Day weekend at the opera house, the Fever River Puppeteers will restage "The Lead Miner's Daughter" this summer.

Performances of this original fairy tale set in southwest Wisconsin will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13; 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, July 19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, July 20.

Lead miner Jake and his daughter Adeline are making a hardscrabble living in lead country. In a dream, an Indian maiden (Princess Beanflower) tells Adeline where to find the precious metal. The only trouble is, the mine is guarded by a terrible goblin. He imprisons Jake under a giant chunk of limestone. You'll want to find out how Adeline saves her father -- with help from a kindly animal who is used to tunneling under rocks and from a very special cow, named Bossy, who keeps dodging that farmer boy -- until it's milking time.

Tickets are still only $4 for adults and $3 for children. We don't sell tickets ahead of time, but the doors will open a half hour before each performance.

As for Labor Day weekend itself, we have a very special show planned -- the same show we did 5 years ago, to celebrate our 10th anniversary. More about that later.

Also, check this blog for updates on our plans for Benton's Labor Day parade. We'd like as many children (and adults!) as possible to dress up as their favorite marionette characters and walk with us in the parade. Later on, we'll post a list of suggestions.

Bellevue, IA "Saint Joseph School" Visits HGOH

2008-06-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 2, St. Joseph's School children visited the HGOH and saw the latest student written hand puppet and marionette shows. Included in the "Pirates & Mermaids" show is some interaction with shadow puppets. Many of the Kindergarten and 1st Graders had not seen puppet productions using some of these types of puppets.

After the show the students were treated to a "back stage" peek at how it all comes together. In the photo Sandye is explaining how various styles of puppetry can be used together in a story.

Celebrating "Feast in the Streets" with FREE Show

2008-05-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, May 17th, the Fever River Puppeteers will offer a FREE show incorporating two of the scripts from the youth "Play Writing Contest". Contest selections include a script from Rachel and Abby of Hazel Green. Both students are in 4th grade and their story and title incorporate pirates and mermaids - "Battle in the Sea". The plot lends itself more toward hand puppets than marionettes .

The second script, offered by Ashlyn of Dickeyville, WI, a 5th grader, is titled "Funny Fools" and includes a king whose daughter is kidnapped by the evil "Dingo the Demon".

Dingo places the princess over a volcano and the king, along with his jester, must out-smart the demon to rescue the pretty maiden.

The "double feature", one a marionette show and the other a hand-puppet show, will be presented at 11 A.M. and 2 P.M., Saturday, May 17, as part of Hazel Green's "Feast in the Streets" celebration.

National Day of Puppetry Celebrated

2008-04-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

A small, but enthusiastic group of young puppeteers gathered at the opera house Saturday, April 26, to celebrate the National Day of Puppetry. We made paper cup penguin marionettes based on a design by Twin Cities puppeteer Kurt Hunter, as well as pirate shadow puppets.

The puppetmaking session was free. Puppeteers all over America get together on a Saturday in April to offer free workshops and other events in order to spread the Joy of Puppetry!

Last Saturday, a dozen Girl Scouts from East Dubuque, Ill., came to the opera house to do their own day of puppetry. They built scarf marionettes in preparation for a show for their end-of-year banquet. Scouts can do badgework by building and learning about puppets. The Scouts -- and the Day of Puppetry participants -- also enjoyed a backstage tour of the Fever River Puppeteers' marionette stage.

Keep checking this blog for future workshops. Or contact us to set up a special event for your group. We can host birthday parties, too. And, maybe even sleepovers with the puppets!

National Day of Puppetry -- Workshop

2008-03-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

We've got puppet leftovers and we're celebrating the National Day of Puppetry with a free workshop.

From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 26, you can make a pirate or mermaid shadow puppet or a paper cup penguin.

Young children will need an adult to stay and help. Adults can make a puppet, too, if they like.

It's FREE, but please call ahead (608-732-7129 or 608-759-4425) and let us know you are coming.

Children Thrilled w/ Puppets

2008-03-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sandye Voight of the Fever River Puppeteers brings out "The Prince" after the showing of "Fever Riverdance" a Cinderella type story with a St. Patrick's Day theme. Sandye says, "We always like to bring out the puppets after the show so children can ask questions and see how they work." For this show we had a group of Galena children that kept us busy with questions for a half an hour after the performance. It seemed as though they didn't want the afternoon to end. It was great fun for all of us.

Puppets at Stone House Gallery, Galena

2008-02-24T13:14:00.000-08:00

Fever River Puppets on Display at Stone House Gallery in Galena, Illinois

Owners of the Stone House Gallery, Charles and Sandra Fach, in Galena, invited The Fever River Puppeteers to display their puppets at the gallery until May 1. There are four small groups of puppets that include "The Three Bears & Goldilocks", "Mr. & Mrs. Cottontail and Family", Suzy Snow Flake & Children" and "Witch Hazel Green with son Franky & Scarecrow Sally" The gallery is located at 418 Spring Street (along US 20) west of the Galena River. Call ahead to view the marionettes and see how they are made including how a marionette control works (815-777-0354).

3rd Annual Puppet Playwriting Contest

2008-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Fever River Puppeteers'

3rd Annual Puppet Playwriting Contest

Tell us a story and we'll turn it into a puppet show! The winner or winners will see their story performed on stage at the Hazel Green Opera House.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR BUDDING PLAYWRIGHTS

A puppet show - like any play or other story - needs:

Characters: Who? A hero, heroes or heroines (good guys) and a villain or villains (bad guys).

Setting: When and where? A time and a place.

Plot: What? How? Suddenly, something happens! And then the good guy does something. Don't just make your puppet characters talk. Make them do stuff. Ending: How it all turns out. Wrap it up.

The Rules

Students in 3rd - 6th grades in the tri-state area are eligible.

One author per story.

Title page- include your name, age, address, phone number.

Put your name on each page.

Make up your own characters and stories, but we want you to work around the theme of "Pirates & Mermaids".

Write neatly or use a computer printer.

Deadline is Friday, Feb. 29, 2008.

Send stories to:

Puppet Play Writing Contest

c/o Fever River Puppeteers

362 E. Main Street

Benton, WI 53803-9728

Submitted plays become the property of the Fever River Puppeteers.

"Fever Riverdance: An Irish Cinderella"

2008-02-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Sat. March 15

2 p.m. Sun. March 16

Hazel Green Opera House

Tickets: $4 Adults, $3 Children

Information: 608-732-7129 or 732-6404

voight@mhtc.net

Colleen's wicked stepmother won't let her go to the Irish dance contest and she hasn't a thing to wear, in this marionette show that's just in time for St. Patrick's Day. There's a dancing pig, a prince in disguise, a couple of silly stepsisters, and a leprechaun instead of a fairy godmother.