Puppet Power 2020: Puppets Go Existential
Conference on Applied Puppetry
May 27 – May 31, 2020
As a metaphor for human experience the puppet provides a fun yet impactful way of exploring life’s big questions. Puppet Power 2020 will present puppeteers whose work relates to four of the existential considerations of our time: Climate Action, Artificial Intelligence, Culture & Identity, Hope & Human Agency.
We want to hear from you!
We invite proposals for:
- 90 minute Talk/Demo about your puppetry arts practice and how it relates to one of this year’s conference themes;
- 3 hour Hands-On workshop on a facet of puppetry i.e. manipulation, shadow puppets, digital integration etc.;
- We are also interested in puppetry-based performances that relate to our conference themes; these need to have minimal tech and personnel requirements.
This call is open to local, national, and international proposals. WP Puppet Theatre will pay for travel costs to Calgary, Accommodation, Per Diem, Presenter Fee and Conference Registration.
We appreciate the heart and soul it takes to complete the application. To ensure your proposal receives the careful consideration it deserves, please clearly outline how your work directly fits into our theme.
Deadline is October 31, 2019
Submit here: https://form.jotform.com/91337625836262
The Puppet Power conference explores the theory and practice of how puppetry arts promote positive social change. It provides inspiration, modelling, peer mentorship and alliance-building, as well as hands-on training in all facets of using puppets.
Produced biennially by WP Puppet Theatre Society since 1999, previous themes have included, multiculturalism & diversity, literacy, therapy, social action, and intergenerational communities. Past international keynote speakers include Carrie Marshall (Scotland), Judith O’Hare (Boston), Gary Friedman (Australia), and Martin Robinson from Sesame International (New York). Many other local, national, emerging and professional presenters have also been part of Puppet Power.
The conference draws around one hundred local and national attendees from three demographics: helping Professionals i.e. teachers, social workers, therapists, health care workers; artists looking to extend their practice by making connections; and thought leaders, idea generators and students.
