06/02/2026
Pre-Conference is underway! Meet the Guest Artists who are here leading participants in developing their craft through these exciting strands.
Lisa Buckley - Puppets, Storytelling, Healing in a Humanitarian Context: The Power of Puppetry
We will discuss the psychological and social benefits of puppetry as a powerful tool in delivering life-saving messaging. Participants will will use their puppet characters to write stories and create skits, focusing on sensitive subject matter, such as peacebuilding, nutrition, menstrual health, open defecation, and more!
Alice Gottschalk - The Language of Material and Objects: Movement and Experimental Puppetry
Participants will discover the movement and stories of different materials and objects. They will gain the tools to animate persuasively in both direct and indirect ways, serving as a basis for all kinds of puppet animation, manipulation and storytelling.
Liz Hara - Writing for Puppets: A Workshop in Three Acts
We’re going to run this workshop like a television writers room! Using three act structure, we will develop your ideas from concept to outline. We’ll learn story structure, character development, and why there’s no such thing as a good idea.
Jim Kroupa - Everything You Wanted to Learn About Mechs and Then Some!
Mechanism class participants will learn all of Jim's secrets. (Both of them!) From hands-on examples of various mechanisms to materials and where to get them, all participants will experience the road to mechanical bliss, using Jim’s “keep it simple” approach.
Tim Lagasse & Martin P. Robinson - Puppet Video Bootcamp: A Short-Form Filmed Puppet Content Creation Course
Martin P. Robinson and Tim Lagasse, two masters of filmed puppetry, will give you the tools you need to make your online puppetry content better. You’ll work on creating that content—including story, technique, puppet creation, and all the fussy technical stuff—all the way from start to finish.
