Puppet Playlist is a bi-monthly slam in Manhattan. For each Playlist, a
musician is chosen (e.g. Tom Waits, David Bowie) and puppeteers create
new pieces inspired by that person’s work. Between acts, musicians play
interpretations of songs by the chosen artist. This mix of puppetry and
music attracts a wide audience, many of whom have never attended a
puppet slam.
www.puppetplaylist.com
 |
| Puppet Playlist #NYC - Kate Smith, Rosie DuPont, Katey Parker, Jon Good & Dylan Widjiano, 2011, Photo: Jesse Garrison |
STATUS: Active, 3-5 Slams Per Year, Since 2009
PERFORMERS: Anna Leuchtenberger, Carolyn Usanis, Cathy Mccullough, Courtney Merrell, Deb Hertzberg, Eric Wright, Elizabeth Hara, Emily Kulik, and Josh Luxenberg, Emily Hope Price, Jodi Eichelberger, Jon Levin, Jake Bazel, Jo Morris,, Kevin Connell, Leah Siegel, Margot Fitzsimmons, Ora Fruchter, Peter Musante, Sarah Lafferty, Spica Wobbe, Taylor Bibat, Vivian Viera
DETAILS: The guiding principle at
Puppet Playlist is to create an environment that supports new short-form
works of puppetry and object theater and that attracts a wide audience.
As we’ve grown, we’ve increased performer stipends and continued to
develop new ways to support the performers and their work. The Slam
Grant we received for 2010 has played a large part in the kind of
support that we are able to offer:
Stipend: All performers are
paid on a sliding scale based on ticket sales and passing the hat. We
guarantee a base rate of $60 (thanks to the 2010 Slam Grant) plus a
sliding amount based on our total earnings for each show. The average
stipend in 2010 has been $70 per puppet act.
Video: We have begun
filming all shows in HD video. Each performer gets a copy, for free, of
their act. This too has been made possible through last years Puppet
Slam Grant.
Website: We have created a
website that highlights each performer. Puppeteers each have a “profile”
on the site, which includes a bio, photos from every show he/she has
appeared in, links to their personal websites, and videos (when they
exist, and with the permission of each puppeteer) of the performer’s appearances at Puppet Playlist.
Materials Fund: We have
created a “Materials Fund” to help defray the costs of puppet builds for
the show. Performers can request reimbursements for materials up to $20
per act in addition the amount of their stipend. Again, this is only
possible because of last year’s Slam Grant.
Audience: We have a large
audience that reaches beyond the puppet community, and so are able to
expose the work to a large number of people that may not be familiar
with puppetry as an art form. At each edition of the Playlist, we bring
in approximately 250 people over the course of three performances.
(Although it is a 92-seat theater and we usually sell out, we reserve
enough seats for the performers on the first show, so that each
performer can see all of the work being presented.)
VENUE: The Tank at The TADA! Theater (99 Seats)
15 W 28th St
New York, NY 10001
No comments:
Post a Comment