I have always believed in using puppetry to change people, their environments and the world! From as far back as Puppets Against Apartheid in the early eighties in South Africa to Puppets Against Aids, the power of the puppet as a tool to communicate serious and important issues, yet keep the message light and humurous has always moved me and my audiences. So when I saw the email advertising a conference in 2007 for 'Puppetry for Social Change', I thought "Yes, that's the way to do it!" Puppet Power is advertised as a bi-annual conference in Calgary, Canada (why so far away?) by a group called WP Puppet Theatre.They tell us: "The Puppet Power conference features keynote speakers and hands- on workshops lead by artists and professionals from across North America. Participants are also involved in panel and round table discussions and the weekend ends with a puppet performance. A master class puppetry intensive is sometimes available as well as puppet exhibits, silent auction and video screenings. The goal of the conference is to give participants greater knowledge and increased comfort to use the medium of puppetry more frequently in their various professional applications."
I am awaiting more information from them, but they can be contacted by email!
