On July 6th, 2010 I presented The New American Vaudeville, to a gathering of the Winnipeg Puppet Collective in Manitoba, Canada. In The New American Vaudeville, I contextualized evenings of short-form puppet and object theater for adult audiences in intimate settings. The New American Vaudeville was informed by my position as co-founder and coordinator of the Puppet Slam Network from 2005 to 2016.
Presentation Excerpt:
Underground puppet slams have been popping up everywhere. They feature contemporary short-form puppet and object theater for adult audiences, often late at night in small venues, nightclubs, and art spaces. Puppet Slams exist at the nexus of vaudeville, burlesque, and performance art through the intersection of experimental theater, art, music, and dance as a viable alternative to the culturally homogenous digital mass media.
When was the very first puppet slam? Surely there must have been Paleolithic Slams or something like them with cave people projecting shadows onto their walls by torchlight to communicate the location of food. (Read More)
Presentation History
- June 13, 2012 – National Puppetry Conference,
Eugene O’Neill Center (Waterford, CT) - April 2, 2011 – Puppetry & Post Dramatic Performance,
University of Conneticut (Storrs) - July 6th, 2010 – Winnipeg Puppet Collective (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
- July 2009 – National Puppetry Festival, Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)
- July 2007 – National Puppetry Festival, Concordia University (St. Paul, MN)
In the icy and isolated city of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Puppet Slam (hosted by the Winnipeg Puppet Collective) showcases innovative, eclectic and original short works of adult puppetry. The content can be political, philosophical, raunchy or just plain silly but we always guarantee audiences something they have never seen before
Ibex Puppetry is an entertainment company dedicated to promoting the fine art of puppetry in all of its mediums. Founded in 2000 and receiving multiple UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionette) awards, Ibex Puppetry supports puppet art in the mediums of film, stage, gallery exhibits, workshops and artist presentations.