In preparing for our Puppet Slam Network Presentation at the Puppetry and Postdramatic Performance Conference we gathered together responses to our 2011 Survey Question: How can a Puppet Slam Network could best help you?
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Keeping us in contact with other puppeteers so we can present new puppet artists at our slams in San Diego. We can also plan to travel to other regions and participate in their slams.
- Adult Puppet Cabaret, Animal Cracker Conspiracy (San Diego, CA)
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I want to learn how to use the network and utilize the ways it can help All the Saints Theater Company grow, and connect with other puppeteers and public puppet enthusiasts.
- All the Saints Theatre Company Spaghetti Dinner (Richmond, VA)
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Want to connect to other Midwest Slams, also try to attract some of the puppeteers from both coasts to come slam with us (we’re not that far away!
- Austin Puppet Incident (Austin, TX)
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Connecting with puppetry artists and publicizing our events
- Band of Puppets Fest (Brooklyn, NY)
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It would increase interest in the slams as well as reach folks that haven’t heard about this form of short-form puppetry. Puppetry is mostly seen as a simple art form that speaks only to children, but it’s so much more! I strive to bring that fact to light here in Portland.
- Beady Little Eyes Puppet Slam (Portland, OR)
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We appreciate being connected to a national network of puppeteers interested in performing at Romps.
- Bedlam / Barebones Romp (Minneapolis, MN)
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A network to share acts would be of the most assistance. It would also be great to be able to share other resources (travel tips, touring ideas, banding together for additional funding from other sources)
- Blood From A Turnip (Providence, RI)
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We’re always interested in bringing acts in from the region, and always open to HPD films as well as amateur film work.
-Bobbindoctrin’s Annual Puppet Festival (Houston, TX)
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It will help to let other artists and curators hear about the work we are presenting here in LA. Conversely, it will help us to know about other artists and curators around the country, and possibly lead to presenting some of these artists in our cabaret. It will also help us in terms of national visibility.
- Cabaret Automata (Los Angeles, CA)
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No Answer
- Café Concret (Montreal, QB)
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This could help people outside of the CalArts find out about the Puppet Cabaret.
- Calarts Puppet Cabaret (Valencia, CA)
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Last year we had an audience of 20 people. This year we had over 50 people. I feel that the network helped us achieve a higher number of audience members. We had a raffle for the O’Neill at our August slam and, due to our larger house, we were able to raise $250! In part thanks to the Slam Network.
- CoLAB Arts Puppet Slam (New Brunswick, NJ)
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Keeping informed of other slams and artists can only help build the Slam Nation and aid in traveling from one city to another with a piece. Carole and Liz have both come from NY to do our slam, and that is something I would love to continue.
- Dad's Garage Puppet Slam (Atlanta, GA
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Will bring more and better artists out to perform
- Dolly Wiggler Cabaret (Calgary, AB)
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..I’m glad to see that the project has taken off and that it has grown so large. For the past 3 years I did not know there was a directory, and that it was such a network.
- Flock Theatre Puppet Slam (New London, CT
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Puppet Slam Network can offer HOBT information and models on how to organize and market puppet slams. HOBT is also available as a venue for other puppet slams
- For the Love of Puppets Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)
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Full Moon is a puppet-specific cabaret, open to all puppet artists and forms of puppetry. Being part of a network is a great way for us to meet national puppet artists. Also many regular performers at Full Moon tour and appreciate the connection with potential performing opportunities.
- Full Moon Cabaret (Minneapolis, MN)
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One of our major goals at Links Hall is to foster opportunities for work that originates here to have a life beyond it. We believe performance-based artists can best grow both their craft and their art through live performance, particularly before audiences of strangers. We were delighted that Meredith Miller, who was asked to create a new work for our toy theater festival in February, was subsequently asked to bring her work “The Abduction” to Minneapolis’ Open Eye Figure Theater’s puppet festival and to Great Small Work’s International Toy Theater Festival. She had told Links Hall’s director that prior to being asked to be part of the Links Hall festival, she hadn’t created a new work of her own in two years because she had been working so much on other artists’ works. The Puppet Slam Network would be a huge help in identifying places where new work generated here could have further life and create opportunity for artistic exchange between cities.
- Nasty, Brutish & Short Puppet Cabaret (Chicago, IL)
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Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.
- Noches de cabaret (San Juan, PR)
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No Response
- One Night Slam (Toronto, ON)
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It would be good if worthy artists could tour from one slam to another, in a “Slam Circuit.”
- Pinocchio’s Puppet Slam (Altamonte Springs, FL)
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To open a pathway for a ‘performer trade’ pool and insure that slams that happen in the same region have variety. Also to help other Slam Coordinators plan their dates around one another’s events, so there is little crossover.
- The Playhouse Puppetry Slam (Glen Echo, MD)
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A Puppet Slam Network could: Help us broaden our artist-base by providing a place to post our artist-invitations beyond our regional mailing lists. Help us broaden our audience-base by providing a place to post our eventannouncements beyond our regional mailing lists. Keep us informed of slams throughout the country. Create a nationwide awareness of the Puppet Slam Movement, generating heightened public interest in such events.
- PLOPSLAM! Series (Olympia, WA)
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No Answer
- PofA Puppet Cabaret (Atlanta, GA)
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To get the word out.
- Possibilitarian Puppet Theater Cabaret (Cleveland, OH)
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Getting the word out that we accept and show video shorts.
- The Puckin’ Fuppet Show (Atlanta, GA)
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Connecting slam curators with each other. Possibly a slam curator summit!
- PUNCH (NYC)
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The V4V Festival aims to support and encourage NYC artists who are making work for puppetry. For the Puppet Art Attacks Slam, we like to challenge artists (from anywhere) to create short and succinct works and hope that this exercise advances their artistic growth and maturity. We also want to excite audiences with the breathless variety of form and expression that puppetry has to offer, in one evening of fast paced theatre-- in a decidedly community based environment of mutual support and excitement. We would like to send our participating artists out to other festivals and slams with the work that they bring to our festival-and we would love to afford to bring artists from distant areas to share their work with us—but we can’t help them financially. All we can do is “trumpet” them to the best of our abilities and with the limited resources we have. If a Puppet Slam Network could raise funds to help with expenses of travel and accommodations for a few --who are selected yearly to bring their short works to the wide array of Slams now cropping up—that would benefit us-as presenters--BUT-it would also provide an incredible boost of confidence for those artists who would receive this honor. The return in this investment is more high caliber work from the selected artists in the future, and for the artists who will create work in response to the challenge to be selected for the honor. Competition ensues-but it is important to make sure it is perceived as self competition rather than competition against others. One must make her/his own best work and defeating others has nothing to add to this goal. It would be great if it could help with advertising! If it could help post information to other sites, guilds, list serves, and advertising sources that would be great!
- Puppet Art Attacks Slam (NYC)
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No Response
- Puppet Meltdown (Chicago, IL)
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I think that being a part of the network would attract new artists to our evenings and help raise awareness about our evenings which we hope will attract younger and emerging acts as well.
- Puppet Parlor (NYC)
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Communication is always important. It’s good to have a centralized place to learn about other slams, make sure our schedules don’t conflict, etc. It’s good to have a hub for the community.
- Puppet Playlist (NYC)
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Referring performers to us, helping to defray costs for travel, helping to support the development of quality new works
- Puppet Showplace Slam (Brookline, MA)
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Being in Arizona, we have a limited supply of puppeteers from which to draw; it would be nice if the Network put us in touch with puppeteers who would like to come and perform as Guest Artists (or would like us to come and perform at their Slams).
- Puppet Slam - Great Arizona Puppet Theatre (Phoenix, AZ)
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The puppet slam would definitely help puppeteers in other cities know about us. In addition, our venue is in a very diverse neighborhood in Southwest Baltimore that is cut off from downtown by an expressway. The neighborhood is underserved by cultural organizations, and the theater has long provided an important service by offering performances. The Slam Series would provide valuable performance programming for the area, and increase foot traffic in the neighborhood at night. Events at Black Cherry generally draw a very socially diverse audience, helping to build community. The slam series will also help to build an audience for puppetry in Baltimore.
- Puppet Slamwich (Baltimore, MD)
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We would love to meet more puppeteers that could potentially tour to DC. We’d also love to know of more slams where we could tour to.
- Puppet Underground Cabarets (Washington D.C.)
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No Answer
- Puppet Uprising (Philadelphia, PA)
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Connection to other groups who are organizing….we are pretty isolated here. Also we would like other people to know what we are doing….so if they are passing through PR they can contact.
- Sobre la mesa (San Jaun, PR)
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It is exciting to feel part of a national community of puppetry experimenters. It is also useful to have our events promoted through this network, and to be notified about events happening around the country.
- Spaghetti Dinners – Great Small Works (NYC)
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Linking to our website? helping us figure out whom to ask to perform at our slams (i.e., suggestions…)
- UConn Puppet Slam (Storrs, CT)
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We would love to connect and network with other puppeteers from outside of Asheville. This past slam we were fortunate to meet Hannah Miller and Jack Fields from Orlando, who were able to come up to Asheville with support from IBEX (Thank you!). We want to travel and perform at other puppet slams, and we want to support a community and exchange of ideas with other puppet slams around the country. Having a Puppet Slam Network can help facilitate this.
-Wham Bam Puppet Slam (Asheville, NC)
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No Answer
- Winnipeg Puppet Slam (Winnipeg MB)
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