Kat Pleviak is having a Puppet Meltdown! #Chicago

Kat Pleviak, curator of Puppet Meltdown, lives in Chicago where she is also the founder and artistic director of Sea Beast Puppet Company.  Under Kat's direction, Sea Beast has initiated a number of exciting puppetry projects including a series of touring family friendly puppet productions, the Gorilla Puppetry Project, and Puppet Meltdown Puppet Slam. Kat has an MFA In Youth Theatre and Puppetry from the University of Hawaii Manoa.

Marsian: So Kat, When did you start performing at puppet slams? 

Kat Pleviak: The first slam I performed in was in 2007 at Puppet Rampage at the National festival. The piece was called Naughty Nursery Rhymes and told the story of Jack and Jill as nasty little rag doll children. If you have the Puppet Rampage DVD there is a very short clip of that performance. 

M: How do your puppet slam pieces tie into the other kinds of puppetry, performance or your art-life at large? 

KP: They are a great outlet for us to experiment with technique and subject matter. My company, Sea Beast Puppet Company, primarily does family friendly touring shows, so doing short and adult pieces allows us to grow and explore our creativity.

M: What cities have you performed in puppet slams or cabarets in? Which was the furthest or most exotic? 

KP: I have performed at slams, in Chicago IL, Skokie IL, Norridge IL, Minneapolis MN, Wilmington NC

M: What is the funniest, freakiest, edgiest, or weirdest show you have seen? 

KP: The first slam I ever went to was at a nation festival in 2005. A woman there did a shadow piece about the holocaust that was amazing and gave me a lot to think about in terms of what you can do with a short puppet piece.

M: What was the worst puppet slam you performed at and why? What made it disastrous?

KP: I was in a slam at a puppet festival and we were asked to bring 2 pieces, one of which was cut because the slam went to long. The piece we did show was too small for the space to be seen by anyone in the venue so no one got to enjoy it.  

"A note to producers: Your slam performers are your guests and it should be your number one goal to help them succeed and have a great experience. A note to performers: be true to your work. If you walk into an event and can see your piece won't work, pull it. It does not help you to do a piece that disappoints based on a technicality. Know your work and show it to it's best."

M: If you were to form a puppet slam circuit near you for touring, what slams/cities would this include? 

KP: Chicago, Champaign, Bloomington, Evanston, Madison, Minneapolis

M: Tell us about a fabulous failure (at a slam) and what you've learned from it. 

KP: The first slam we ever did had strict guidelines in terms of time and when a few acts went long, we ran over and did not get a curtain call. I think it is so important to recognize your performers. To fix this, we now always plan to have our company represented with a few pieces, some of which are scheduled to go last. This way, if we run long we can cut our own work, to enable recognition of the invited performers.

M: Why are Puppet Slams important to you?

KP: They give us a chance to experiment and grow as artists, while connecting with like minded individuals.

M: What inspires you to create a puppet slam piece? 

KP: Usually things that make me laugh

M: Who are some other artists on the puppet slam circuit that you are inspired by?  

KP: Carole D'Agostino does "Object Theater Time" which is puppet improv, always amazing and my brother Tom. He has performed in a number of slam pieces and his characters are always amazing.

M: What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams?

KP: I have a bunch but two of my favorites are Another Man Treasure. This piece is in miniature and tells the story of a mouse and a robot living in a trash heap - I love this piece because we film it live and project it live as a film. The other is called Road Rage and is a shadow piece about an angry driver. I made Road Rage while studying with Richard Bradshaw at the O'Neill Puppetry Conference.

M: Where can people contact you to perform? 

KP: Email me at katburglar1@hotmail.com, Facebook, or our website - www.seabeastpuppetry.com.

M: Where would you like to see the Puppet Slam Network in the future? 

KP: Everywhere!

M: What advice do you have for up and coming slam artists?

KP: Make each performance the very best it can be on the day you do it and take pride in your work! Have fun, share work, learn and grow and live!

March 2012 PSN Calendar

 

Spring Ahead with PSN where there’s a puppet slam at the end of every rainbow and adult puppet shows are blooming in spots around the globe like #Phoenix, #Chicago, #Brookline, #Australia, #Brooklyn, #Providence, #Baltimore, and #SanJuan.

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Getting Lucky Puppet Slam #Phoenix

Friday March 2^nd  at 8:00PM

Saturday March 3^rd at 8:00PM

 

Great Arizona Puppet Theatre

302 W. Latham Street

Phoenix, Arizona 85003

(602) 262-2050

Slam Specific Website

$8 Advance/ $10 Door

Facebook Page

 

Arizona's quirkiest, edgiest puppeteers come together for some raunchy FUN! Independent performers do short pieces, which are usually funny and always adult! Puppet Slam nights at the Great Arizona Puppet Theater are for guests 18 and over.

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Nasty, Brutish & Short: a Puppet Cabaret #Chicago

Monday, March 5^th at 7:30PM

 

Links Hall

3435 N Sheffield

Chicago, IL 60657

(773)281-0824

Facebook Page / Event Page

$8 General / $5 Students

Join Nasty Brutish & Short, where performers create risky new work and share it with an audience for the first time!

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Puppet Showplace Slam #Brookline

Saturday March 10^th at 8:00PM

 

Puppet Showplace Theatre

32 Station Street

Brookline, MA 02445

(617)731-6400

www.puppetshowplace.org/slam

$15 General /$13 Student

 

Once again PST stays open late to bring you the finest in "grown up" puppet entertainment. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll go home googly-eyed. March's slam features David Stephens, Evan O’Television, and Jana Zeller.

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Slam Noir – The Sock Hop #Maldon #Victoria #Australia

Sunday, March 11^th at 9:00PM

 

Uniting Church Hall

Fountain St

Maldon, VIC 3463

tarrengowerpuppetfest.org.au/Programme.php 

$10

 

Slam Noir’s Sock Hop sets puppets loose on the “dance-floor” for the Tarrengower Puppet festival (2 hours from Melbourne).  Featuring some of Australia's finest puppeteers and lit only by torchlight, the works explore dance as real, metaphoric, abstract, and imaginary.

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New Brew: It’s Better with Puppets #Brooklyn #ParkSlope

Friday, March 16^th at 8:00PM

Barbes

376 9th Street at 6th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11215

(718) 965-9177

www.operaontap.org/newyork/

Free-$10 Suggested Donation 

 

New Brew Co-curators Delea Shand and Alissa Hunnicutt have put together an evening where they set out to prove that as awesome as contemporary classical art songs are, they would be *way* better with puppets (‘cause, pretty much everything is)!

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Blood From a Turnip #Providence

Friday, March 16^th at 10:00PM

 

the Black Box at 95 Empire

95 Empire Street

Providence, RI 02903

(401)831-9327

Facebook Page

$7 / Free with RISD ID

 

Since the day Blood from a Turnip began in February of 1997, BfaT, as the salon is affectionately called, has offered professional puppeteers and those new to the art form an opportunity to present big stories, in miniature.

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Puppet Slamwich! #Baltimore

Saturday, March 17^th at 7:00PM & 9:30PM

 

Black Cherry Puppet Theater

1115 Hollins Street

Baltimore, MD 21223

410-752-7272

www.puppetslamwich.blogspot.com

$7

 

This month’s Slamwich is a Horseradish Surprise, sure to bring tears to your eyes! Performers from Philly, DC, and Baltimore include Kevin Sherry, Rebecca Nagle, Pilar Diaz & Adam Endres, Wit’s End and PuppeTyranny!

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Titeretada: Noches de Cabaret Puppet Slam #SanJuan

Friday, March 23^rd at 8:00PM

Saturday, March 24^th at 8:00PM

 

Taller Teatro Y No Habia Luz

1416 Avenida Ponce de Leon, Santurce, frente de la Escuela Central High

San Juan, Puerto Rico 00912

(787) 365-1925

Facebook Page

$11

We invite  puppeteers to present short pieces of adult puppetry over the course of 2 nights during The Titeretada, our yearly celebration of World Puppetry Day.

 

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Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner #Brooklyn

Tuesday, March 27^th at 7:30 PM

 

One Arm Red

10 Jay Street, 9^th floor

Brooklyn, NY 11201

www.greatsmallworks.blogspot.com

Facebook Page

$15

Get ready for plenty of pasta with Great Small Works Spaghetti Dinner, curated by Caroline Crumpacker and Roberto Rossi. Performers include: Lee Ann Brown, Tracie Morris, Eugene Ostashevsky, The Poets Assembly from #OWS and Great Small Works.

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Sobre La Mesa Slam #SanJuan

Friday, March 30^th at 8:00PM

Saturday, March 31^st at 8:00PM

 

Taller Teatro Y No Habia Luz 

1416 Avenida Ponce de Leon, Santurce, frente de la Escuela Central High

San Juan Puerto Rico 00912

(787) 365-1925

Facebook Page

$11

Puppeteers create short pieces inside a labyrinth of intimate spaces based on their response to an identical object.

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Jessica Simon Gets Nasty, Brutish & Short (well... sort of)

Jessica's work has been seen at the Austin Puppet Incident, Toy Theatre After Dark Festival in Minneapolis, the National Slam in Atlanta, Puppet Playlist in NYC, and Nasty, Brutish & Short Puppet Cabaret (NB&S) in Chicago.  She co-curates NB&S and serves on the Artistic Direction Committee for PuppetFestival (r)Evolution. 

2012,  photo: Marielle Solan (at Puppet Playlist)

Marsian: What was your entry into the world of Puppet Slams?

Jessica Simon: I'm pretty new to slams - I've only been involved for about a year.  My friends Dan and Lizi performed my piece The Talleys at the first NB&S in March of last year.  I was excited to revisit my participant piece from the O'Neill Puppetry Conference.

M: What cities have you performed in Puppet Slams in?
JS: I’ve performed at slams in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and Austin.  I got a bruise on my head from a flying piece of chocolate at the National Slam in Atlanta...

M: What lead you to become a Slam curator? What would you say is distinctive about Nasty Brutish and Short?
JS: I sort of inherited my spot with Nasty, Brutish & Short.  Seth Bockley and Julia Miller curated the first one and before the second one in the fall Julia asked if I'd like to help out because Seth had a lot of other projects on his plate.  One thing that I've been particularly interested in trying to make happen at each one is having an out of town guest artist.  We've hosted artists from Minneapolis, Indianapolis, and I'm super excited that we have not one, but three visiting artists from Kansas City and Brooklyn for our upcoming show March 5^th! I'm grateful to the Puppet Slam Network for helping us make that happen.

M: Where would you say you are in a Puppet Slam Circuit?
JS: I know there are a couple that happen in Minneapolis, but I don't think that constitutes a circuit...

M: Yes! There’s actually two in Minneapolis: Forthe Love of Puppets and Full Moon Puppet Cabaret. I have also recently learned that St. Paul started hosting one as well.
JS: Super!

Why do you think Puppet Slams are important? What gap are they filling that is not filled by other forms of puppetry? Who cares?
JS:  I think slams are a great way to introduce audiences to many different styles of puppetry and get them to realize that it's not just kid stuff.  Also, it helps audiences develop their palate.  If there is a short piece that sucks, maybe they'll learn that the piece itself was bad, not that all puppetry is bad.  Does that makes sense? 

M: Puppets don’t suck… People do!

JS: Also, I think Beau said this before, it is a good kick in the pants for artists.  Having a deadline forces you to work on that idea you've been kicking around in your head.

M: Do you have any upcoming slams you plan on performing at or organizing?
JS:  Our next cabaret is March 5th!

M: Well stay tuned to our calendar to find out more details (sign up here)! . . .Jessica, what actually motivates you to create a puppet slam piece?
JS:  I have a little notebook where I jot down ideas and that's where a lot of those ideas die.... having that slam deadline is an excuse try some of them out.

M: So sad when ideas die…  Now who would you say on the circuit is killer?
JS: I'm inspired by (and a bit jealous of) Connor Hopkins and Carolin Reck down in Austin [hosts of Austin Puppet Incident].  Not only are they creating awesome long-form work, but they've created a great little puppetry community that works together creating short pieces for their slams.  From what I understand they host regular open shop nights and anyone who wants to can come in try something out.  I'd love to have a regular workshop time for people to collaborate.  There is somewhat of a community here in Chicago, and it's growing [with Puppet Meltdown], but I'd love to mix it up even more and have a dedicated time and place for people to come together.

M: What pieces do you have in circulation to perform in puppet slams? And where can people reach you if they want to ask you to perform?

JS: The Talleys is a 2 person tabletop piece that follows the changes in the lives of a couple and Mustachioed Pistachio is about a nut that has his mustache stolen. I can be reached at jess.simon@gmail.com.
M: Where do you want to see the Puppet Slam Network in the Future?
JS: Like I said before, I'm grateful to the Slam Network for providing opportunities for artists travel, myself included.  I'd love to see that continue and expand. 
M: What advice do you have for up-and-coming slam performers?
JS: Try and see a lot of stuff, talk to people after shows, ask veterans to do something with you. 

Open Calls for Puppet Slam Acts - February 2012

PUPPET MELTDOWN #Chicago 
Submission Due: March 1st, 2012
(Performance: April 14th, 2012)

Greetings and salutations, puppeteers and puppet fans alike! Puppet Meltdown has been officially selected to host a puppet slam at C2E2 (that's the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, for the uninitiated)!

So here's the deal: C2E2 is April 13th through 15th at McCormick Place in Chicago, and the slam itself will be held at 3:30 on Saturday, April 14th. So now we move on to the next step: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!

Anyone interested in performing at this amazing event contact us through the Sea Beast Puppetry website, www.seabeastpuppetry.com and we'll get you an application form ASAP. March 1st is the deadline for submissions, so get your puppets ready to rock, cause we're taking the comic and entertainment world by storm!!!


NATIONAL PUPPET SLAM  #Atlanta 
Submission Due: April 8th, 2012 
(Performances: August 3rd-5th, 2012)

ATTN Slam Curators: The 2012 National Puppet Slam is accepting nominations! 

The mission of the National Puppet Slam is to recognize excellence in the art of short form puppet theatre. The featured pieces were nominated by their respective slams and then curated by The Puppet Slam Network and the Center for Puppetry Arts. As the largest non-profit organization in the country dedicated to puppetry, the Center for Puppetry Arts is invested in supporting and showcasing the next generation of puppeteers. These performances showcase the beauty, ingenuity, and hilarity of Puppet Slams from all across the country.

The online Nomination Form can be found here: www.puppet.org/perform/nationalpuppetslam.shtml

STRUNG OUT PUPPET CABARET #Cincinnati 
Submission Due April 15th, 2012
(Performances: June 2nd & 3rd, 2012)

Mad Slams announces “Strung Out Puppet Cabaret,” a puppet slam debuting on June 2nd and 3rd at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival. We are looking for short form puppetry acts for adults that feature a great diversity of puppet forms: rod puppets, humanettes, shadows, toy theatre, marionettes, animated objects, puppets combined with performing arts, films etc. Interested? Please, upload a video of your piece and send a weblink to inniculescu@gmail.com

Requirements for performance:
1. no longer than 7 minutes
2. set up for your act must be completed in less than a minute

We will provide:
1. assistance with travel expenses
2. lodging for up to four nights
3. artist passes for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival
4. CD audio/projector and screen for films

Deadline:
April 15th 2012

Contact: Irina Niculescu inniculescu@gmail.com

PUNCH #NYC #BROOKLYN
Submission Due: Open
(Performances:  February 20th, 2012, June, Aug & Dec TBD)
We’re gearing up for PUNCH 2012 and WE WANT YOU!

Why do Punch? Well, it's where artists can:
- Try out new material.
- Schmooze and drink with other people who like puppets.
- Get feedback on a piece that needs some work.
- Try out that piece you did for class in front of people who aren't your classmates.
- Get an equal split of the door.
- Try out a piece or scene with puppets even though they've NEVER worked with puppets before in their lives.
- Show a short piece they’ve developed for Puppet Playlist, at the Puppet Lab or at the O’Neill Puppetry Conference to a whole new audience!!!!
- Get a guaranteed $40 at least (courtesy of PUNCH’s puppet slam network grant!)

Perhaps the question to ask is WHY WOULDN'T YOU DO PUNCH?!?
There are only FOUR live PUNCH shows in 2012, so please let us know if you’re interested in any of the upcoming events:

- February 20th = general PUNCH @ Jimmy’s 43 pub
- June TBD = PUNCH Wizard of Oz Kamikaze
- August TBD = general PUNCH @ outdoors at a community garden
- December = the 2nd annual PUNCH Kamikaze Christmas Carol
- We will also have TWO film nights (April & October), so let me know if you’ve got a short film that uses puppetry and maybe we’ll show it!

So, think about it. Get back to me. Pass this on to other artists (puppet or not) who you think might be interested.

Kick ass.
Gretchen Van Lente
curator, PUNCH / artistic director, Drama of Works
PUNCH@punchpuppetslam.com

If you would like to submit an open call for the Puppet Slam Network, please contact puppetslam@mac.com with the details.