I-Fest 2010 is ON!!!

OK, so regular readers of my blog will know that I love I-Fest and have been quite a few times before. This wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't for the fact that I-Fest is held in Bourbonnais, Illinois and according to daftlogic.com's distance calculator... I live over 4,000 miles away!

Anyway - the good news is that after taking a break in 2009, I-Fest is back on the calendar for 2010! They have already announced some of their guest speakers and I can tell already that it's going to be good. Check the One Way Street Events fan page on Facebook for all the latest updates.

I can tell what some of you are thinking "that's a Christian puppet festival - why would I want to go to that?"... I would say that you would be in for a pleasant surprise! I find that the standard of teaching and performance by the pros at I-Fest is as good (and in many cases better) than that I have seen at other puppet festivals. Many of the teachers are experts in their own fields and can offer brilliant insights into how you can improve your puppet performance/construction skills. I have written before on here about how much I have enjoyed the festivals, i always associate I-Fest with inspiration and an opportunity to be stretched as a performer.

If you've never been - or never considered going... do it!

Take care - Dave

Puppet Blog Recommendations

As my paternity leave looms large on the horizon I have taken a moment to skip around a few of the puppet sites that I try and check in on regularly. There are two that stand out for me as good ones to recommend... so if you're looking for good puppetry blogs - pay attention!
Puppeteers Unite was on of the first puppet blogs that ever really interested me enough to check back regularly. I have always found that there is a good variety to what is written on their and Tom seems to be one of the most interested people in all forms of puppetry. He is constantly linking to other sites and flagging up things for attention that I would definitely miss otherwise!
So if you have a moment - head on over to puppeteersunite.com

Another blog which I check often is that of Thistledown Puppets. Philip Hatter is definitely one of the best puppet builders I know! Take a minute to check out the range of styles and characters on his site and you'll see what I mean. Some of my favourite characters that he has made come from a musical he wrote called "Bull a puppet musical": check out the video of these characters on this local news website.

So while I'm off learning how to be a dad... take a moment to read these blogs! You'll not regret it.

Take care - Dave