Gros Morne Puppetry
Workshop & Residency
AUGUST 18 – 29, 2022
The Gros Morne Puppet Workshop and Residency is a unique residential workshop taking place at the Bonne Bay Marine Station nestled amoung the fjords of Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland.
The project will bring together artists, scholars, and students for a 10 day intensive consisting of training in puppetry performance, design, and collective creation. The group will live, work, and dream in a collective posture — sharing in the daily chores of meal prep and care for the station.
We will take our creative inspiration from the rugged seascape and cultural history of the region and explore the coastal communities with the goal of creating exciting work that is vitally connected to the place in which it is made. Time will be spent in contemplation with the land and waters, and in conversation with marine station staff, guest speakers, and with members of the surrounding communities. The work will be a reflection of the moment — a story of people and the changing ocean environment, and the interplay between them.
Participants attending the workshop will engage in performance training, collective creation, puppet design, traditional wood carving, and mindful practice. This core-curriculum will create a foundation from which the participants can succeed in the mission of the workshop, as well as develop skills and experiences from which to draw upon for their future creative endeavors.
The program will be facilitated by Dave Lane, co-director of the New England Puppet Intensive and co-founder of the Newfoundland Puppet Collective. Dave is a two-time, Jim Henson Foundation Grant recipient, and was a founding member of the celebrated Old Trout Puppet Workshop in Calgary, Alberta.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
Sessions and activities will run from 9 am to 9:30 pm daily. Open studio for those wishing to continue work will be available most evenings.
Movement
Training will begin with a physical approach to the art of puppetry, stemming from the notion that the strength of any puppet lies in its visual application, separate from, and independent of any text.
Movement exercises will draw on Viewpoints, mask theory, and clown. These exercises will help develop a physical connection to the puppet, a playful relationship to the ensemble, and be a starting point for an evolution of visual puppet language.
Construction & Design
Our residency at Bonne Bay will allow us to explore the interplay of design with the natural world. We will draw inspiration from the ocean, woods, and unique ecological features of Gros Morne, and consider how our visual and visceral experience of the environment might inspire design.
Topics include:
- Design — The abstract/realism continuum; emotion and tone; larval lumps, mask design, conceptual approaches, the interplay between design and performance.
- Paper Mache — Advanced concepts in paper working techniques.
- Carving — Wood carving techniques.
- Controls — Discussion of effective control mechanisms for different situations.
- Joints — Leather, fabric, interlocking, ball and socket, shock cord.
- Hansjürgen Fettig, Richard Teschner, & Bernd Ogrodnik — Discussion of designs and mechanisms imagined by the ingenious puppet artists.
- Painting — Planning, mixing, washes, scumbling, dry-brush, color theory.
- Costuming — Simple patterning and sewing.
Collective Creation
While in residence, we will develop an original piece of puppet theatre in response to the ocean community that we find ourselves in. This process will follow a collaborative creation model facilitated by the workshop leader and allow participants to experience a process of developing a play idea from genesis to final form.
Final Project — Recording and Public Performance
The resulting work will be performed on the grounds of the Bonne Bay Research Center, and a filmed version of the performance will be created for distribution online. The goal will be to grow awareness and knowledge of life in ocean communities in relation to Bonne Bay and coastal environments.
Mindful Practice
Each day we will include a mindful activity such as yoga, automatic writing, nature sketching, or a mindful walk. This practice allows us to turn our attention inward and shift from doing and creating, into being and observing. The activities will in turn support our work in the studio, helping to feed a creative tempo.
Tuition:
- $695 CND + 15% HST per person
- Includes instruction, materials, use of shared carving tools.
Accommodations at the Bonne Bay Marine Station and family style meals:
Option 1
- Shared room and bath (2 person occupancy) + meals
- $1,100 CND + 15% HST per person
Option 2
- Meals only (for area locals)
- $550 CND + 15% HST per person
A limited number of private accommodations are available upon request. Add $550 CND + HST.
Registration:
The program has had a wonderful response — thank you to all who applied! We are currently exploring the possibility of expanding the number of participant slots — to be considered for one of these slots and to be added to the waitlist, please send an email to mail@davidlane-theatre.com and include the following:
- letter of intent
Tuition payment is due May 31. Memorial University is processing the payments. Once your application has been accepted, you will be sent a link to register via email.
Information on room reservations will follow .
Travel:
Arrive in time for dinner on August 18. Depart after breakfast on August 29.
Bonne Bay Marine Station is located in the town of Norris Point — Open in Google Maps
The closest airport is Deer Lake (YDF). We will help organize shuttles from the airport once folks have arranged their travel.
Bonne Bay Marine Station is a 7.5 hour drive from St. John’s, about 1.5 hour drive from Cornerbrook, and about 3.75 hours from Port aux Basques.
Marine Atlantic runs daily ferries from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques.
Co-funded by the Future Ocean Coastal Infrastructures project of the Ocean Frontier Institute with support from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, and carried out in partnership with the Bonne Bay Marine Station. The Gros Morne Puppetry Workshop and Residency will celebrate and raise awareness of history, culture, life and change within the coastal communities in north-western Newfoundland.
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