Cow and his good friend Mouse love to play and picnic — until it’s time to share dessert. Join Margaret for this gentle farm fable at 10am on Saturday, July 17. And please stay after to try out some fun puppets!
Best for ages 3 to 7. All welcome. FREE.
AT: Magnolia Park, 111 Magnolia Street, East Arlington, MA
Got a minute or 3? I hope you’ll take a look at these short videos featuring Doggie and Mathilda.
Here’s Mathilda’s favorite song:
“My Cousin Kit” and “Watching for Owl” were part of Arlington’s FOX & OWL TINY FILM & PHOTO FESTIVAL 2020. The shadow puppets were drawn by artist Kari Percival.
Arlington’s beautiful Old Schwamb Mill reopens on the weekend of September 12-13. I hope you’ll join me for “Badger Meets the Fairies” on Sunday at 2pm. The show is free, donations welcome.
To see the show via Zoom: Preregistration is not required; here is the link to join the show.
Meeting ID: 899 7252 9386 Passcode: 966075.
Badger is very excited to perform with Peter Lehman on mandolin and Ann Wynne on voice and percussion! Here’s a clip:
Skimpa and Blompa, my favorite trolls, are practicing for Bubblefest — a socially distanced 2020 rendition of Arlington Porchfest, happening on June 7. Want more information? www.arlingtonporchfest.org
Every two months Arlington Council on Arts and Culture highlights an artist who’s actively contributing to the Arlington arts scene. In December and January, I’m the featured artist on the Arts Arlington site sponsored by ACAC.
The artist statement was fun to write because it gave room to think about why I perform and what the work is like. Here’s the part that gets to the heart of working on a new show:
My newest show is “Taking Turns,” which features pigs, dogs and bunnies. Sandra and I used needle-felting techniques to make animal puppets. We took big balls of wool and punched them with needles to create little pigs and dogs. I find that their fuzzy surfaces appeal to young children more than the painted faces of our Sculpey puppets.
Although the show opened in August I am still spending many hours each week refining the way I portray the characters. The hardest thing is to slow down, let a puppet “breath” between steps, and wait for the character to form its thoughts before I speak for it. Often, I ask friends to watch and advise. Jacek Zuzanski of Dream Tale Puppets and retired “puppet diva” Suzanne Pemsler have been terrific coaches.
Read the whole statement here:
http://artsarlington.org/grants-and-resources/artlinks-arlington-networking-for-artists/featured-artist/
Saturdays with Puppets brings fun puppet shows for families with children ages 3 to 6 to an Arlington space. Everyone is invited to stay after the show and make a puppet, or play with puppets.
I’m looking forward to setting up the next Saturdays with Puppets series!
Check here for news, or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margaretmoodypuppets/
Tsai Su-jen is the troupe leader for the I Wan Jan Traditional Hand Puppet Troupe based in Sanchih, Taiwan. She and her family also operate the Li Tien-lu Puppetry Museum, which I was very happy to visit in August. Su-jen is the daughter-in-law of Li Tien-lu and puts a lot of warm energy into burnishing his legacy.
I also had the chance to see a performance by Chen Hsi-huang, who has been designated a “National Treasure” in Taiwan for puppet performance and puppet-making. Funny and beautiful!
Here is the view on a foggy morning from Yangmingshan, where I stayed with my father-in-law.
“Badger Meets the Fairies” tomorrow at First Teacher Summer Fun Day in the playground, 6 Shirley Street in Dorchester, 11:30am.
Thanks to Jacek Zuzanski for the new photo!
“Badger Meets the Fairies” tomorrow at 6pm, Glen Park at Capuano School in Somerville: http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/puppet/2015/badger
Join Margaret Moody for two funny puppet shows this Saturday at 2pm at Arlington Center for the Arts. In “Mathilda’s Bath,” adapted from a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle story, Mathilda loves mud baths — but not the soapy kind. And in “Cow and Mouse’s Picnic” two friends share everything except dessert. Come for the show, stay for coffee and puppet-play.
Tickets are $7; 3 for $20. Please pay by cash or check at the door. Best for ages 3 and up.
This Saturday we team up with Arlington Center for the Arts to offer a “Puppets Together” workshop for families, after the show. Make puppets and perform with your family! More about the class: acarts.org/classes.php
