Don’t miss this 1st “Live” Guild Meeting in a while. Spread the word & invite your friends. This will also be a hybrid Live/Zoom Meeting will be made available to guild members via email prior to the event.
When: Sat., May 28th , 2 – 4:30,
W
here: John F. Kennedy Library, Joseph Room, 505 Santa Clara St, Vallejo
Loose agenda, times may vary
- 1:45 Doors open. Meet & Greet. Check out Guild Library. Find Guild Librarian at guild Library table if you’d like tickets for the Giant Book Giveaway Bonanza
- 2 pm Welcome & Fratello Marionettes’ Presentation
- 3:20 Short Break/Social for any library audience to leave if they aren’t attending the Guild meeting
- 3:30 Guild meeting led by President John Arnold. Welcome to members. Introduction of the 3 new board members. Briefintroductions by members. Reports and Announcements. Two of our talented Guild members will also share their experiences with marionettes and puppet restoration.
- 4 pm Social. Guild Library. Giant Book Giveaway Bonanza
Presentation: Kevin Menegus will be showing marionettes from Fratello Marionettes’ newest production of “Jack & the Beanstalk.” The discussion will examine the year-long process of creating a new production, from story and script, character design, costume fabrication, and crafting the marionettes and stage. Kevin has a wealth of information to share on developing a show, which will be valuable to all puppeteers. The “Jack and the Beanstalk” puppets, in their “in progress” state, will be available for Guild members to try and e
xplore for themselves!
Kevin will also be performing several acts from his variety show “The Vaudeville Follies” and show how large-scale marionettes are used in performances. There will also be a discussion about the puppet restoration work Kevin does for museums and private clients all over the globe. The Fratello Marionettes has been ente
rtaining audiences through the art of marionettes since 1989. The company continues the tradition of classic marionette performances. All the puppets you see in The Fratello Marionettes’ repertoire are conceptualized and built by the puppeteers themselv
es, with painstaking attention to detail. Each marionette takes two to three months to create. The company also collaborates with local symphony orchestras to produce unforgettable performances blending live classical music with the storytelling art of puppetry.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Fratello Marionettes has performed in locations around the world.
Kevin Menegus: Founder, Builder, Performer Fratello Marionettes founder Kevin Menegus became intrigued by puppetry after receiving a puppet as a gift, at age six. Kevin went o
n to apprentice with some of the leading puppeteers in the country, including Tony Urbano
, Bob Baker, Randal Metz and Lewis Mahlmann, learning from them while developing unique building and performing styles of his own.
Kevin holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Percussion Performance from the University of The Pacific Conservatory of Music. This comes in handy for selecting and orchestrating the right music for each marionette performance. Kevin has performed for audiences around the world, including several major cruise lines.
Marisol Himmel attended the Scott Land School’s Marionette-building Weekend Workshop with Dave Herzog. She was sponsored by the Marc Dunworth Foundation for the Performing Arts and will update us on this workshop.
Ilene Kennedy is restoring puppets for our Guild and will share a bit of her work and the challenges of dealing with older puppets in need of repair.