Guild Meetings and Events

July 19-20, 2025

Step into the world of tabletop puppetry with acclaimed puppeteer, Fred C. Riley III in an immersive and dynamic workshop designed for performers of all levels.

This class offers a unique opportunity to learn the foundational techniques that bring puppets to life through the artistry of gravity, focus, and breath.

Whether you’re a curious beginner or a seasoned puppeteer looking to refine your skills, this workshop will cover:

• The  Basics of Tabletop Puppetry: Understand how gravity informs natural movement, how focus tells a story, and how breath brings subtle realism to performance.
• Solo and Ensemble Techniques: Learn how to animate a single figure with one, two, or even three puppeteers in harmony.
• Hands-On Training: Participants will gain practical experience manipulating tabletop puppets under Fred’s expert guidance.

Fred C. Riley III brings years of performance, directing, and puppetry expertise to this exciting class. His passion for collaborative storytelling and precision movement makes this a must-attend event for artists, educators, and theater enthusiasts alike.

Come and enjoy a meeting full of workshops and fun at Marin Theatre Company

When: Sun., 3/16, 1-4:30 pm
Where: Marin Theatre Company (MTC)
397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley,
https://www.marintheatre.org/

Agenda

2:00 Guild Social Meet & Greet PLUS Brief SF Bay Area Puppeteers Guild Meeting. 
2 Workshops – (you can sign up for either, or both)
1-1:45  Pre-Meeting “Intro to Puppetry” with Lee Armstrong 
2:30-4:00  “Eye Mechanisms for Puppets” Demo and “hands-on” workshop with Lisa Zagone

Workshop Details

2:30 – 4:30  “Eye Mechanisms for Puppets” with Lisa Zagone
This is a combination demo and “hands-on” workshop. The demo explores a variety of mechanisms for adding expressiveness to puppets, such as eyelids, moving eyes, eyebrows, nose ear and whisker wiggles. It will feature mechanisms for moving mouth puppets as well as wooden puppets (rod puppets and marionettes) and suggest examples for retrofitting existing puppets. The hands-on portion will allow participants to make their own mech. All materials provided.

Ages: Adult.   Limit 30 participants

Lisa Zagone, https://lisazagone.com/puppets, is a professional theater designer of over 20 years, and a university lecturer in technical theatre for 12 years. Her area of specialty is in set, props and costume design. In addition, she has a Masters in Fine Art, and is enrolled at UConn Puppetry Arts graduate school.

1-1:45 “Intro to Puppetry” (pre-meeting workshop) with Lee Armstrong 

Invite your friends! Do they ever wonder what the art of puppetry is all about? This 45-minute workshop, led by award-winning puppeteer Lee Armstrong, combines a demo with hands-on practice to answer the key question: “What do you do once you have a puppet on your hand?” You’ll explore the basics of bringing puppets to life using hand puppets and moving-mouth “Muppet-style” puppets. Puppets provided by Folkmanis Puppets, or bring your own.

Ages: 12 and up, & adults. Limit 30 participants. Skill Level: Perfect for beginners; but all experience levels welcome. 

Lee Armstrong is the co-owner of Sonoma-based Images in Motion which specializes in TV puppetry. A regional Emmy winner, Lee has taught puppetry to thousands of children and adults and has served as Lecturer at UC Santa Cruz for “Jim Henson and the Art of the Muppets.” Her credits include the original Fraggle Rock, Being John Malkovich, PBS shows, commercials and more. 

Reserve your seat now for either, or both workshops at SFBAPG Puppet Workshops Mar. 16

FYI, this will be advertised on the MTC website next week, so spaces may go quickly. If you want to come, sign up NOW! 

Questions? Please email programming@sfbapg.orgAll SFBAPG meetings are free and open to the public, https://sfbapg.org/.

Join us for a Zoom meeting on Tuesday, February 6th at 7:00 PM to discuss the pros and cons. We’ll explain the benefits, responsibilities, and what this means for the guild’s future. Bring your questions and thoughts!

Zoom meeting link in newsletter.

Join us Friday, February 28th via zoom at 6pm pacific for another Guild Show-and-Tell!  There are 15 slots available for presenters. Each gets 3 minutes to share their project at any stage of completion. No project to share?  No problem!  Sign up to support your fellow guild members, ask questions and cheer as an audience member. There will be 10 minutes after all presenters for Q&A as well as a live chat available throughout.

Looking forward to seeing what you’re working on!

Sunday, October 27th, from 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland.

Free for Guild members; non-members must purchase tickets ($19 for adults).Members need to sign up for tickets by October 24th at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A44ACAE2AA7F49-51892280-free. Click on Sign Up, then Save & Continue to enter your name and email. Additional tickets for non-members can be purchased on-line or at the gate. Attendees must arrive between 12:40-12:55 PM to check in and receive nametags for the group entry at 1 PM. It’s very important to be on time.

Performances:

• 1:30 PM “Rumplestiltskin” (Dia de los Muertos version) by The Puppet Company
• 4:00 PM “Tricks & Treats – A Halloween Spooktacular” by Nick Barone & performed by the Storybook puppeteers

Additional Activities:

• 2:20 PM Puppet Parade & Meet & Greet
• 2:30 PM. in-person Show ‘N Tell featuring puppet projects
• Guild Social time with treats and library access after the Show ‘N Tell.

Arrival & Parking Instructions
Parking on Bellevue Avenue is $10 per car; consider carpooling or public transit. Due to special events parking may be challenging.
Remember, we all enter together at 1 PM!

More Details

Admission: Fairyland has graciously offered to host our Oct Guild meeting. We value their long-term relationship with our Guild and the many years they have hosted Day of Puppetry at Fairyland. Admission to Fairyland (normally $19 for an adult ticket) will be free to Guild members, but we hope that you will consider volunteering during their Halloween Jam. There are volunteer opportunities Oct. 19-20 and 25-27. For more info, please read “Volunteers Needed at Fairyland.”  

Important Information

• We will all be entering Fairyland as a group at 1 pm. Do not be late! Arrive at the front entrance between 12:40-12:55 to get your nametag.
• Signup for a free (members only) fairyland ticket at (signup link) on or before Thurs. Oct 24. If your membership is not current, please renew your membership before Oct 20 so you are on the Guild Roster. If you are not a Guild member, but would like to be, signup now and get the last months of 2024 free with your 2025 membership.
• Members who want to bring a friend, spouse, or child will need to buy tickets for them.Tickets are available online at: https://brushfire.com/childrensfairyland/fairyland/583935 if they’d like to have their ticket in advance. Otherwise, tickets can be purchased at the gate. Please come early to do this, so you’ll be ready to enter at 1 pm.
• Getting there & Parking: Carpooling or public transit are wonderful options. Bart & AC Transit bus can take you to Fairyland. Additional info on directions, parking, etc. is at https://www.fairyland.org/visit-us/directions/  Fairyland is having a special event that day and parking may be extra challenging. The city of Oakland charges $10 per car to park on Bellevue Ave.
• Allow enough time to park, etc. Please don’t be late, as it requires 2 people to get you in. If you are late because of an emergency, you can call or text Lee at 707-738-5906, and ask any of the front gate staff to call Maria on the radio. We’ll come out to get you. But please note, no one will reply while a puppet show is in progress

IMPORTANT: This is an outdoor event. Please wear layers and check the weather. In case of rain, this meeting will be canceled.

HALLOWEEN GUILD PROGRAM

While waiting for the show, or at any break, you are welcome to stroll around Fairyland. If you or your puppet want to wear a non-scary costume, you are welcome to do so.

• 1:30 Show at the Emerald Stage
  • “Rumplestiltskin” the Dia de los Muertos version by The Puppet Company
  • This is the story of a little spirit that does not wish to be remembered. The classic Grimms Brothers tale comes to life with a Mexican twist. Isabella’s father has told the King that his daughter can spin straw into gold.! And if she doesn’t, her father will suffer. Along comes a little sugar skeleton that does the job for her…if she gives him her little baby girl. But, to be fair, he gives her three days to guess his name. Will she succeed in time for the Day of the Dead celebration? Filled with colorful scenery and authentic Mexican music.
  • The Puppet Company was created by Randal Metz and has been producing imaginative family entertainment for close to 50 years. It strives to present quality children’s productions that appeal to all ages. Each tale or well known “puppet classic” is told with humor and delights the eyes with well-crafted puppets and colorful scenic effects. Randal has been the Director of the Storybook Puppet Theater since 1991.
• Walk over to Aesop’s Playhouse (This pavilion is open air with canopy)
• 2 PM Welcome by Talib Huff Guild President. Brief Board meeting to keep you current on Puppet Happenings in the Bay Area
• 2:20 Halloween Parade! If you have a Halloween Puppet or puppet decked out for Halloween, bring it on up to the stage.
• 2:30 In Person Show & Tell. We have had many successful Zoom Show ‘n Tells, where people have presented a wide range of puppet creations. However, people have asked for an “in person” opportunity, so here it is! Our Master of Ceremonies will be Talib Huff. He’ll do the introductions and keep the ball rolling. You can have up to 5 minutes to show off anything puppet related. There will be one 6” table available, if you want to use it during your presentation (setup and removal might be part of your 5 minutes if we have a lot of signups.) In up to 5 minutes, you can also ask members for advice. Come be a part of this experience and share your work!
• Show off a puppet that you’ve made, or one that’s a work-in-progress
• Got a puppet design and wondering best approaches, or a query about best materials and where to find them?
• Want to share a bit of dialogue from a show you’re working on and get input.
• Have you discovered a great tool, or fabric, or method that you can demo?

Here are our first two “Show ‘n Tell” participants.

• Lisa Zagone, https://lisazagone.com who did 2 successful workshops at the Northern CA Puppet Festival in Aug. will be teaching at Guild meeting in the future. She’ll show two possible workshops, her popular Eyes & Eye Mechanisms and How to Build a Portable Shadow Stage. Which one intrigues you most? Come see and vote!
• Lee Armstrong of Images in Motion, www.imagesmedia.com will demo some quick tips and tricks in mocking up a quick foam puppet, to help you, or a client visualize the final puppet.
  • Only 10 spots left. Sign up soon by emailing Talib at president@sfbapg.org!
  • The sky’s the limit on what you may see, learn and/or share at Fairyland!
  • Any time after the Show ‘n Tell will be used for a Guild Social. Meet other puppeteers, learn who is doing what and where. Bring your own (non-alcoholic) beverage. There is also a canteen at Fairyland, but lines may be long. Hospitality will provide some Halloween treats. Also, the Guild library will be available for checkout.
  • Guild Library will be at Fairyland
  • The Guild library has hundreds of books covering a variety of topics. Books & DVD’s will be available for checkout for people that have been members for at least 6 months.If you have a book checked out, please return it at Fairyland. If you can’t make Fairyland, please mail it to…Guild Librarian, Lee Armstrong, 720 Ladera Dr., Sonoma, CA 95476.
• 3:45 We will walk over to the Storybook Puppet Theater
  • We ask that you allow children and parents to be seated first. If you have mobility issues, please email larmstrong@sfbapg.org by 10/24 and she’ll have a seat reserved for you. However, the show is 20 minutes and if seats are full and you can stand for that amount of time, we hope that you will let others sit first.
  • This is a special show, as Nick Barone was a beloved Guild member, the Nick Barone Memorial Scholarship is in his honor, and some will remember seeing this show performed by Nick.
• 4 pm show Tricks & Treats – A Halloween Spooktacular
  • Master puppeteer Nick Barone brings his special brand of Halloween magic to the Storybook Puppet Theater. Nick, a popular Bay Area performer who passed away in 2014, has left this gift for the children of the Bay Area. The Storybook Puppet Theater is happy and proud to recreate this original tale for our theater’s 68th anniversary. What do you do when a group of monsters meet and greet in Fairyland? Put on a variety show, of course! Filled with lovable and friendly monsters, this comical show is designed to delight. Puppets, story, and songs by Nick Barone, performed by the Storybook puppeteers. Additional scenery by Warren Moten III.