Puppet Potpourri

Puppet Potpourri is a 30 minute informal, musical variety show using hand puppets, rod puppets, and string (marionette) puppets. For this performance, children are seated on the floor in a semi-circle. While the hand and rod puppets perform with the puppeteer somewhat hidden behind a small screen, the string puppets perform inside the semi-circle up close and personal with the children. This is an audience participation show.

However, it is not the type where the children are encourage to scream and shout and talk back to the puppets, nor are the children asked to perform. It is the puppets close, personal interactions with the children that render it an "audience participation" show.

Age limits: I like to think of my productions along the lines of a Disney movie: Child oriented but with a variety of materials that appeal to various age levels. This production works well in the structured settings of pre-schools as well as elementary schools.

However, 'as a rule' children under 5 are not ready to sit down and be entertained by anything for 30 minutes.

I did have one party of toddlers where the birthday boy was one year old. The parents said that he was responding well to the "Baby Einstein" material, and thought it would work. The parents sat with him and helped focus his attention, the show was cut to 15 minutes, and the one year old had a surprisingly good time.