Current Workshops

Basic Puppet Manipulation: Good puppetry must begin with a set of basic techniques. This class will cover the five beginner level basics of puppet movement, including entering and exiting, lip synch, and rod arm movement.

Advanced Puppet Manipulation: Dave will show you how movement, gestures, and choreography can really bring your puppet and puppet performance to life. This workshop is intended for those who already have a good grasp of basic puppetry manipulation.

Bunraku Puppetry: This ancient art of Japanese puppetry involves the use of puppets without a ‘formal' stage. Ideas and techniques for solo and team puppetry will be shared. This is a great style of puppetry to use with limited space! Dave will also share scripting ideas for this form of puppetry.

Change Your Personality at the Drop of a Hat: Crazy Characters Through Costuming: What would you say if you could have King David visit your children's church? Or a famous sports figure? Or a wacky surgeon to perform an operation just for your kids? All these things can happen at the drop of a hat, through costuming and characterization! Children love to see adults at “play”, and costumes are a great attention-getter. In this class, you will learn how to use simple costumes to transform into crazy character, to tell stories and teach biblical concepts in character, and a very simple shadow technique to become any Bible character!

Developing Live Performance Skills: This workshop will highlight and demonstrate the necessary skills for effective live performance, including voices, script reading and solo puppetry. Live performance can be the most challenging aspect of puppetry, but the rewards are instantly identifiable. An audience will give more attention and have more appreciation for the skills of the live performer.

Fun With Found Object Puppetry: You've heard the saying, “One person's trash is another's treasure?” Found Object Puppetry is taking ordinary objects and turning them into extraordinary puppets and props. Objects become “talking object lessons.” You can even create “interactive dramatics” that children participate in and learn from. Dave will demonstrate a few examples of this ingenious form of puppetry that you can apply to your programs.

Basic Juggling: Juggling is a fun skill activity for kids and a great object lesson for teachers. Learn the three basics of juggling: the toss, the exchange and the juggle. Dave will show you lots of useful tips to make the learning go faster. He'll even show you how to make your own juggling balls.

Giant Puppetry For Stage and Street: Large scale puppets are a fun way to add visual variety and surprise to your program. By following a few basic rules of engineering, you can create safe and reliable puppets of any size. Dave will highlight the mechanics involved and demonstrate a few “parade puppets”, including an 11 foot long “Jonah” fish. Bring your camera.

“His Heart” Construction Class: (Cost $35, Class Limit 20) Dave and June will teach you how to build a quality foam-based heart puppet. Using high quality foam, this puppet is durable enough for every day use. It also has all the colors of the “wordless book” object lesson. In this class you'll learn: how to correctly cut foam patterns; how to correctly and precisely glue foam together; and how to finish a puppet mouth cleanly and professionally. In this class you'll need to bring: An Xacto knife, Sharp scissors, a hot glue gun, and a black marking pen.***This is just one of the hands-on classes that we're able to teach. There are several to choose from.***

Keys to Effective Stage Communication: Does your audience understand what you're trying to say? Do they get the joke? Is that all they get? Are you an effective communicator? Join Dave as he takes you through tried and tested ways to improve your skills as a stage performer. Areas covered will include voices and projection, non-verbal communication and body language, and adding drama, suspense, or comedy to your sketches.

Let There Be Blacklight: Make your puppet performance come alive with the use of blacklight! Dave will demonstrate and discuss equipment, supplies, resources, props, scenery, and blacklight puppets. He'll even show you a pattern for a simple blacklight puppet.

Nonverbal Puppetry Skills: Add a new dimension to your puppetry: Silence! You don't need words or lyrics to communicate with puppets. Dave will demonstrate how puppetry can translate universal ideas such as love, overcoming adversity, giving of yourself, and other important concepts using only movement and props. What a great tool for those taking mission trips and crossing the language barrier!

One-On-One Puppetry: Come and learn one of the simplest but most effective means of using puppets to minister: one-on-one puppetry. One puppet and one person out front can teach children in a variety of ways that never grow old. In this class you will learn how to tell Bible stories using this technique, three tried and true uses of one-on-one puppetry, and how to actively involve children in this style of puppetry.

Puppet Props & Scenery: In this class, Dave will introduce and demonstrate essential tools and materials used to build just about anything for the puppet stage. He will show you how to work with these tools and materials, and answer your questions about prop and scenery construction.

Scriptwriting for Ministry: Learn to tools you need to write a good script. We'll discuss plot, conflicts, characterization and more while getting lots of hints and time saving tips. Learn how to outline and diagram an original script. We will also cover adlib and improvisational scripting.

Shadow Puppetry: Get introduced to the “world of shadows” that's possible through the use of shadow puppetry. Come and learn the three basic elements of this ancient puppetry technique, and how you can use it to add variety to your team's use of songs and scripts.

Tiny Teams Teaching Tremendous Truths: Can two or three people present a vibrant program that captivates and educates? Of course! Two people can do an amazing presentation: The keys are Preparation, Programming, Practice, and Visual Variety. With these four elements, small teams can present truths effectively.

Medianistry: Using Video Projection To Create Enviroment And Share The Word: Video projection opens up an entire new world of possibilities for the children's performer. Dave will demonstrate a number of examples of virtual puppets, props and scenery ranging from the simple to the sublime. He will also cover technical needs, static vs. moving images, and integrating shadow puppetry with projection equipment. Dave will also highlight the exciting new area of multimedia performance DVDs for puppet and drama teams.

How to build an effective Children Church set for under $200.00: In three hours the class will build a hard sided Children's Church set with puppet doors, chalkboard and dry erase board. (cost to be supplied by seminar host)

Beginning Ballooning: This workshop is designed to teach the basics of ballooning. Then June will teach you a couple Gospel messages that you can use with your new object lesson.

Beginning Puppetry: This workshop covers how to care for your puppet, the five basics, and the “dos and don't” of puppet manipulation. Everything a good puppeteer should know.

Blacklight – adding “non-light” to your ministry:“I'm ready to try blacklight, where do I start?” June will show you how to make use of ultraviolet light to create an exciting, brilliant special effect. From puppets to props she will show you many of the resources that are available.

Clown Make-up 101 – hands-on application: This hands-on class will cover the basic clown makeup. Each clown type and how they differ, how to apply a simple clown face, and how clown make up has evolved.

Finding the Hidden Clown in You – what clown face are you?: Are you an Auguste? Maybe a whiteface? Or are you a Hobo? Did you know there are more than one type of whiteface? In this class, June will cover some basic clown characters and tips on how to get the basics you need to get started in this ministry.

Clown & Puppets – they do mix: June will show you how to mix your Puppet Ministry and Clown Ministry, not just following each other's performance, but to share the same stage. Whether it be one-on-one or a group, see how from songs to skits can bring these ministries together.

Hands-on Puppets Your Class Can Make! (Cost: $5.00; limit 20) June will provide patterns, materials and instructions on how to build a “Mr. Big Mouth” puppet. This simple puppet is especially appropriate for learning to use our tongues and our words correctly. Each attendee will construct their own puppet, which can then be taught to, built, and used by students.

Now that I bought it, what do I do with it?: From where to find information on the Web for your ministry and tap into the multitude of information out there to progressing from overheads to Power Point presentation in your Children's church. Learn what you need to get “plugged in”.

Stage Movement – being larger than life onstage: Where is the power point on stage? How do I make sure all eyes are on me? Movement and positioning onstage is the key to an effective performance. Come learn how to make the stage work for you.

The Silent Clown – mime: Can clowns be silent? Of course they can, just ask Socataco (Floyd T. Shaffer) Covered will be physical exercises and “mime” to breath life into your clown. Come learn how June's clown uses it.

Who's Line is it Anyway? – The art of Improv: Are the creative juices stuck in neutral? Come learn the “rules” of improv and see how these exercises can spark the creative juices for your drama or puppet team. (Be ready for class participation)

Ready for the next step? Adding variety to your puppet ministry: Stuck for ideas, this class is for you. Where do ideas come from, what have you used, we will work off each other to share ideas and discuss how to think outside the lines. June will cover how to find new ways of using what you already have (in those closets) and ways of adding a little pizzazz to your puppet ministry. The sky's the limit!

Expand your Mime: I thought all mimes had white faces and stripped shirts. UGH!!! Some basic mime exercises will be covered along with bursting stereo types to open you up to a whole new avenue to use in your ministry. Places where you can find more information about this wonderful world will also be shared.

PowerPoint tips to Enhance your Ministry: This class is for beginners to Power Point. Learn how to create a Power Point presentation for worship time & memory verse games, just to name a few. Find out where you can get FREE resources to expand your library.

Hand and Stick - adding dowel rod movement to you ministry: Learn creative expression to enhance your puppet ministry by adding dowel rod movement to your performance. You have to see and "experience" it to get it. This is a class for NON-movers and untrained mimes who long to participate with movement.

“His Heart” Construction Class: (Cost $25, Class Limit 20) Dave and June will teach you how to build a quality foam-based heart puppet. Using high quality foam, this puppet is durable enough for every day use. It also has all the colors of the “wordless book” object lesson. In this class you'll learn: How to correctly cut foam patterns*How to correctly and precisely glue foam together*How to finish a puppet mouth clearly and professionally. In this class you will need: An xacto knife*Sharp scissors*A black marking pen*A small ruler.***This is a sample of a hand-on class that we are able to give. There are several to choose from***

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