An update from Ahren Potratz, Resident Teaching Artist

I’ll be heading up our New Voices Youth Ensemble in 2008 and I’m looking forward to moving ahead full steam in January. We will be working on some exciting things this year around the topic of “In Search Of…” Students will explore the topic through improv, discussion, and writing, culminating in an original work to be presented in May.

One of the theatrical methods I want to expose my students to over the course of the next few months is the use of puppetry. Puppets will range from very small and practical to obscure and larger than life. I’m interested to see what kind of material arises when human and puppet interact to create theater.

The other week, two of my colleagues in education, Sara and Mark, helped me create a few puppets of various sizes and then we spent the evening testing them out. We made small vignettes and movement pieces with music and organic sound and it was a wonderful way to spend a Friday night.

Ahren Potratz