Educational Background/Training
Genna Beth brings her real-world experience in theater and puppetry as well as her formal training (University of Maryland, B.A. in Theatre Arts; University of Connecticut, M.F.A. in Puppet Arts) to teach puppetry performance, design and fabrication to all ages.
After discovering puppetry while studying theatre at the University of Maryland from 2004-2008, she helped establish Wit’s End Puppets in Washington, DC. With this small company, she created and produced original puppet theater productions from 2011-2019 while also freelance puppet building and performing at DC-area theaters. After attending graduate school from 2019-2022, she moved to Richmond, VA in 2024 to work alongside Heidi Rugg, owner and operator of Barefoot Puppet Theatre.
About the Artist/Ensemble
Hailing from the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, Genna Beth Davidson is an ambitious and down to earth puppet artist who brings her broad and deep set of skills to arts, entertainment and educational arenas alike.
She is a puppet designer, fabricator, performer, devised-theater maker, and teaching artist. She works in many styles of puppetry: tabletop, moving mouth, hand, rod, object, shadow, Bunraku-style, crankie, toy theatre, body/wearable puppets, TV puppetry, lantern, and hybrid forms. Over nearly two decades of work, Genna Beth has created numerous characters for the stage. Some favorites include a Cerberus puppet for Antic in a Drain, a giant seahorse for Khunum Productions, and a witch that transformed into a dragon for A Sleeping Beauty Ballet with Pointless Theatre in DC.
With a penchant for turning everything and anything into a puppet, Genna Beth loves transforming the vitality of materials into imaginary beings, and she loves to show others how to do it too. She’s learned that the simpler the puppet, the better it works; a motto she tries to follow with every project.
Educational Program Description
Shadow Puppets Through the Ages (ages 7 & up)
Did you know that shadow puppets might be the earliest form of puppetry? Or that in Indonesia shadow puppeteers (dalangs) are considered priests? Ever heard of the famous Karagöz from Turkey? How did shadow puppetry first arrive in Europe? In this workshop, students will learn about the history of shadow puppetry through a short performance. Then they experience a hands-on session by making their own shadow puppets and performing with them in small groups. Ideally this workshop runs 2-2.5 hours however it is doable (with some shortened elements) in 90 minutes.
Puppet on a Stick (ages 7 to 12)
Do you have a story that you’d like your learners to dramatize such as The Three Little Pigs or The Little Red Hen? In this workshop, each student creates a rod puppet of a storybook character and then learns the basics of puppeteering to perform a short scene or monologue. A great beginner workshop for elementary school students. 60 minutes.
Inner-child Sock Puppets (ages 5 & up)
Everyone can get silly with a sock puppet on their hand. In this workshop kids & adults alike start with a pair of socks, and discover their unique alter-ego. We use materials like felt, beads, pipe cleaners, and scrap bits of fabric and then learn the basics of lip syncing and developing a character. 60 – 90 minutes.
Puppets for the Stage – Consultation or Residency (ages 12 & up)
Do you need a puppet for your production? Are your students interested in cosplay and crafting? Often a theater production will call for a magical moment: a dragon, a bear, a flock of birds, or the like. I can work with your theater department or design team to help you ask the right questions, understand your material options, and craft a totally original puppet for your show. Then working with middle school age through adults, I coach performers on the basics of good puppeteering and help integrate the puppet as a character into the production.
Technical Requirements
Most workshops need a setup that includes tables for crafting and access to some electrical outlets.
Fees
60-90 minute workshop: $300 minimum
> 90 minutes workshop: $600 minimum
Puppet building residency/consultation: $500-$2,000
Material fees and travel not included and negotiated per job.
Audiences
- All Ages