About the Artist/Ensemble
Barefoot Puppet Theatre has toured original, award-winning programs to theatres, schools, libraries, children’s museums and more since 1997. Children, families, educators, librarians, and theatre directors give enthusiastic reviews of their programs. Touring from Richmond, their shows feature innovative, hand-crafted puppets; original music; and beautifully built staging and scenery. Their most recent works have been focused on environmental themes with a focus on sustainable studio arts practices. Working with cardboard, wool, handmade papers, and a host of recycled materials; they are on a quest to create beautiful AND biodegradable puppets.
Notable venues include The Smithsonian Discovery Theater, The Puppet Showplace Theatre in Boston, The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, numerous puppetry festivals throughout the country, and schools and libraries throughout the Commonwealth.
Concert/Performance Description
Puppet performances are fully produced and feature professional puppeteers, a full cast of beautifully handcrafted puppets, imaginative sets, and interactive elements for young audiences. Post-performance Question & Answer sessions with our puppetry artists plus a “Footnotes Learning Guides” for educators are always available.
Please visit www.barefootpuppets.com for additional information, learning guides, and audience size recommendations for each show. Specific performances adapt well to sensory-friendly programming needs, non-English speakers, and other audiences with special needs. Contact us to learn more about audience accommodations.
New Squid on the Block
Running Time: 45 minutes
Audience: Grades PK-5 and family audiences
It can be hard to make friends. Especially if you have tentacles. Journey to Antarctica as a curious squid seeks connection in the most unlikely of places. Penguins, orcas, and jellyfish abound in an icy landscape for this heartwarming tale of friendship. Beautifully handcrafted puppets, an original score by Ned Haskins, and a good dose of silliness, combine to create a comedic, wordless performance that celebrates our ability to create connections, despite our differences. This show can be performed with a live orchestra – please contact Barefoot Puppets for more information.
Galapagos George
Running Time: 50 minutes
Audience: Grades K-8 and family audiences
Based on the true story of “Lonesome George,” this show tells the tale of a truly one-on-a-kind tortoise from the Galapagos Islands. Watch George grow up among sea turtles, lizards, hungry goats, sea lions, and dancing birds with blue feet. As you visit his island, you hear the true story of the last tortoise to be found on Pinta Island in the Galapagos archipelago. Fall in love with these islands…and this not-so-little tortoise!
Little Red & the Gingerbread Man
Running Time: 35 – 45 minutes
Audience: Grades PK-2 (ages 2-8) and family audiences
Two tales rolled into one! This show combines two well-loved, classic tales to create an original, fun-filled romp through fairy tales. Original music, snowy scenery, and everyone’s favorite Big Bad Wolf make up this seasonal favorite for our youngest audiences. Available November through February.
The Wriggling Brothers Circus!
Running Time: 25 minutes
Audience: Family audiences; festivals
This lively show is a take on the old-fashioned flea circus, but features earthworms and other creepy crawlies who walk the tightrope, do a high-dive, and even get shot from a cannon. Set up is fast and portable – a perfect fit for outdoor festivals!
Can’t Catch Me!
Running Time: 35 minutes
Audience: Grades PK-2 (ages 2-8) and family audiences
Even the potholders come to life in this mixed up retelling of “The Gingerbread Boy.” This heart-warming story of caretaking, sharing, and cookies is told with rod puppets and object puppets. The show is interactive with plenty of opportunities for audience participation – a perfect fit for the youngest of audiences.
Technical Requirements
- 15’ X 15’ clear performance space with an 8’ ceiling minimum required for all shows
- “New Squid on the Block” requires additional wing space and/or a stage plot of 22’ X 15’
- Multiple, grounded electrical outlets
- Barefoot Puppet Theatre travels with wireless mics, quality speakers, and supplemental lighting; pipe-and-drape available.
Educational Programs
Performances, residencies, workshops, and professional development workshops are available throughout the year and can be customized to specific learning objectives. When time allows, the puppeteers are always thrilled to answer questions about puppetry during post-show discussions and to demonstrate how the puppets work.
A sampling of additional options includes, but is not limited to:
- Thinking Outside the Socks (an interactive presentation)
- Emoji Puppets (a puppet-making workshop)
- Underwater Shadow Puppetry (shadow puppetry workshop)
- Eco-solutions (a shadow puppetry and science arts integration program for Grades 4 and up)
- Talk to the Hand (a puppet manipulation workshop)
Barefoot Puppet Theatre is also on the Virginia Commission for the Arts Teaching Artist Roster. Company director and founder, Heidi Rugg, has extensive experience with arts integration. The practice of puppetry arts includes sketching ideas, prototyping, scriptwriting, brainstorming, building, manipulation, and performance. These processes provide countless opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. Contact us to learn more!
Fees
Mainstage/Theater Performances: $850- $1500
School Shows/Libraries: $500 – $750
Workshops: $150 – $300
Masterclasses & Educator Professional Development: $500 – $800 per day, per artist
Artist-in-Residencies: Please inquire
All fees negotiable with consideration to the community and the scope of the work. Additional travel and accommodation expenses to be determined by service and location. Discounts available for block-booking, back-to-back/consecutive shows, and smaller venues.
Audience
- All Ages